Louisiana Tech Picks up Two Verbal Commits
It was an exciting weekend in Ruston on the campus of Louisiana Tech. The Bulldogs held their annual spring game and also received two verbal commits from defensive end Lorenzo Dantzler and running back Ladarrius Thomas. Both will graduate from high school in the Class of 2016.
Lorenzo Dantzler is a 6’1”, 222 pound, weak side defensive end from Starkville, Mississippi and plays at Starkville High School. Dantzler is ranked the 34th best player in Mississippi by 247sports.
On Saturday, Dantzler attended the Bulldogs spring game and later that night announced his commitment on Twitter writing, “After hours of talking to family and visiting LaTech I have decided to commit. I’ve decided to commit to LaTech because I think this is the best fit for me as a student athlete. I believe in my heart this is the best fit for me to continue my football career.”
Dantzler had 33 total tackles for the Starkville Yellow Jackets last year which included 12 tackles for a loss and five sacks. Dantzler has been described as being a hardnosed and pure football player.
Dantzler committed to Louisiana Tech despite having seven other offers including offers from Memphis, Southern Miss and Troy. He also had interest from Mississippi State.
Ladarrius Thomas is a 6’2”, 213 pound, running back from Monroe, Louisiana playing for Wossman High School. Thomas is one of the best kept secrets in the Class of 2016 recruiting class. In an interview with the News-Star newspaper, Thomas said, “The coaches were jumping up and down. Coach Holtz was surprised because he thought I’d go to an SEC school.”
He also added, “I’m all Louisiana Tech. Once I made a commitment to them, my mom told me if I’m going to make a commitment I gotta stay with it and I can’t go visit anymore colleges.”
Thomas also attended the Bulldogs’ spring game on Saturday and gave his verbal commit to the coaching staff while on campus.
Thomas is coming off an enormous junior season while he accumulated 1,436 rushing yards and added 331 receiving yards. Thomas scored 17 total touchdowns in his junior season. In one game against Carroll High School, Thomas rushed for 329 yards and in another game against Bastrop he rushed for 234 yards.
Thomas committed to Louisiana Tech while having other offers from Arkansas, Louisiana-Lafayette, and Southern. He also had interest from LSU, TCU, and Tennessee.
Dantzler and Thomas join linebacker Devin Hamilton from Lake Charles on the short list of commitments for the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs. All these young men look to make their mark when they reach the campus of Louisiana Tech in the fall of 2016.
Written by Charlie Beuttel
Photo credit: varsitypreps.com; Ladarrius Thomas