LSU 2016 Recruiting Class Going in the Wrong Direction, 4-Star LB Michael Divinity Decommits

Written by Ryan Wright

Twitter: @HogManInLA

LSU’s 2016 recruiting class, from the outside in, seems like it is in a freefall of sorts lately with a couple of key deflections. The loss of quarterback Feleipe Franks, who committed to the Florida Gators, can be explained away to some degree but on Wednesday, the de-commitment by John Ehret linebacker Michael Divinity is concerning for Tiger Nation.

This time of year seeing de-commitments along the football recruiting trail is not unusual. Recruits that have not had a chance to take official visits during their high school season are now done with football and are focusing their attention back onto their future taking official visits for the first time. Some recruits flip and flop or are just unsure about the right course of action and re-open their recruiting taking an opportunity to field other options and pitches from various schools.

LSU athletic director Joe Alleva has contributed to a mess in Baton Rouge, one that head coach Les Miles and offensive coordinator Cam Cameron have created over their philosophy at the quarterback position or the lack of one. When the Tigers hit a three-game skid and Miles needed to beat Texas A&M to keep his job. LSU lost a key recruit that week, Wakulla High School 4-star quarterback Feleipe Franks. The leaked grumblings from LSU’s administration and boosters and Alleva’s handling of the situation ran off a high-priority need in the upcoming recruiting class under center.

Tough to know who to pin Divinity’s de-commitment on but his loss is also at another high-priority area. LSU did not sign a linebacker in last year’s class going heavy on the offensive line with seven recruits and at running back with four. The Tigers are expected to lose junior Kendell Beckwith as an early NFL entry and Deion Jones’ eligibility is used up. On paper, the Tigers are thin at linebacker and more than likely will need a couple of true freshmen to be key contributors if not count on one to start throughout the 2016 season.

Around 10 p.m. CT last night, Divinity posted his de-commitment on Twitter writing, “I have Officially Reopened My Recruiting!”

The door is left open for LSU to reclaim the prized in-state recruit or for another team to sneak into the mix and make their pitch. Divinity has over 30 scholarship offers from teams like UCLA, Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Baylor, Florida, Miami, and Ole Miss. He has taken official visits to Florida State (Sept. 4), Texas A&M (Sept. 11), Oregon (Sept. 25), and LSU (Nov. 13).

Time will tell if LSU can get Divinity back into the fold and if LSU can finish strong after being atop the recruiting rankings for much of the year but have now fallen to the backend of the Top 10.

LSU 2016 Commitment List (16)

OL Donavaughn Campbell, 6’5”, 340 lbs, Ponchatoula H.S., Ponchatoula, LA

OL Jakori Savage, 6’5”, 276 lbs, Baldwin County, Bay Minette, AL

TE Jamal Pettigrew, 6’5”, 216 lbs, St. Augustine, New Orleans, LA

WR Dee Anderson, 6’3”, 173 lbs, West Mesquite, Mesquite, TX

WR Damonte Coxie, 6’3”, 185 lbs, East St. John HS, Reserve, LA

LB Erick Fowler, 6’3”, 235 lbs, Manor HS, Manor, TX

DB Cameron Lewis, 6’1”, 195 lbs, Wossman HS, Monroe, LA

DB Eric Monroe, 6’0”, 180 lbs, North Shore HS, Houston, TX

CB Savion Smith, 6’1”, 183 lbs, IMG Academy, Bradenton, FL

CB Andraez Williams, 6’1”, 160 lbs, Calvary Baptist, Shreveport, LA

DE Andre Anthony, 6’3”, 225 lbs, Edna Karr HS, New Orleans, LA

DE Caleb Roddy, 6’5”, 245 lbs, Denham Spring HS, Denham Springs, LA

DE/LB Rahssan Thorton, 6’4”, 220 lbs, Shoemaker HS, Killeen, TX

DT Edwin Alexander, 6’3”, 325 lbs, St. Thomas Aquinas HS, Hammond, LA

DT Glen Logan, 6’4”, 290 lbs, Destrehan HS, Destrehan, LA

K Connor Culp, 5’10”, 195 lbs, Desert Vista HS, Phoenix, AZ

 

Decommitted

LB Clifford Chattman, 6’5”, 185 lbs, McDonogh 35, New Orleans, LA

QB Feleipe Franks, 6’6”, 203 lbs, Wakulla High School, Crawfordville, FL

WR Stephen Sullivan, 6’6”, 210 lbs, Donaldsville, Donaldsville, LA

LB Michael Divinity, 6’2”, 213 lbs John Ehret HS, Marrero, LA

 

Photo credit:lafootballmagazine.com; No. 35 Michael Divinity.