LSU Football: How the recruiting dominoes fell for the Tigers this week

LSU football received a commitment one of the top defensive players in the nation on Friday.

LSU football ended the week on a high note by landing a commitment from four-star outside linebacker Zavier Carter.

Carter, 6-foot-5/205 lbs from Atlanta, GA (Hapeville Charter), is rated in 247Sports’ composite rankings as the No. 19 player in the state of Georgia and the No. 15 outside linebacker in the nation.

Late April/early May typically isn’t a time of year when a lot of recruiting dominoes fall, but the ongoing coronavirus pandemic has changed things up a bit.

Carter is the third player to commit to LSU in the last week, joining four-star wide receiver JoJo Earle and four-star defensive end Landon Jackson.

The Tigers’ latest commit told Rivals that LSU has always been a top school for him. Carter said he decided to commit this week after he had a phone conversation with Ed Orgeron on Monday morning.

It seems likely that a commitment that happened in Knoxville on Sunday influenced Carter’s decision to commit to LSU on Friday.

Five-star defensive end/outside linebacker Dylan Brooks, the No. 18 overall 2021 recruit in the nation, committed to Tennessee on Sunday over Alabama, Auburn and LSU.

Brooks and Carter are similar players (both would be defensive ends in Bo Pelini’s defense). And I imagine Brooks might have been a bit higher on the Tigers’ board (though Carter has the potential to be just as good, if not better, than Brooks).

It’s certainly possible that once Carter saw Brooks go to Tennessee, he decided the timing right right to commit to LSU.

And it’s also possible that LSU decided with Brooks off the board, that they’d take Carter’s commitment right now.

The Tigers are in a position where they can pretty much pick and choose which four-star players they want.

Carter is raw, and he needs to add some bulk to his frame, but Coach O and LSU clearly see a lot of potential in the young pass rusher.