LSU Football has an outside shot to land 4-star DE from Texas
By Zach Ragan
LSU football is hoping to become a factor for a four-star defensive end.
LSU football is the place to be right now for defensive ends (thanks to the presence of Tigers head coach Ed Orgeron), which should make becoming a factor for four-star defensive end Shemar Turner a bit easier.
Turner, 6-foot-4/260 lbs from DeSoto, TX, is ranked in 247Sports’ composite rankings as the No. 32 player in the state of Texas and the No. 15 strong side defensive end in the nation.
Rivals recruiting analyst Sam Spiegelman recently “ranked the contenders” for Turner and he has LSU as the fifth most likely program to land the talented defensive end.
Ahead of the Tigers, according to Spiegelman, are Texas, Texas A&M, TCU and Alabama.
It’s impressive that LSU is this high up the list, simply because Turner hasn’t had a chance to visit Baton Rouge yet. This shows how well the Tigers staff has adapted to unusual circumstances. Spiegelman noted that Turner was making plans to visit LSU, but the trip was nixed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Turner, however, is still expected to visit LSU this fall (assuming visits will be allowed this fall).
If the Tigers can get Turner on campus, then they could instantly vault to the top of the list for the Texas native.
What would Turner bring to LSU?
Turner is probably a better fit for LSU now, under new defensive coordinator Bo Pelini, than he would’ve been under former Tigers defensive coordinator Dave Aranda (Turner was offered by the Tigers last November when Aranda was still the defensive coordinator).
The four-star defensive lineman is the ideal size to play defensive end in a 4-3 defensive front. I’m not sure he’d be as effective as an outside linebacker in a 3-4 scheme and I don’t think he’d be the ideal size to be a 3-4 defensive end (though it’s worth noting that he has some room to add some size and Pelini has indicated that LSU won’t exclusively be in a 4-3 front moving forward).
Turner is described by midland region recruiting analyst Gabe Brooks as a player with college ready size who “flashes impressive pursuit ability and straight-line closing speed relative to size”. Brooks noted that Turner projects as a future day 2-3 NFL Draft selection.
Coach O and the Tigers recruit the Texas area extremely well (three of their 2021 commits are from Texas). And the new defense under Pelini will offer plenty of opportunities for players like Turner.
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That’s why I wouldn’t be surprised to see LSU become a major factor for the dynamic defensive end.