Michigan Offers Keisean Lucier-South Comment Count

Brandon Brown

Keisean Lucier-South 2

Position: Weakside Defensive End

Ht/Wt/40: 6'6" / 218 lbs. / 4.70

Location: Lutheran High School (2015) – Orange, CA

Offers: Arizona, Arizona State, Boise State, California, Colorado, Miami, Michigan, Notre Dame, Oregon, Oregon State, TCU, Tennessee, Texas, UCLA, USC, Vanderbilt, Washington 

Ranking: ★★ .9783 (247 Composite)

FILM

In a move that everyone expected, although most thought it should’ve happened already, the Michigan coaches offered defensive end Keisean Lucier-South today while sweeping through California. Lucier-South is rated very highly by all four major sites with Scout having him the highest as a 5-star recruit.

I talked with Keisean and he was very passionate when I asked him how he felt about receiving the Michigan offer. “I was just in shock. (Laughs) I mean I felt like it might be coming but I didn’t know for sure. I didn’t actually see the coach (Ferrigno) but my coach told me about the offer.”

Early on in his recruitment Lucier-South referred to Michigan as his “dream offer.” That may still be the case but he wasn’t so quick to call the Wolverines his outright leader after receiving the offer. “I don’t have a leader right now but Michigan is up high on my list.” Being a California kid Lucier-South has never been to Michigan and says he definitely plans on making a trip to Ann Arbor whenever he can. He told me that will go a long way to see how much he really likes the Wolverines.

Moving forward in his recruitment Lucier-South said he just wants to take his time and enjoy the process. He wants to take some unofficial visits this spring and summer and with the way his list looks right now his main focus is trying to see what the right school is for him and if he fits at each school.

That plan sounds like a well-calculated idea but there could be an issue with Lucier-South’s approach when it comes to Michigan’s tendency to fill up the class early. Keisean told me that he’d like to wait until National Signing Day before he commits. The problem with that is that Michigan’s 2015 class could potentially be even smaller than the 2014 class and running out of space could be a concern if Lucier-South does indeed wait that long to make a decision. I asked him about that and he said, “I honestly just don’t know how that will factor in.”

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Lucier-South likes Michigan quite a bit, make no bones about it, but he has a lot of very high-level offers and lives in California. Those two factors are usually quite tough for Michigan to overcome. I fully expect Lucier-South to check out Michigan in person and if he does that the Wolverines as as good a shot as anybody, but if he really plans to wait all the way until NSD 2015 it’s hard to imagine that the recruiting class for Michigan won’t already be full. If the coaching staff aggressively pursues Keisean now that he’s offered his timeline could be sped up or Michigan might save a spot for him (as they've done for similarly-rated McDowell). It will be interesting to see what direction his recruitment takes now that he’s got an offer.

Comments

Prince Lover

January 23rd, 2014 at 9:23 AM ^

But he says he doesn't have a leader. Well, if he does come to UM, he's ready for the Michigan philosophy of interviews, don't reveal anything.
And I know he's young and has time yadda yadda, but 219 seems awfully light. Does he project elsewhere or do they think he'll grow into the position nicely.

ironman4579

January 23rd, 2014 at 10:46 AM ^

Eh, weight can be a bit overrated   Kyle Vanden Bosch was on Sirius a couple years ago and said that even though teams would list him at 270, his playing weight was actually 250.  It was well know in Tennessee that Jevon Kearse played at 230  for the first 3 to 4 years of his career with the Titans.

I realize that's only two guys, but there's a pretty big difference between the usual listed weight and playing weight.  

WolvinLA2

January 23rd, 2014 at 12:06 PM ^

First of all, that weight hasn't been updated in a while, so I believe that was his weight before his junior season.  And that about where all of our current WDEs were at at that point.  I know Lawrence, Ojemudia and Clark weren't 219 as juniors in high school, and although Taco is huge, he wasn't a whole lot bigger than that either.  

On his frame, he can add 30 pounds overnight.  

aplatypus

January 23rd, 2014 at 9:49 AM ^

Many recruits say that early on as well and end up making a decision much sooner. 

Hopefully he makes it out ot Michigan and a couple other schools in the offseason and comes away incredibly impressed with Ann Arbor (ideally with at least 1 parent as well). 

He'd have a hard time making an official during the football year from California to Michigan probably, but if he can get over early on that would be pretty ideal. If those go well, I bet he'd pull the trigger way before NSD.

MGoDub

January 23rd, 2014 at 10:45 AM ^

When a kid says Mich is his dream school I think it does help recruiting, but in the end kids take a step back and decide what the best situation is for them (as they should), which isn't always their dream school. I really hope and think he ends up in the class though.

Bodogblog

January 23rd, 2014 at 11:07 AM ^

said to hold back on giddiness until he comes on a visit.  Always a must when guys are a long distance away.

Also, and depressingly, if read BTL correctly, McDowell is going to Sparty. He flatly stated he has more fun there, and the only thing holding him back is the parents and their view of M and academics.  But Sparty working to overcome that.  They convinced him apparently to alter his travel plans and head to EL for the game this weekend.  It seemed like a change on his usual optimism with McDowell.

aplatypus

January 23rd, 2014 at 11:57 AM ^

seems like he got like Michigan overkill for a while. He's probably been told about Michigan and that he should go there since before high school, I don't think it's all too uncommon for kids to want to flip on that. Not that it leads to dislike, but maybe just more pressure around UM? But he's definitely done his diligence and if he says he has more fun and enjoys himself at MSU then that's where he should go - and there definitely shouldn't be any begrudging from people around here.

Bodogblog

January 23rd, 2014 at 12:17 PM ^

It will be an enormous loss, no question.  But I like to root for Michigan kids regardless, though never against UofM.  His parents are Michigan fans, so they're good people.  If he enjoys Sparty more, what can you do?  If that overshadows the (what I believe to be) better opportunities at UofM, wish him all the best.  But people on this blog will flip their shit.  He's a dominant in-state player at a position of need, and losing out will be rough.

Maizenblueball

January 23rd, 2014 at 11:38 AM ^

If we can just get him on campus, anything is possible.  Although, maybe let's wait a few more months before he visits...maybe in the spring or summer.  Better yet, if he can visit for a game in The Big House, that would be ideal.