Berniard thinking about closer to home

Lafayette (La.) St. Thomas Moore massive offensive tackle Geoff Berniard already has an offer from one of the top programs in the nation on the table, but it’s one that could come from a local team that has him really excited about the recruiting process.

“Coach Dooley from LSU called the other and wanted to make sure that I was coming over for their offensive line camp,” Berniard, who is 6-foot-8 and 320-pounds, said. “He was saying that they might offer me a scholarship if I look good over there. Right now, I’m leaning a little toward LSU. They’re my No. 1 and I’m hoping they will offer.

“I like the coaches there and I have a lot of ties with the school – because of my brother and sister. I’m kind of hoping they do offer me, but everything is still open. I have favorites, but it’s open.”

And one of the teams that he’s open to is Florida State, who laid down an early scholarship offer in May. And he’s also open to teams like Ole Miss and Arkansas that have called him and asked him to come to town for one of their camp sessions.

“They both said they want me to come to camp so they can offer me,” Berniard said. “I know that Ole Miss, Texas A&M, Georgia, Tennessee and Kentucky have also been by the school within the last week to check on me. Hopefully that will produce a few more calls and offers.”

Berniard said he had a good spring and that he saw a lot of improvement in his game.

“I’m really getting off the ball better and staying on blocks until I finish,” he said. “I’m a veteran of the offensive line and I’ve worked hard on helping the guy next to me. I kind of like being in a leadership role. When I was a freshman and sophomore there were people there to help me through it, so I am here for the younger guys now.”

And some times when he’s there, he’s there as a leader by actions but he also isn’t afraid to get vocal if he has to.

“I’m a little of both,” he said. “I like to show them how it’s done, but I’m not afraid to pick somebody up if they’re slacking.”