Commitment Breakdown: LSU adds 2020 Rivals100 Texas OL Courtland Ford
THE SITUATION
LSU's 2020 recruiting class got a major boost on Wednesday night with the addition of Rivals100 offensive lineman Courtland Ford. The hulking underclassman chose the Tigers over offers TCU, Baylor, Georgia, Alabama and several others. Despite being relativly early on in his recruitment, Ford saw enough on his recent visit to call Baton Rouge home and quickly announced his top five on Tuesday, followed by his commitment Wednesday.
WHY IT'S BIG FOR LSU
It's never too early to start building on the offensive line and LSU worked quickly to reel in Ford after targeting him back in the spring. The offer from the Tigers came before a flurry of other major programs and that early scouting paid off in the form of his commitment. Texas is always going to be an important recruiting territory for the Tigers, but has become more of a priority in recent years so beating out some in-state schools for Ford is also big. As far as what Ford brings on the field, it's tough to find a guy with his size and athleticism at the offensive tackle position and his rare athletic gifts are one of the big reasons why the Tigers made him such a priority. In order to contend in the SEC on a yearly basis dominant line play is needed and the hope is that Ford will bring that with him to Baton Rouge.
WHY IT HURTS FOR THE SCHOOLS THAT MISSED
Alabama and Georgia both offered Ford in the early going but both likely wanted to see him on campus for camp and might still have that opportunity going forward, but it will certainly be harder with Ford already committed. Even so, with national recruiting efforts on a yearly basis from both programs, they will likely be able to find other linemen to target if needed. This one does hurt for in-state programs Baylor and TCU, as it's never easy to see play from in the state of Texas leave for another program. The Bears were Ford's first offer so it stings extra considering the excellent job of early evaluating, but because there's so long between now and when Ford signs his letter-of-intent, neither will give up on recruiting Ford in the future.
