Four-star DB Khari Gee picks the Tigers in Baton Rouge
THE SITUATION: There was around 30 schools on the initial list. Then there was four or five. It got down to two. Now there is only one.
College Park (Ga.) Woodward Academy four-star safety Khari Gee trimmed his list to Clemson and LSU after exploring many options. He had eliminated schools like Georgia, Michigan and Oregon weeks ago, and over the last few weeks he's been focused on two Tigers.
Ed Orgeron, Bill Busch, and the staff in Baton Rouge worked hard, continued to show Gee he is a priority in this class, and the No. 9 safety in the country has announced his commitment to LSU.
It's not just a 'Go Tigers' for the Gee family, it's a 'Geaux Tigers'!
IN HIS OWN WORDS: "I have been kind of leaning towards LSU since I cut it down to two schools, so I have sort of been feeling this way for a little while," said Gee. "All the love that coach O and coach Busch have shown, they really showed me they wanted me, they loved me and that LSU was where I needed to be.
"There wasn't a certain time that I knew it was LSU, but it was just something that happened over time. Since I visited in February, I have really liked LSU, and how they recruited me really showed me a lot. It just kind of progressed since that visit, and I know now that I want to be an LSU Tiger.
"I told LSU last week. I gave them the news about a week ago and I called coach Busch first. I talked to him about my commitment on Mother's Day, then I talked to coach O about it that Monday. They were both really excited. I think I caught them off guard a little bit. I really just told coach Busch that I was committing and I think he was surprised. It was great.
"LSU has great history and I feel I will have a great chance to succeed there. I like the opportunity they will give me to play early and I really think coach Busch and coach O can really help me as a player. They can coach me up to the player I want to believe. I have a lot of faith in them.
"I am really excited to be committed to LSU. I am ready to get there and to go to work to be honest. LSU is a great program and I cannot wait to get there.
"It is a great feeling to be committing now. It has been a little crazy. All the coaches have been calling me, wanting to talk or FaceTime every day, and it wasn't too exciting lately, so now I am relieved and happy to have it over with. I know LSU is where I want to be."
RIVALS REACTION: Gee was one of the hottest recruits in Georgia late in January. He was picking up offers daily, and his recruitment really went to the next level at that time. With him going to a private school, they are on a different schedule than public schools, and that could have played a role in this decision. He was on spring break in February, when over 90% of Georgia takes spring break in April. Gee was ahead of the virus, so he was able to visit LSU during spring break and that visit played a big role in this decision. LSU is getting a true student-athlete first off. He was emerging as a baseball prospect a couple of years ago too, but he gave that up to focus on football — that has paid off. Gee is an athletic safety with range, the ability to cover a lot of ground on the back-end of the defense, and physicality. He has great ball skills, he is an instinctive defender and he will add good weight/muscle over time in Baton Rouge.