Francois has a big leader
Pre-evaluation Rivals100 linebacker Stefoin Francois of Reserve (La.) East Saint John has a strong favorite.
"LSU is my overall favorite," Francois said. "They are going to compete for a national championship every year and they have great coaches. I know some of the players there and they all like it a lot. The academics are also great and I like the SEC.
Advertisement
"It's close to home and that helps as well."
His strong leanings toward the Bayou Bengals haven't stopped other programs from pursuing the 6-foot-2, 200-pounder.
"I have offers from LSU, Ole Miss, Clemson, Arkansas, Texas and Alabama," Francois said.
He went on to put three other programs in his top group, along with the Tigers.
"My top schools are LSU, Texas, Florida and FSU. I know a lot of coaches are coming through my school soon to see me and that could change things because I don't know all of them that well yet," he said.
The immense success the Longhorns have enjoyed during the past 12 months also have caught his eye.
"Texas is right up there too," Francois said. "I mean they won the national championship and have great facilities. They send all kinds of players to the next level and that is my ultimate goal.
"There is a lot to like about them."
Francois talked about his spring and summer camp plans and said that he likely won't announce his decision early.
"This summer I'm going to the LSU camp and a couple of more team camps but I haven't decided which ones yet," he said. "I'm enjoying the recruiting process so I want to weight my options before deciding anything."
Francois racked up 97 tackles (seven for loss), five sacks and two interceptions (including one for a touchdown) as an outside linebacker in 2005. He was a first-team all-state selection at linebacker by PelicanPreps.com in 2005. He also made the New Orleans Times-Picayune's All-Metro Large Schools first team.
Francois will be at the Baton Rouge NIKE Camp April 30 on the campus of LSU.