Four-star Palmer commits to LSU; credits 'Boss Lady' for leading process
LSU landed their man.
Five schools rose to the top of Trey Palmer's list and he gave everyone the idea that he was nowhere near a decision earlier this summer.
On July 4, Palmer named Alabama, Arizona State, Florida, LSU and Mississippi State as his favorites. He had already taken his official visit to Arizona State and some other schools were in play he said.
Those five, along with some others, were recruiting the Rivals100 athlete out of Kentwood (La.) hard, but there is another person close to him that most schools had to pursuit too.
Raymonda Callahan is in charge, according to Palmer, and she played a big role in her son's decision.
"I call her the boss lady." said Palmer. "She is the one I listen to and work hard for. A lot of schools had talk to her and they may have recruited her harder than they recruit me. I am very laid back, so I like it when she talks to the schools and asks all the questions."
His mother echoed that.
"Trey never worried about recruiting," Callahan said. "All Trey does is work out, try to get better and be a better person. He is not worried with all the recruiting stuff. That is just not who he is."
If the recruit was never too involved with recruiting, then someone had to be, and in this case, it was the mother. She had been talking to around half a dozen schools on a regular basis through text messages or phone calls.
Multiple coaches have developed strong relationships with her and her son is quite impressed with how she handled it leading up to his decision.
"It is really like she had been through this before," said Palmer. "She knows what questions to ask, she was the one to set up visits and she is just very intelligent about recruiting.
"She always looked out for me. I know if she liked a school or a coach, then I would too. She knows me, she knows what I like and she just knows the right things to say and ask.
"She helped me a lot."
And Palmer appreciates that.
"I listen to everything she says," said Palmer. "I lay in the bed at night thinking about our conversations, about what she told me and I really listen to her.
"She sees things that I do not see. I hear what she says and I take it in."
Callahan said that the education, the culture and who could be that father-figure in her son's life were keys for her as she evaluated schools.
In in the end, she just wanted what is best for Trey.
"I thank God for what He has blessed me with," said Callahan. "Trey is a great kid, and as a single parent of four boys, I feel I have done a very good job of raising him.
"That is showing now. As he has grown up, we see it and I am so proud of him.
"I wanted to know who could be taking care of my son when he moves on. That is all that matters to me. I want him to be taken care of. He had to be the one to find the right school, but I helped as much as I could with his decision."
She feels comfortable with the LSU staff looking over her son.
"I feel good about Trey's decision. Coach Ed Oregon and his staff really kept in contact, I have a good feel for those guys and I feel they can be father-figure types for him.
"I have been an LSU fan for a long time. My cousin, Demetrius Hoofkin played for LSU (graduated in 2002), so we have always gone to games and liked the school. I think it is a good place for Trey."
Depending on who you talk to about that decision, you may get a little different answer. Palmer always said he'd listen to his mother, but Ms. Callahan said the decision to commit to LSU was all Trey.
"He has been trying to commit to LSU since they offered him," Callahan said with a laugh. "I made him take his time, slow things down and make sure of everything.
"I did not want him to rush it, so this decision was all him. I would have supported him and shown up anywhere he went, so him choosing LSU was him."
Palmer admitted he made the commitment, but he did say his mother played a big role.
"We discussed it together," said Palmer. "We would talk about recruiting and I just wanted to make her happy in the end. That was the main thing for me. She was definitely a part of my decision. It was never all me.
"I did make the decision, but it was with her help and guidance."
The in-state school has always been where Palmer wanted to go. LSU is in his heart and that is why he has put his name on their commitment list.
Callahan told her son that you only go to high school one time, so she wants him to stay at Kentwood until next spring. He will not be an early enrollee, so Palmer will play baseball, football and run track for the Kangaroos before moving to Baton Rouge. He will do so without having to worry about recruiting too.
"It feels so good to be committed," said Palmer. "I am so happy to have it over with. It was a tough decision because I really did like Arizona State, but I have known for about a month that I was committing to LSU.
"I will be able to focus on my team and work to get better and to win a state title."
All Palmer wanted to do was make his mother happy. He gave here a lot of the credit to be where he is and he is very thankful for who she is and all that she has done for him.
"I am thankful for Trey too," said Callahan. "Who he is, how hard he works and just what he has done has made me so proud. I couldn't be happier for him. He has worked for all of this.
"It is a good feeling today. I know I played a little part of this, but this is about Trey. He knows I will always be there."
Palmer's saying is, "If she's happy, I'm happy", and I think it is safe to say both are happy today. Oregon and the LSU Nation probably are too.
