2/15/2017 football Edit

LSU First to Offer 2019 DL Rashad Cheney

Chad Simmons • Rivals.com

Recruiting Analyst

Chad Simmons is a Recruiting Analyst for Rivals.com. He was the expert on The Next Class on Fox Sports South from 2011-2015. He currently covers Alabama, Georgia and Mississippi.

THE LATEST: Rashad Cheney is a 6-foot-3, 263 pound defensive lineman out of Atlanta (Ga.) Washington. He has versatility in the trenches due to his combination of size, quickness and skill set. Early on in his evaluation, he shows the ability to play the five and the three-technique on the defensive line. He has good length, he has good agility and he led his region in sacks with a dozen in 2016.

His recruitment has started in recent weeks. He picked up his first offer from LSU on February 1 and has since heard from Auburn, Georgia, Georgia State and South Carolina.

Next week Cheney plans to hit the road with a number of top sophomores in Georgia to visits numerous schools in the state of Florida. He is expected to check out Florida, Florida State, Miami, South Florida and UCF among others on this trip.

He has interest in LSU due to the offer, but in-state school Georgia is one to really watch right now.

IN HIS WORDS: "The offer from LSU surprised me. I called coach [Ed] Orgeron and we talked for a little bit, then he told me that he wanted to offer me. Before the offer, he talked to me about me as a player, what he liked, what I can work on and things like that. He talked to me about Arden Key, how he came to LSU from Georgia and how I could be another one to do that. I want to get out to LSU and see the school. I have grown up watching them, so I know they are a top program that always has great defensive linemen.

"The day I got the offer from LSU, I talked to coach [Dell] McGee from Georgia too. I do not have an offer from them yet, but that is the one I really want. I have always loved Georgia and that is a school I would love to go to. If they offer me, there will not be much for me to think about."

RIVALS REACTION: What more can I add? Cheney says it himself. It looks like early on, that if Georgia offers him, his recruitment is a wrap. New offers will come his way, so we will see if that changes his thinking at all. He is about to hit the road to the Sunshine State and he will likely pick up a few offers on that trip. At this stage, he looks to be one of the top 2019 defensive linemen in the state of Georgia.