Making The Case: Ja'Marr Chase

POSITION BY POSITION: Comparing the 2018 class to its predecessors

With National Signing Day right around the corner, several of the nation’s top prospects are nearing final decisions in advance of officially signing their letters-of-intent next Wednesday.

Today, experts from the Rivals.com network examine where Metairie (La.) Rummel Rivals250 wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase will end up playing his college football. The candidates are Auburn and LSU.

The Situation: Chase recently narrowed his options to LSU and Auburn after previously considering schools like TCU and Michigan. Chase’s recruitment has seen plenty of twists and turns, including a short-lived commitment to Kansas early last year, followed by a commitment to Florida over the summer. But when Jim McElwain and the Gators parted ways, Chase also re-opened his options shortly thereafter. That’s when LSU and Auburn re-entered the picture and after an official visit to Baton Rouge earlier this month, Chase cut his list. He’s set to officially visits Auburn this weekend before announcing on Signing Day, so where will he end up? We asked our team experts to state the case for their respective programs and let National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell issue a verdict.

“Chase narrowed his options to LSU and Auburn, and did so without having visited Auburn. That says a lot about his relationship with Auburn wide receivers coach Kodi Burns. It also says a lot about his strong interest in LSU. Chase could visit Auburn Feb. 2-4, but I think he signs with LSU Feb. 7.” – Jeffrey Lee, AuburnSports.com

“What looked like an 'anywhere but LSU' proposition last summer totally turned around during the fall and winter. The LSU coaching staff just kept recruiting him while TCU looked like his destination, then a commitment to Florida, then the decommitment. Michigan was too cold and too far from home and unless he schedules Auburn late that speaks volumes for his final decision. I've had him in the 'probable' category to LSU since before Christmas." – Mike Scarborough, TigerBait.com

“I think LSU would have to be considered the favorite at this point since he hasn’t been to Auburn. If he takes a last second visit to Auburn than things could change and it’s impressive for the Tigers to be so much in the mix here without a visit, but it’s hard to pick against the home state school for Chase.” - Farrell