THE COMMITMENT: Four-star offensive lineman Marcus Dumervil chose to sign with singing LSU over Florida on Wednesday. Dumervil seemed high on the Gators for a solid chunk of the past year, but the Tigers began to surge around the time they started rattling off impressive wins on the field this fall. Now, Florida’s top offensive lineman will leave the Sunshine State to join Ed Orgeron and company in Baton Rouge.
HOW IT HELPS LSU
Reaching into Florida to grab a Rivals100 prospect is never a simple endeavor, but that goes doubly in this case. All three in-state powers would have loved to sign Dumervil, the state’s top offensive lineman, but, in the end, LSU’s recruiting prowess combined with its recent on-field success won the day.
The Dumervil situation is an indicator of what LSU could become going forward. The Tigers have long been a national brand, but it’s been three years since the program extracted a top-100 player from the state of Florida (not including Grant Delpit who attended IMG Academy despite being from Texas). Not only is Ed Orgeron’s team a contender for the national title, it’s now clear that it’s a threat to steal nearly any top-rated recruit regardless of region. Success tends to compound in college football and that’s the juncture at which Orgeron and company now sit. The momentum is palpable.
In Dumervil, the Tigers are getting a powerful tackle with a strong base and a massive lower body. The four-star prospect carries a bit of bad weight up top but it’s not a red flag by any means, as shaping him won’t be a major project. The four-star prospect maintains incredibly light feet for his size, but his calling card is his strength. This year, Dumervil anchored an offensive line that helped his high school capture a state title and dominate most opponents it faced.
Dumervil is unlikely to arrive at LSU for spring practice because of his high school’s rule against student’s graduating early. That said, he has the kind of frame to contribute early in his LSU career.
HOW IT HURTS FLORIDA
This stings Dan Mullen’s program a bit only because the Gators once looked like an overwhelming favorite here. In fact, Dumervil came close to pulling the trigger on a commitment to the Florida last spring.
And while UF would love to have a headliner such as Dumervil in the fold, the Gators entered the week with five offensive linemen on its commitment list. So will watching an in-state star leave the state to join an SEC rival hurt? Sure it will. Will it cripple the Gators' 2020 class? Not at all. This one stings the ego more than anything else.
