The Texas Longhorns offered Jarell Cherry a scholarship back in July 2016, long before Tom Herman took over the program. However, the new head coach was certainly interested in adding the four-star 2018 defensive end to the fold in Austin, to the point where many thought the Longhorns could be in the lead for his services. Still, the pitch from Texas wasn't quite enough, as Cherry announced on Saturday that he would be spending his college career in Baton Rouge as a member of the LSU Tigers.
Cherry made his thoughts known on Twitter and, after the fact, shared the following with EJ Holland of 247Sports
"I prayed on it for the longest. I went down there and my family got to see it, and it just felt like the best fit for me, so I decided to commit.
"My bond with Coach O is great. I built a good relationship with him right from the start. It was electrifying. I'm really excited."
It is never a surprise when LSU goes into the state of Texas, where Cherry hails from Dallas Carter, and snatches a prospect and this is a big pick-up for the Tigers. After this addition, LSU now ranks at No. 4 in the 247Sports team rankings for 2018 Cherry lands within the top 10 for weak-side defensive ends in this class and, even if he is not necessarily a future superstar, this type of quality depth can work wonders for a program.
Texas and a handful of other programs can't be happy about it, but LSU made a significant addition over the weekend.