Nick Saban and Dabo Swinney should be taking notes on Ed Orgeron's recruiting abilities. Despite losing nearly his entire coaching staff after a wonderful 2019 title run, the LSU head coach has shown why he's the man in the Bayou.
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Four-star linebacker Zavier Carter is the latest in a long line of exceptional talents to sign with the Tigers and marks yet another big addition on the defensive side of the ball.
Carter, rated the No. 11 OLB and No. 214 overall recruit in the nation by the 247Sports Composite, is expected to transition to defensive end when he suits up in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
4-Star DE Zavier Carter Commits to LSU
The 6-foot-5 Carter hails from Hapeville Charter High School (Atlanta, Ga.), the same school that Orgeron plucked former LSU defensive end Arden Key from. As many Tigers fans remember, Key wound up being a two-time First-Team All-SEC defensive end.
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Hapeville Charter head coach Winston Gordon compared Carter to the versatile, former Clemson linebacker Isaiah Simmons, who was a first-rounder in the 2020 NFL Draft.
"I think you're getting a highly motivated kid that I think his ceiling hasn't even touched the ceiling yet with his skill set and some of the things he can do," Gordon told Rivals. "And you're getting a great person."
Unsurprisingly, LSU fought off competition from other schools to win over the lengthy defender. Carter fielded more than 25 offers from the likes of Alabama, Boston College, East Carolina, Florida Atlantic, Florida State, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, Louisville, Maryland, Mercer, Miami, Michigan, Mississippi State, Missouri, North Carolina, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Oregon, Pittsburgh, South Carolina, Tennessee, and West Virginia.
Hold That Tiger
ATL ➡️ BTR@ZavierCarter is headed to the Boot! #GeauxTigers | https://t.co/2gIBrOGSr4 pic.twitter.com/1wjbNd8wdP
— LSU Football (@LSUfootball) December 16, 2020
LSU's recruiting class features a number of impressive players heading to the team in 2021. Will they be able to shake off the cobwebs of a disappointing 2020?
Zavier Carter Highlights
Besides Carter's hard-hitting abilities, his athleticism and long frame are what's appealing to NCAA coaches. The only knock on the former high schooler is that he weighs in at just under 200 pounds and will need to put on weight to be a lineman in a conference like the SEC.
In his junior season, the star outside linebacker tallied four sacks and 41 tackles. He improved on a sophomore campaign in which he totaled three sacks and 24 tackles in seven games, according to MaxPreps.
How athletic is Carter? Just watch the tall defender show off his wide receiver skills:
LSU football landed a good one in Zavier Carter. He has All-American potential and will get plenty of exposure on a great team.
If the pass rusher fills out like he should in Baton Rouge, he could become a household name in the college football scene.
This post was originally published on May 1, 2020 before updating.
