Camp work... https://rivals.yahoo.com/video/recruiting-football/Underclassmen-Challenge-OL-vs-DL-part-one-1127200
Well, we lost LA native Greg Robinson a few years back, and now replace him with this guy who wants to emulate GR. Comes full circle, doesn't it? Also, I read where he played w/Trevonte Valentine at some point, and that they were buds. That sure didn't hurt. Just what we need, Valentine's on both sides of the ball! With Teuheuma and Chidi, we'll have an international O-line!
How LSU landed offensive lineman Chidi Valentine-Okeke LSU offensive line coach Jeff Grimes runs a drill during the first day of LSU football spring practice at the Charles McClendon Practice Facility, Saturday, March 8, 2014. (Hilary Scheinuk Photo). By James Smith, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune on January 29, 2015 at 10:26 AM, updated January 29, 2015 at 11:18 AM The Tigers pulled off quite a coup on Thursday when they landed a commitment from standout Georgia offensive lineman Chidi Valentine-Okeke, who was believed to be favoring Auburn or Alabama. Valentine-Okeke visited LSU Jan 16, but he did so by himself, leaving many to believe that LSU's chances weren't that great. From the time he boarded the plane for Baton Rouge the chances of LSU pulling him were bleak. Fast forward six days later and he's a Tiger. This is how it went down. Valentine-Okeke was very high on LSU while he was enrolled at Champagnat Catholic his junior year in Hialeah, Fla. Champagnat is the same school that LSU 2014 signee Travonte Valentine attended. Valentine played a role in recruiting him for LSU, but we'll get back to that in a moment. Once Valentine-Okeke moved to Georgia to finish his prep career at Faith Baptist Christian Academy in Ludowici, the Tigers found themselves quickly fading as a contender in his recruitment. However, LSU offensive line coach Jeff Grimes stayed in touch with him, which turned out to be vital for the Tigers. Auburn and Alabama emerged as leaders for his services, but an added focus on him by LSU throughout late November and December helped build some solid momentum for the Tigers. His former high school teammate and friend Travonte Valentine has also stayed in touch with him, through messages on social media due to him not having a cell phone, and started pushing Chidi to take an official visit if for nothing else, just to hang out with one another. Valentine-Okeke warmed up to the idea after a persistent push by Grimes and Valentine to make the trip. He arrived by himself, which shouldn't have raised too many eyebrows as he has often traveled without family this year. Once he was in Baton Rouge he spent a lot of one-on-one time with LSU head coach Les Miles and offensive line coach Jeff Grimes. The pitch was simple; we want you, we need you and you have a chance to play early. The Tigers laid out the depth chart, the academic plan and the opportunity he could have in Baton Rouge as key selling points. That same message has been delivered repeatedly after his visit as well. He was initially scheduled to make his decision earlier this week, but delayed it stating that he wanted more time to make sure he was 100% sure he was making the right decision. Valentine-Okeke's commitment came after a concerted late effort by LSU. Andrew Lopez, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune As the week progressed rumors started to swirl. It was said that Alabama didn't have room for him and that the depth chart between LSU and Auburn was favoring the Tigers. It's hard to believe that Alabama wouldn't have found a way to fit him in the class, so I don't put too much stock in what was being said on that front. However, it's obvious that LSU appealed more to Valentine-Okeke than the others so there had to be some factors, but it may have just been the pursuit of Jeff Grimes and Les Miles that trumped the others efforts. On Monday, Valentine-Okeke received an in-home visit from Auburn, leaving a 10-day window where the Tigers weren't going to be allowed to visit again leading up to National Signing Day, which is never a good thing. LSU saw this develop and decided to come in later, giving them the last impression. That visit transpired on Wednesday with Grimes and Miles visiting with Valentine-Okeke, which basically ended up sealing the deal for the Tigers. According to multiple sources, Grimes was magnificent during the visit and immediately had Miles feeling confident about their pitch. The LSU coaches spent as much available time with him as they could and things really seemed to be coming around quickly. How quickly? Less than 10 hours after visiting with LSU for the last time, Valentine-Okeke publicly committed to LSU, thus filling perhaps the biggest need in this recruiting cycle; young, talented offensive linemen. Another key note — One of Valentine-Okeke's closest friends is LSU defensive end target Prince Tega Wanogho Jr. They had the same schools in their top three and while many are hesitant to call them a package deal, they have talked about playing together numerous times. LSU also visited Prince Tega on Wednesday. Could Valentine-Okeke's commitment be a sign of more positive news for Tiger fans on the horizon? We'll have to wait and see. *********** James Smith previously worked as a talent evaluator for Elite Scouting and Max Emfinger and has served on the selection committees of various high school All-American games. He can be reached at [email protected] or 504.826.3405.
What that article isn't mentioning in that paragraph is everything before that Jr. year was in Nigeria. It's a screwed up situation with him...
No sign and place on the table as of now. The clearinhouse already approved his grades and classes to reclassify to the 2015 class. He has some work to do though. Could be the same situation as his buddy Valentine who sat out this year but was in classes at LSU. We will see after the summer.
