LSU football signed one of the best defensive line classes in the country in the latest recruiting cycle, bringing in the No. 1 player in the class, Lamar Brown, as well as the top-ranked defensive lineman, Richard Anderson. These two were the highlights of the Tigers’ class, but they were also joined by another highly ranked D-line recruit, Deuce Geralds, who committed to LSU last August.
Geralds didn’t receive the same five-star label as Anderson and Brown, but he was still a top-five defensive lineman in his class, and he’s been proving why he was ranked so highly this spring.
#LSU signed the No. 4 rated defensive lineman in America this offseason: Deuce Geralds.The Peach State native made his way to Baton Rouge as an early-enrollee in January and is already turning heads in Spring Camp.The 6’0, 279-pounder is emerging as a true freshman to watch… pic.twitter.com/FQ6V6cRgPp
Lane Kiffin was asked about the sort of impact Geralds has had over the past month during a press conference on Tuesday. Here’s what he had to say:
“Deuce has done a phenomenal job, [he’s had a] major impact,” Kiffin explained. “For him to come in and play at the level he plays at, but practice the way that he does, it says a lot about his coaching in high school, it says a lot about his upbringing with his parents. He’s gonna be a great player here.”
The transition from high school to college is certainly far from easy, and Geralds, as someone who technically should still be in high school, faces an even tougher path. It would be understandable if he used this spring to settle into the flow of a Power Four program, but according to Kiffin, Geralds has done anything but settle.
“Saturday night, I was going out onto the field for a jog, and he’s the only one out there, by himself, at night. Just hitting the sled all by himself,” Kiffin said.
Geralds, who comes in at just 6-0 and 279 pounds, certainly doesn’t have the frame you’d expect in an SEC defensive tackle. It will take many long hours on the practice field and in the weight room for him to become a true difference maker at LSU, but given the level of effort and dedication Kiffin says Geralds has shown so far, he may be able to make that impact earlier than expected.
This article originally appeared on LSU Wire: LSU football freshman emerging as difference maker this spring