2008 Recruiting: DE Chancey Aghayere

Chancey Aghayere
Garland High School
Garland, Texas
6'4" 243#

Like with Jhyryn Taylor, I am taking suggestions on how this name should be pronounced.  However you say his name, Chancey Aghayere looks like he is going to be a very good player for LSU.  Despite being only 243 pounds, Rivals listed him as a defensive tackle.  Scout lists him as a defensive end.  The official LSU roster over at www.lsusports.net lists him as simply a defensive lineman.  Personally, I think he's a defensive end unless he adds 60 pounds, and he looks like he could be one of the quickest and most dangerous defensive ends to come through LSU in a long time.

Early in his recruiting year, Rivals had him ranked as a 5-star defensive end.  He got injured during his senior year and they moved him down their rankings and to another position.  It perplexed me and other recruiting watchers.  I did not understand a) the position change to defensive tackle, or b) the demotion.  

He is utterly dominant in his videos, and looks like a rush end who can get into the backfield to disrupt a passer or a running play.  But don't take my word for it.  Watch his video yourself:

Notice how he is quick enough to avoid blocks, but also that when he is blocked, he is strong enough to shed the blocker and make the play.  Even when the play is running away from him, he is fast enough to get to it and make the tackle.  He is a terror to the passing game, either getting to the quarterback or reading the screen pass and breaking it up.

This is a kid who, at the very least, should have been a high 4-star, possibly even a 5-star.  He dropped all the way from the top 25 in the country down to #121 in Rivals' final rankings, for no particularly good reason.

Unlike some LSU fans, I am not one to ascribe conspiracy theories to Rivals' or Scout's rankings of players.  Honestly, it is in many ways better if your recruits are under rated rather than overrated.  It takes the pressure off.  When a 5-star recruit fails to live up to the hype, people wonder why, and look for someone to blame.  When a 4-star recruit fails, people just say "that's a shame" and move on.  

Aghayere looks like he has all the tools to be a cornerstone player, a headliner.  That probably won't be this year, as LSU's defensive line is incredibly talented and deep at all positions.  At end, he will be behind Cousin Kirston, Tyson Jackson, and Rahim Alem, all of whom appear to have NFL futures, and also behind senior Tremaine Johnson and possibly behind Pep Levinston and Sidell Corley.  

Aghayere would play and play a lot for most teams, but he may have the luxury of redshirting for us due to our depth.  With us losing probably 6 defensive linemen between this year and next, his time will come soon.