This commitment is a big surprise. It's such a big surprise that when I did my "Where Is This Class Going?" post, I profiled 6 different wide receivers, and Rontavious Wooten of Glades Central High School in Belle Glade, Florida was not among them.
Up until earlier this evening, I would have told you the chances of Wooten being a part of this class were near zero. He shocked the heck out of me by announcing his commitment to LSU today. He chose LSU over Georgia and Florida. Most people thought he was headed to Georgia. He supposedly really loved his camp at LSU, and the coaches liked him a lot as well.
Wooten is a 4-star recruit on Rivals, and while he is not a big receiver by any stretch (he is listed at 5'10" and 160#), he has a lot of shake and bake. Gary Crowton as an offensive coordinator is much more tolerant of smaller wide receivers than Jimbo Fisher was, and we are getting a lot of those guys (Kenny Bell, John Williams). While there is always the fear that a small wide receiver will get lost in the pass patterns, it is not at all unusual for a small wideout to have a lot of success in this conference, despite the handicaps. See, for example, Percy Harvin or Tyrone Prothro.
This is definitely not to suggest that Wooten is the next Percy Harvin, but he could be the next Skyler Green, or perhaps the next Tyrone Prothro is we're lucky. In fact, with his change of direction and speed he looks a lot like a punt returner to me, even though there is no film of him returning any punts (one wonders why).
Anyway, watching his videos, he seems to have very good hands to go along with his moves. His athleticism is shown by the fact that he is a converted quarterback, and you can see him occasionally throwing the ball in his YouTube:
He may have good overall athleticism, but it's his stop and start and change of direction that really makes him stand out.
One wonders what his commitment means for our future in this class. We now have two wide receivers committed, and surely we are saving a spot for All-World wide receiver Reuben Randle from Bastrop. Where does that leave Andre Debose, who seems to be something of a clone of Wooten?
For that matter, where does it leave Christine Michael, who is a running back hoping for an offer, and a guy who seems to be absolutely blowing up to start his senior year? Is there any more room for another skill position player with Wooten on board and a spot saved for Randle?
All these questions and more will be answered in the coming months, and not sooner.
Being an out-of-state kid that is something of a surprise commitment, I have to think also that this is a kid who may end up changing his mind about LSU and start looking elsewhere.