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Four-star linebacker Michael Divinity commits to LSU

Big news overnight, as Louisiana's top linebacker committed to the Tigers.

By Billy Gomila
Student Sports

How's this for news to wake up to?

Divinity is a composite four-star recruit and the top linebacker in the state of Louisiana. LSU had been recruiting him very hard, along with Texas A&M and former LSU defensive coordinator John Chavis. Frank Wilson and Kevin Steele had a ton of playing time to offer early on next season with LSU's perspective depth chart (#thankschavis), to say nothing of the need for more linebackers on special teams as well.

Divinity is a 6-2, 218-pound outside linebacker from John Ehret High School on the West Bank near New Orleans. Here are his midseason senior year highlights. I'll leave the breakdown to Dan or cdub to update:

cdub:

Normally when you say someone looks the same from his junior and senior year, people would look at it as a downgrade.  In the case of Divinity, he has been college-ready since his junior year and continues to show the same things that has made him one of the elite linebackers in the 2016 class for some time now.

Normally I try to find something in these films that they can work on for the next level so I don't come off as a homer with each commitment article I put my touch on, but there just really isn't anything that jumps out of the screen.  He could add on a little more weight (which he likely will under Moffitt) just to play the position at the SEC level, but other than that, his on-the-field qualities are right there.

The one word that describes Divinity perfectly is relentless.  His pursuit of the ballcarrier is at an elite level for a high school player.  He doesn't waste any steps in taking the right path to stopping them, normally behind the line of scrimmage.  Divinity disengages blocks well, using his hands to his advantage to set him up where he thinks the ballcarrier is going next to set up the tackle.  What really impressed me the most is his ability to split out wide in coverage, which could be useful if he wants to stay on the field on passing downs at LSU, allowing us to put a linebacker on a TE.

With LSU losing two starters at LB after this season (just face it, Beckwith is gone), there is a want for guys that will be able to step in right away and start or get significant playing time at the very least.  Divinity is one of those guys and should help Steele fully implement the defense he wants after Chavis left the cupboard bare and dry.