Rivals100 safety Derrick Davis is less than a week away from his November 7th commitment and the Monroeville (Pa.) Gateway star took a last minute visit to LSU. Even though the Tigers coaching staff couldn’t host him like they would on a normal visit because of the NCAA recruiting dead period, Davis still really felt the love from LSU and the rest of the university.
“It was wonderful,” Davis said. “I’m glad I took the trip and visited. My mom, my aunt, and I got down there on Saturday and we went to go out to eat at a restaurant called Walk-On’s that was really good. Then we went and toured a little bit of the campus. We saw the engineering building and the business building. They were outstanding.
“It was kind of hard to watch the game because we were touring the campus,” he said. “We watched the first half at Walk-On’s. I like how coach O didn’t put it on the quarterback. He knows that he has a freshman quarterback and that this is his first time playing in these big time moments. He doesn’t put the pressure on the quarterback.
“We got to tour more of the campus on Sunday,” said Davis. “People down there are extremely friendly. I just loved how everything on the campus is close. There is a grocery store right below the dorms. The Dorms are walking distance from the facility and so are the classes. The university is pretty much a big circle with the stadium in the middle. I thought that was pretty cool.
“The coaches want me pretty bad,” he said. “Even though they couldn’t see me, they made sure to check on me, make sure I was doing fine, and visiting everything I needed. I think that was pretty key that they checked on me because some coaches will shy away and head to a bunch of meetings. Even if the LSU coaches were in meetings, they were calling to see if we were doing all right.
“LSU really separated from Ohio State and Penn State with their diversity,” Davis said. “Culturally, there are just so many different people. That was just great. I feel like I fit in perfectly. Even though I don’t know many of the commits, I just feel like the coaching staff made me feel comfortable even though they couldn’t even see me.”
On Rivals100 safety Sage Ryan committing to LSU: “To me, that means LSU has a chance of getting a really good one-two punch (with me and him),” he said. “I don’t really know him. Everywhere pretty much has a lot of defensive back and safety commits. You never know who but some guys that say they play safety might turn into outside linebackers.”
On the Penn State vs Ohio State game: “I didn’t really get a chance to watch it,” said Davis.
On his upcoming commitment: “I’ll probably know my decision on Wednesday,” he said. “It’s just Penn State, Ohio State, and LSU. I’m going to pick based off experience, who has the best system to help me get to the next level, and who can prepare me best for life after football.”
Ohio State: “They have a very good business department,” Davis said. “Their football team is doing really well. The way they’re recruiting me is awesome and they’re always hitting me up to make sure I’m good.”
Penn State: “They’re recruiting me just like Ohio State,” he said. “The coaching staff is always there and makes sure I’m doing all right.”
Davis has a hard decision to make in the next few days. Penn State, Ohio State, and LSU are all good options and they could all use a talented safety like Davis. Penn State has the best relationships with Davis because of how long Nittany Lions defensive backs coach Terry Smith has known Davis and his family. Ohio State’s coaching staff has prioritized Davis early in the process and has done a good job building relationships with his family. The Buckeye commits also made Davis feel very comfortable last weekend when Jack Sawyer hosted a big visit weekend. LSU is playing from behind but Davis and his family clearly felt comfortable in Baton Rouge and on campus. They haven’t had as much time to get close with the coaches and other members of this recruiting class so that could hurt the Tigers come Saturday. Look for Davis to announce his decision around 4:15pm or 4:30pm on Saturday
