LSU DL target will visit Baton Rouge, then announce a decision

One of the LSU football staff’s top targets on the defensive line now has a decision date set, and it comes soon after a planned visit to Baton Rouge.

Denton (Texas) Guyer defensive lineman Xavier Ukponu will announce his college choice on June 29, and he’s down to three finalists.

“It is Arkansas, LSU and Florida,” Ukponu told On3 National Recruiting Analyst Chad Simmons. “I don’t have a true top three, but those schools stand out because of communication, how their coaches recruit me daily and I have real relationships with coaches at these schools.”

Ahead of his visits, Okponu told The Bengal Tiger that the relationship he’s had with LSU defensive line coach Bo Davis dating back to his time at Texas had the Tigers out front.

“LSU is definitely at the top right now,” Okponu said.

After official visits to Cal and Arkansas, Okponu said the Razorbacks are firmly in the mix as he navigates the final stretch of his recruiting process.

“It really surprised me,” he said. “I didn’t know what to expect and I liked it more than I thought I would. Coach Deke Adams was great, we spent a lot of time together and Arkansas did a great job with me.”

Between his trips to Arkansas and LSU, an official visit could go to Florida on June 14. That said, the Gators appear to be the third team in the three-team group at the top.

For LSU, the work done by Davis has kept the Tigers in a good position as he prepares for his official visit on June 21 – then a college reveal one week later.

“I have been locked in with Coach Davis since when he was at Texas,” Okponu said. “As soon as I was done at Arkansas (on) Sunday, I was back on the phone with Coach Davis. He is a great coach, we have a great relationship and LSU is a great program that produces defensive linemen.

“Relationships are big for me. It is about that, then where I can get on the field and compete early. I don’t have to start and I don’t want to be promised anything, but I want a chance to compete for early playing time.”

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