Clark: Time was right
There was no more reason to fight the feeling any longer for Rivals100 defensive end Deondre Clark.
Clark, a four-star prospect and nation's No. 6 strong-side defensive end, called LSU football coach Les Miles on Monday evening with his commitment after wanting to do so in person during an official visit more than two months ago.
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"I wanted to do it last time I was down there in the spring, but I had to come home and visit with my parents," Clark said. "I just finally felt like it was the right time."
The 6-foot-3, 245-pound Clark became the first defensive line commitment for LSU and provided the Tigers with their 11th overall pledge and sixth from an out-of-state prospect.
Clark is the No. 1 rated prospect out of Oklahoma with the Oklahoma City native prepping at Douglass High School. His commitment pushed LSU up to 12th overall in the Rivals.com rankings, giving the Tigers their seventh pledge from a four-star prospect.
"When I called Coach Miles, he was very excited," Clark said. "He was out with his family, but he was excited."
Regarded as a supreme edge rusher with 4.6 speed, Clark registered 99 tackles with 22 sacks for Douglass last season. He also rushed 48 times for 275 yards and 4 TDs and caught 9 passes for 160 yards and 3 scores.
Most observers believed LSU held a distinct advantage over its competition for Clark, who reiterated during the Rivals100 Five-Star Challenge the Tigers led for his services with the caveat that other visits loomed on the horizon.
Clark said that's still the case and after planning a return trip next month to LSU for an unofficial visit during Miles' second summer camp, Clark said he will probably still visit Ole Miss, Alabama and possibly Georgia.
"I'm still going to take a few looks around," he said.
Clark, who was recruited by LSU defensive line coach Brick Haley, was first offered by the Tigers last July and that connection continued to grow until reaching a conclusion Monday with his commitment.
"I love defense and at LSU that's the main thing," Clark said. "I want to play in the SEC and it was a good fit for me."
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