Rivals250 WR JoJo Earle commits to LSU over Oklahoma, Texas, TCU

Yet another one of the country's most sought-after recruits has reached a decision.

JoJo Earle, a Rivals250 wide receiver out of North Texas powerhouse Aledo High School, committed to LSU. The Tigers edged out Texas, TCU and Oklahoma for the four-star prospect.

Earle is the second player on Aledo's roster to commit to LSU. He joins fellow four-star Bryan Allen, one of the Tigers' early pledges in the 2022 class.

Earle is one of the nation's premier slot receivers. He boasts an impressive offer sheet featuring most of the college football bluebloods. LSU was amongst Earle's early offers last summer after a breakout sophomore campaign and has routinely maintained a presence in the receiver's lead group. However, it's worth pointing out that LSU was a bit of a dark horse in a race that included Oklahoma, Texas and TCU, schools that have routinely been able to get the Dallas-area prospect on campus on multiple occasions.

Earle was in Baton Rouge for LSU's home tilt against Florida, which was a big weekend for Coach Ed Orgeron and the team's top targets from North Texas. Top quarterback target Garrett Nussmeier was also on hand for that game along with 2022 wide receiver Armani Winfield.

Despite being a native of the Lone Star State, Earle fancies himself as an LSU fan. He also got an early look at the 2019 LSU offense in Austin when Texas and the Tigers squared off in Week 2 of last season. Three LSU wide receivers eclipsed 100 yards receiving in the victory with Earle soaking it all up from the sidelines.

"LSU uses their wide receivers," Earle previously told Rivals. "They had (three) wide receivers over 100 yards (vs. Texas) and both (offenses) throw a lot to their receivers. They have been checking up on me, seeing how I'm doing, how school is going and starting up conversations, laughing and having good conversations and stuff."

A return trip to Baton Rouge was in the cards for Earle this spring before the CoVid19 pandemic led to an ongoing NCAA dead period.

Earle is lightning in a bottle and one of the premier slot receivers in the country. He possesses elite speed and quickness and is a sharp route-runner with soft hands and is a big-play threat waiting to happen. As a sophomore, Earle managed 65 receptions for 1,090 yards and 16 touchdowns receiving and 19 overall. Last season, he improved those totals to 84 catches for 1,601 yards and 15 touchdowns receiving. Earle also added another 429 yards and 11 touchdowns on the ground, bringing his touchdown total to 26 along with more than 2,000 yards from scrimmage.

On the football field, Earle has been a key cog in Aledo's back-to-back Texas Class 5A D-II state championship marches each of the past two postseasons. The Bearcats went a perfect 16-0 Earle's sophomore season and repeated with a 15-1 mark in 2019.

Earle gives the LSU coaches some flexibility and creativity as a versatile receiver to plug in out wide, in the slot, in the backfield and to be utilized as a return specialist. He's a home-run threat with gadget-play potential, which makes for some exciting football.

Despite a smaller frame (5-foot-9, 170 pounds), Earle possesses top-end speed and often accelerates after the catch. He's a run-after-catch specialist with exceptional twitch and elusiveness in the open field. Earle has the ability to turn a three-yard slant into a 70-yard touchdown, particularly due to his quick feet and capacity to easily change directions in an instant. Those same traits allow Earle to be equally as dangerous when it comes to kickoff and punt returns.

Earle will enjoy plenty of success in the slot as a smart, polished route-runner. He explodes in and out of his breaks and consistently separates from defensive backs in 1-on-1 settings. Even though he's a smaller receiver, Earle has a rather large catch radius and very certain hands. He also has impressive vertical skills to challenge for contested balls in mid-air and the red zone.

Earle checks off all of the major boxes while evaluating wide receivers. He's a vertical threat that can take the top off a defense from the seams or outside the numbers. The Aledo coaches use him in the slot, in the backfield and as a Wild Cat quarterback, where Earle showcases rare field vision, elite speed and the ability to keep defenders off-balance. On tape, Earle routinely proves that he cannot be corralled in the open field if left one-on-one with a defender.

The Rivals250 slot receiver is best suited to get the ball and make plays in space. He makes devastating, decisive cuts with the rock and can kick into a second gear. He has the ability to be both a safety valve for his quarterback and a downfield threat, in addition to being a cheat code for gadget plays.