2021 LSU Commit JoJo Earle Says Opportunity To Play With The Best Was Reason Behind Joining Tigers
LSU 2021 receiver JoJo Earle has only been to Baton Rouge once and not even for a visit to LSU but that didn't stop him from committing to Ed Orgeron and company last week, becoming the sixth member of the class.
LSU has been a school on Earle's mind long before he received an offer from the Tigers in July of 2019. As a six and seven-year-old kid, Earle's mom would ask him which school he wanted to go to and the answer was always the same.
"They constantly put people in the league and I want to be one of those people," Earle said. "It's just crazy, when I was younger I used to like LSU a lot. I told my mom one time, she was like 'what college do you want to go to?' I was like 'LSU' and she brought that up the other day and it surprised me."
It's quite rare for commits to spend so little one-on-one time with their future head coach before committing but thus was the case for Earle and Orgeron. The only time the two have met in person is when Orgeron visited Aledo High School in Texas, where Earle will be entering his senior season in the fall.
Though the meeting was brief, Earle said even in their short exchange that he just felt like this was the guy he wanted to play for.
"I just shook his hand really but that was good too because when I hugged him it just felt like love," Earle said. "We talked a lot on the phone and he just kept telling me that I was the best player in the country, that nobody can do what I can do."
Earle is certainly one of the speedier prospects of the 2021 class and while he isn't the tallest, he stands out on the field for his explosive, big play ability. Standing at 5-foot-9, Earle thrives in two areas above all else, speed and physicality.
That physicality is something inherited according to Earle.
"My dad and my mom are both pretty strong and my dad used to make me do pushups when I was younger so it was natural strength and I also put in work in the weight room," Earle said.
A prototypical modern slot man, Earle believes he'll be able to contribute right away because of that natural strength and athleticism to make plays in the open field.
"The way they use their slots on the inside, they get them into space and when I get the ball in space, I can make moves and get to the endzone," Earle said. "I really model my game after Tavon Austin, a shorter guy who makes the most of his size by being elite in other areas."
Sometime in the next month or so, Earle plans on driving down to Baton Rouge with his father to further explore the city and also try riding around the campus a little bit. It's not an official or even an unofficial visit but rather something he wants to do to further familiarize himself with his future home.
The immediate future, however, will be finding ways to stay in shape, primarily through lifting weights at a friend's house and running drills on a nearby soccer field.
Sometimes when recruits commit this early before signing day, changes of heart can pop up. That doesn't seem to be the case with Earle, who told LSUCountry that he's 100% committed to the Tigers and doesn't foresee any changes in his status.
"I just like the atmosphere down there and then I like coach O's personality, he has the player's backs. It's the SEC so I get to play with and against the best of the best," Earle said.
