Ability to Produce 'Elite' Linemen Is What Intrigues 2021 Recruit Kelvin Gilliam Most About LSU Football Offer
Kelvin Gilliam knows exactly what he wants when looking for a college program to spend the next three or four years of his life. He knows that player development is everything when arriving to college and considers LSU to be a prime example of that trait.
He's also looking for a program that has no problem putting players in the NFL. The Tigers check both of those boxes but here's the catch, LSU has only just recently been in contact with Gilliam.
Gilliam was extended an offer by the Tigers on May 13 with graduate assistant Christian LaCouture and defensive line coach Bill Johnson both telling the Highland Springs, Virginia native how well he could fit into the Tigers 4-3 scheme.
"They told me they thought I was a great fit for the three technique and that I could play inside and outside for them," Gilliam said. "Coach Johnson was just impressed with me, with my athleticism, my ability and my fast twitch. I'm versatile, I can play defensive end or defensive tackle and my ability to run down the passer and stop the run are all things they like about me."
Even jumping in a little later than most, Gilliam is still considering the Tigers among his favorites mainly because of the great coaching staff and elite level talent the program produces seemingly every year. Gilliam is also seriously considering Oklahoma, Penn State, Florida, South Carolina and Texas.
The LSU coaching staff talked with Gilliam a lot about trying to get him down for a visit and the 6-foot-3, 255-pound lineman would like to take one before committing anywhere. Sometime in the next few months, Gilliam said he plans to whittle his list down even further and officially commit during his senior season.
"I'm definitely considering them [LSU] at the top of my list, they just won the national championship and they have a history of producing a lot of great defensive linemen in the NFL," Gilliam said.
The next step in regards to Gilliam's recruitment on the LSU side, is sitting him down for some "zoom" film sessions with Johnson as well as coach Ed Orgeron, who Gilliam has not yet met but is excited to do so. A virtual tour is also on the agenda as that's been a popular way for a number of recruits to get a decent look at the various campuses of the programs they're considering.
"Coach O is all about development and I can see it in the videos of their various drills," Gilliam said. "If somebody doesn't get the drill right, he'll break it down for them and that's the kind of hands on approach I'm looking for. Having the boss be your position coach is huge.”
Gilliam is currently ranked as the No. 7 weakside defensive end in the 2021 class according to 247Sports and No. 108 overall. Those rankings don't mean much to Gilliam now as he's just simply trying to improve on a variety of areas heading into an important senior season.
"I think I can certainly improve on my point of contact, you know not being so hesitant to be aggressive and really just getting up in the offensive lineman's face," Gilliam said.
There are a myriad of players that Gilliam studies in the hopes of weaving elements of their games into his including Aaron Donald, DeForest Buckner, Khalil Mack and Cameron Jordan. Jordan is a name all too familiar in Louisiana as a longtime member of the Saints.
"For his size, to have the ability to come off the edge and use those speed and power moves while also using finesse moves is something that really sticks out," Gilliam said.
At the end of the day, what continues to draw Gilliam back to LSU and why he's looking forward to getting to know the staff better is that one-on-one attention he'd get with Orgeron on the defensive line.
"The prospects of playing for such a defensive minded coach that really develops those d-linemen into the NFL is a no brainer," Gilliam said. "Just the opportunity to play for a big time college program like LSU really excites me."
