LSU Football Bags Commitment from 2022 Linebacker Demario Tolan
One of the missing voids in the 2022 LSU class has been a linebacker addition. On Thursday, the purple and gold added their second commitment of the week when Orlando prospect Demario Tolan announced his intent to sign with the Tigers.
Tolan becomes the first of what could be a few linebacker commits to the 2022 class as he is the 13th commit of the cycle for Ed Orgeron and company. It's also the first pickup for Blake Baker as linebackers coach, who was previously a defensive coordinator at Miami and knows Florida recruiting well.
When looking for a good linebacker prospect, there are a couple of areas that Baker looks at.
“That’s a good question. I think it’s really evolved," Baker said at his introductory press conference. "The first thing I always want to look for is toughness. Are they tough? You want ‘em to have good length, good speed. They have to be able to play in space, the ability to make open-field tackles. Then, high-character guys. I really believe that if a guy is willing to come in and work and take care of his business, he’s going to be a really great player one day.”
After taking an official visit to Baton Rouge back on June 18, the push for LSU to land Tolan really began as the Tigers and Miami quickly stood apart for the Dr. Phillips High School product. LSU is also in the mix for a number of other prominent linebackers in the country including Harold Perkins and Shawn Murphy.
The Tigers' class is headlined by in state prospects like Walker Howard, Will Campbell and JaCoby Mathews so branching out to more out of state prospects was a point of emphasis at some point in this class. Louisiana lineman Fitzgerald West is also set to make a commitment on Saturday with LSU being among the favorites to land his services as well.
