LSU Football Commit Raesjon Davis on Latest Pursuit of 2021 Class Recruits, Playing His Senior Year
If there’s one thing you need to know about LSU 2021 outside linebacker Raesjon Davis it’s that he’s all in. Since the rising senior committed to the Tigers’ program in January, he’s made a concerted effort to be involved in every facet of the LSU program.
He’s talking with LSU coaches on a near daily basis, he’s reaching out to some of his fellow top-notch recruits from the 2021 class, forming relationships with the other 15 players currently committed to the Tigers and continuing to work on his game despite his senior season being delayed.
This week, the state of California announced it would delay the start of high school sports until January, a decision that Davis had expected for a few weeks now.
"My head coach told me it was already going to be pushed back a little so we weren't too frustrated about that," Davis said.
It was a conversation Davis had already had with his parents when the announcement came down from the state. The initial plan was for Davis to play out his senior season in the fall and enroll early at LSU in time for the spring semester.
Now that the season has been delayed to the start of next year, Davis still plans to sign with the Tigers during the Early Signing Period in December but will now enroll after the spring semester, so he can close the chapter on his high school career on a high note.
"There's no rush into anything so we decided it's best to just play out my senior year and go to college from there," Davis said. "My parents helped me out a lot with everything so I'm very grateful for them."
So what will the next four or five months look like for Davis? He's all set to get back to training next week at TNT Top Notch Training Facility, where NFL receiver John Ross and current Oregon Ducks linebacker Justin Flowe also train.
"That's where I do all my weight lifting and my explosion and my coach prepares me for my football season every year and does a really good job," Davis said. "We really worked on my first step, getting off the ball for my pass pushing and then getting the lineman's hands off my shoulders so I'd be able to get past him quicker. I just wanted to get stronger and become more explosive and create bigger plays."
While he's set to spend the next four months hitting the weight room hard, Davis will remain in constant contact with coach Ed Orgeron and the entire LSU staff. When LSU brought in new defensive coordinator Bo Pelini at the beginning of the year, Davis admitted he didn't know how to react at first.
Once finally getting on the phone and meeting with Pelini--who has a background in coaching linebackers--Davis couldn't have been happier with his future coach.
"I was kind of scared at first because people told me he yelled a lot but actually when I went out there and met him I found out how chill he was," Davis said. "He says he's going to allow me to come in, work, learn the scheme which I respect a lot. He didn’t sugarcoat anything and he seems like a very good coach and for the players.
"I've always had a great relationship with them and that's what it's been like from day one and why it helped me make the decision so early," Davis said. "I love everything about them, I love how they recruit and we're still trying to build up our class."
Speaking of the 2021 class, Davis has been front and center in doing everything he can to try and lure some of the nation's best to Baton Rouge with him. The Tigers are up to 16 commits and with an already impressive class, Davis assures that it's just getting started.
Just a few of the high profile players on Davis' wish list to fill out the rest of the class are offensive tackle Tristan Leigh, defensive tackle Maason Smith, defensive end Korey Foreman, cornerback Ga'Quincy McKinstry and safety Sage Ryan. If LSU were able to land even three of those players, it'd make it one of the best classes the program has seen in recent memory.
"Really I feel like if the kids are able to come see Baton Rouge, it'll just flip their whole mind," Davis said. "Once they feel that love from coach O it's different. Some of us that are already committed will hit those guys up one day and then another group will hit them up another day so it's constant."
With Foreman in particular living out in California, Davis is making sure that he knows how much LSU wants him in the bayou. While Davis will wind up playing out his senior year, Foreman has announced that he plans to sign and enroll with the program he chooses for the spring semester.
The two have known each other since they were seventh graders and played against one another in 7v7 travel team.
"I'm trying to get him out of here [California]," Davis said. "My dad knows his dad and we're pretty close."
The current class of 16 commits are all on a group text chat which is active pretty much every day according to Davis. It's a great way for the future teammates to not only get to know one another but also coordinate among each other about who to reach out to help round out the class as best they can.
"We all text every day and we talk to each other, we're trying to build the bond up so by the time we get there, it's like clockwork and we're ready to win championships," Davis said. "We're super close and we just tell each other the targets we're shooting for."
What the class is building now is that bond, that culture that’ll make it that much easier when they finally step foot on campus. It comes back to culture at the end of the day and that's one thing that Davis has taken away from the LSU staff since his entire recruiting process began.
"The program has been turned completely around by coach O and he's making sure he's on top of everything over there," Davis said. "Making sure the players are doing their school work, I always say he's building a championship culture out there and it's one that's sustainable. It's all about character with him and if you have a great character you can be a Tiger."
