Continuing my series on unsigned recruits before signing day took me to an unexpected turn. There was an unsigned player, LeBryan Ray, who is unsigned and I could have written an article on, however, 100% of crystal ball predictions have him to Alabama. Because of this I figured there wouldn’t be much speculation, so I moved onto the next recruit. The next recruit in the lineup was all the way down at number 34 in the ESPN 300, K’Lavon Chaisson.

Just like another recruit that I wrote an article about, Marvin Wilson, K’Lavon Chaisson also hails from the great state of Texas and the great city of Houston. Rather than play with Marvin Wilson at Episcopal, Chaisson played at the football powerhouse at North Shore High School. Chaisson was a stalwart on the defense for that number 14th ranked team in the state of Texas. In 2015, his junior year, Chaisson racked up 84 tackles and an incredible 21 sacks from his defensive end position. Defensive end, less like defensive tackle, relies on both strength and speed to dominate the position. Chaisson stands at 6’4 but he only weighs in at 217 pounds. Some might consider him undersized for a defensive end, but that just goes to further solidfy his immense skill that he is able to replace his size with. Because he is smaller he is also incredibly fast. Looking at top defensive ends in the NFL, Joey Bosa and JJ Watt, they ran a 4.88 and 4.84 forty yard dash, respectively. Chaisson blows them out of the water in a race. Clocking in at a phenomenal 4.69, he will be one of the fastest defensive lineman in college football next year. According to ESPN 27 schools had offered him, and any one of those schools that want him, would need his speed on their defensive line.

Back in October, Chaisson was considering offers from 6 different schools, but now only two remain. Both schools he is looking at will have a new coach in 2017, as he has decided to either stay home and play for new coach Tom Herman at Texas, or head out to Baton Rouge and play at LSU. It is easy to see as to why he has narrowed it down to these 2 schools. Both teams have linebackers that are able to come up and make plays when the offense runs. With his small size, Chaisson needs to rely more on his pass rush, and with linebackers that are playmakers he will be leaned on more as a pass rusher which will showcase his abilities more properly. Texas has been the leader in 24/7 sports crystal ball predictions since October, with other predictions coming in for all LSU, with a few for Baylor and Oklahoma.Texas’ lead started to increase in December and skyrocketed when he came out with his top 2. Right now according to 24/7 sports there is a 77% chance Chaisson winds up at Texas in the fall.

Both of these schools are quite interesting to look at for other reasons besides head coaching changes. Last year both schools had a good (Texas) or great (LSU) defense, while both schools had a subpar offense at best. Texas brought in a head coach known for his offense prowess (See Ohio State 2014 or Houston last 2 years). And LSU brought in an offense coordinater, Matt Canada, from Pitt who completely revitalized the Panthers offense last year and even put up 76 points on Syracuse. LSU has the more proven defense and I’m sure Chaisson would fit in just fine, but I once again side with the crystal ball predictions and see Chaisson wearing the burnt orange of Texas next year. Texas has a young stud linebacker in Malik Jefferson who would compliment Chaisson well in my opinion on that Texas defense. Chaisson will also be able to stay close to family while playing for a coach that is known for the fact that his players absolutely love to play for him. Texas also has a lot of retooling to do to their roster so it is even possible that Chaisson could see playing time next year. Maybe as soon as next year we will see Chaisson throwing up a “Hook ‘Em Horns” after a huge sack, and I’m sure Chaisson and his family will make whatever decision he sees is best for him. Good luck to K’Lavon Chaisson in the future.