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The day many Sooner fans feared has finally arrived, as four-star linebacker Jacob Phillips has announced that he is now committed to LSU.
Happy and blessed to announce I will be spending the next 4 years at LSU #GeauxTigers #GlorytoGod pic.twitter.com/pklOTUzvsg
— Jacob Phillips (@jacobphillips_1) January 26, 2017
Phillips picked Oklahoma at a ceremony back in October after taking official visits to Alabama, Notre Dame, Oregon and Texas A&M, and he was seen as a pretty solid commitment. That all changed in December when LSU and new head coach Ed Orgeron really started to make a run. The Tigers rolled out the red carpet for an unofficial visit this past weekend, which apparently went about as well as it could have for LSU.
The draw of being part of a program that has produced so many recent draft picks on the defensive side of the ball cannot be overstated, and his decision is one that I respect. However, there are a few other theories out there about what may have influenced his decision.
Rain drop.
— Gabe Ikard (@GabeIkard) January 26, 2017
Drop top.
Bag man shows up and kids flip flop.
Best thing about @OU_CoachStoops:no matter how many stars you have, he's not going to cheat to get you.
— Gabe Ikard (@GabeIkard) January 26, 2017
Man of integrity. Love him.#Boomer
I just hope that Phillips is the one who made the decision in the end. The kid had a lot of people around him trying to push him in the direction of LSU, and that may have influenced him a bit. In any case, I wish the guy the best of luck. The recruiting process was clearly a difficult one for him, but it appears that it’s finally over.
This is obviously an enormous loss for OU. The void at middle linebacker is quite large, and he likely would’ve filled it immediately. Watching this kid develop into a star at LSU is going to be tough for all of us to stomach.