Who Needs Monster OT Chidi Valentine-Okeke More: Alabama, Auburn or LSU?
Chidi Valentine-Okeke, who is one of the nation’s top uncommitted offensive tackle prospects in the 2015 class, delayed making his announcement on Monday evening because he needs more time to firm up his choice, per Keith Niebuhr of Auburn Undercover.
The 6’6”, 305-pounder is down to a trio of SEC West heavyweights—Alabama, Auburn and LSU.
“I wanted to commit today, but I changed my mind this afternoon,” Valentine-Okeke said during a television interview with Fox Sports South on Monday.
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With his final choice still up in the air, which one of his three finalists needs him the most?
Alabama
With six offensive linemen already committed in the Tide’s top-rated 2015 recruiting class, it would seem like Nick Saban isn’t in desperate need of landing another player at that spot.
However, the Tide’s newest pledge—4-star offensive tackle Isaiah Prince—took a visit to Ohio State last weekend and his commitment may be shaky, per Shane Youngblood of BamaOnline.
Of the remaining five offensive line commitments in the Tide’s class, only one—3-star Matt Womack—is listed as a tackle.
Valentine-Okeke is still very raw as a prospect, but he has the type of athleticism and skill set that makes him an intriguing prospect in the long-term for the Tide.
Auburn
As Niebuhr notes, Auburn appeared to be in the driver’s seat for Valentine-Okeke if he would’ve went through with his plans to announce on Monday.
Similar to Alabama’s class, Auburn has four offensive line pledges, with 4-star early enrollee Bailey Sharp being the only non-interior prospect of that bunch.
The Tigers are also heavily involved with the nation’s top offensive tackle prospect—5-star Florida native Martez Ivey.
Landing Valentine-Okeke would be great insurance in case Ivey decides to stay home and go to Florida. He’s also talented enough that Auburn would make room for both him and Ivey if they both decided to take their talents to the Plains, as Niebuhr stated.
However, regardless of what Ivey does, Valentine-Okeke is a big and athletic body that fits into what the Tigers are looking for in their offensive tackles.
LSU
Two of the three offensive line pledges in LSU’s 2015 class are from offensive tackle prospects in 3-star standouts George Brown Jr. and Adrian Magee.
Additionally, as illustrated by Ourlads, LSU’s depth chart shows that the Tigers have room to bring in talented young studs at tackle.
Adding Valentine-Okeke would give Les Miles and his staff tremendous depth at that spot over the next few years.
The Tigers are likely to get the last crack at him, with an in-home visit scheduled for Wednesday, per Niebuhr.
The Pick
Given that offensive line is one of the toughest positions to evaluate, turning down prospects who have the physical skill set Valentine-Okeke possesses is extremely tough to do.
That’s why all three teams still in the running are still putting their best foot forward in their efforts to land the standout who is originally from Nigeria.
All three teams have recruited well enough along the offensive line in recent classes that losing out on his services wouldn’t be a crushing blow.
However, given his fit into the Auburn system and the uncertainty in landing Ivey, Auburn is the team that would benefit the most from landing Valentine-Okeke.
Sanjay Kirpalani is a National Recruiting Analyst for Bleacher Report. Unless otherwise noted, all recruiting information courtesy of 247Sports.
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