Todd Harris to LSU: Tigers Land 4-Star Safety Prospect

The LSU Tigers added a playmaker to their future defense on Wednesday when safety prospect Todd Harris announced on ESPNU that he has decided to join their 2017 recruiting class. 

ESPN.com's David Ching provided the crowd's reaction when Harris made his announcement:

The 6'0", 185-pound Harris is a 4-star prospect and the No. 94 overall player, No. 9 safety and No. 1 safety from the state of Louisiana in the 2017 class, per Scout.

As a native of Louisiana, Harris naturally attracted plenty of attention from SEC programs as a recruit outside of just the local Tigers. Schools such as Alabama, Mississippi State and Tennessee were included on Scout's list of interested teams during the recruiting process.

Hudl shared some of his head-turning highlights at the high school level:

Scout provided a complete breakdown of Harris' game, and the first thing that stands out is the fact that he is so versatile in the secondary. He has the skill set to play either cornerback or safety and can dish out punishment against the run from the back end of the defense or keep up with shifty wide receivers in press coverage.

Harris also has enough size to deal with pass-catchers at the collegiate level and likely won't be exploited in red-zone scenarios with jump balls and fade routes.

College football has tilted toward spread offenses, and adding someone as versatile as Harris to a secondary helps LSU in a number of different areas. He can counterbalance opposing aerial assaults as a corner or serve as a hybrid player who can lend support against the run and allow his coaching staff to use an additional defensive back if necessary.

The Tigers, like so many others in college football, are trying to keep up with their SEC West rivals Alabama. Landing defensive playmakers such as Harris on the recruiting trail is an ideal place to start as Ed Orgeron attempts to lead LSU back to the national title picture in the coming seasons.