Jadeveon Clowney's Cousin Demon, 4-Star Recruit, Commits to Play Football at LSU

While Baton Rouge is celebrating the LSU Tigers men's basketball team securing a trip to the Sweet 16 on Saturday afternoon, 4-star recruit Demon Clowney posted a video on Twitter committing to play football at LSU.

The 6'4", 225-pound Clowney ranks 124th overall nationally and No. 5 at wide defensive end in the 2020 class, per 247Sports. He currently attends St. Frances Academy in Baltimore.

Clowney is a defensive end and the cousin of Houston Texans defensive end Jadeveon Clowney, the No. 1 overall pick of the 2014 NFL draft. Jadeveon also played his college ball in the SEC at South Carolina.

On Jan. 31, Bleacher Report's Adam Kramer published a deep dive into the life of Clowney and the microscope he lives under because of his last name, which his position coach at St. Francis, Sam Poggi, discussed:

"Ever since he was young, he has been bigger and faster than everybody else. And his last name is Clowney. I think it's hard sometimes for him to know who he should be. Should he be himself or the guy everyone wants him to be? There's a battle going on inside of him.

"You look at him, and it's just undeniable. I do think his best days will be in college and beyond, but I will be shocked if he doesn't get to being a highly effective, highly motivated machine."

Clowney attended a football camp at South Carolina in 2016 but decided to slightly depart from his cousin's footsteps.

One thing bigger than the Clowney name is the reputation of the St. Frances Academy football program. Last season, nobody in St. Frances Academy's private-school league would agree to play the team because they are so good. Tiffany Stanley of the Washington Post detailed St. Frances' prowess in January. An excerpt:

"Beginning in 2016, the influx of [head coach Biff Poggi]'s coaches and money made a nearly miraculous difference. In just the first year, the staff took the team's record to 10-2, and the Panthers won their first MIAA A Conference championship. Their roster swelled with Division I-caliber recruits, some from out of state.

"In 2017, with Poggi back to help lead the program, they went undefeated. The Panthers leveled all their opponents, outscoring them 534 to 61, and captured their second straight MIAA title."

Clowney stepped into the rising St. Frances program at exactly the right time.

Stanley wrote that Clowney had received offers from other Division I schools such as Clemson, Oklahoma, Georgia and Michigan, while also receiving informal messages from coaches at Florida and Penn State.

Clowney is the 10th commitment for LSU's 2020 class, per The Advocate.