RECRUITING UPDATE: Trey Granier

Linebacker says he’s firm to LSU, despite other interest

Thibodaux High School linebacker Trey Granier (32) is a big name around the state for the Class of 2012. He’s also an early commit to LSU (photo courtesy of Joey Michel Photography).

By CASEY GISCLAIR
Tiger Rag Recruiting Contributor             

They missed out on Trovon Reed in the Class of 2010, losing him to Auburn.

They also missed out on Greg Robinson in the Class of 2011, after he opted to join his best friend on the Plains.

This time around, it looks like the LSU football team will hit the jackpot with Thibodaux High School’s seemingly annual blue chip prospect.

2012’s gem, linebacker Trey Granier has already committed to Tigers’ coach Les Miles, verbally pledging to the program in Nov. 2010, to make him the team’s second commitment for the newest recruiting crop.

And while some kids make decisions on an impulse, that’s not Granier, who said he’s already preparing for his first days on LSU’s campus.

“I’m just so excited, I really am,” Granier said. “You have a school as great as LSU is that, for me, is so close to home. I was thinking about it and it’s like ‘Why go anywhere else when you have everything that you could ever want or ask for right at home?’”

For the past several seasons, scouts have raided Thibodaux High School on Friday nights for the latest look at the Tigers’ offense, which featured Robinson and Reed.

But from that, the newest Thibodaux stud was able to showcase his talents to the select audience on defense, recording 134 tackles as a sophomore and “about 100 more” as a junior.

Standing 6-foot-1-inch and weighing 225 pounds, the prospect figures to have a traditional linebacker’s build when he gets to LSU in 2012.

But it’s not all size for Granier, who said he prides himself on attempting to be one of the smartest players on the field at all times.

“One thing I feel like I do well is I think I read blocks,” Granier said. “Of course, like anything else, I can be better, but I really put a lot of emphasis on reading the blockers, because it’s a lot easier to get to the ball if you can see what’s going on up front. When people ask about my tackle numbers, that’s what I always point to - reading the blockers up front.”

The prospect also added that Miles and LSU’s staff relay similar messages when they talk to their commitment.

“They say that they like my size and my work ethic,” Granier said. “They said that they like my pursuit of the ball and that I take good angles and don’t give up on plays.”

But while any player who has consecutive First-Team All-District seasons is pretty close to a polished product, Granier did say that he has a laundry list of things he wants to improve as he heads toward his final season in high school.

“Really everything,” Granier said when asked where he hopes to improve. “You want to make progress every season and I want to get better all-around. I want to get faster, I want to be stronger, I just want to improve all of the aspects of my game so that I can help my team win and also prepare myself for the next challenge.”

What led Granier to his decision about the “next challenge” is what he calls an admiration for the LSU program.

The linebacker admitted that LSU’s proximity to home helps, but he said he believes he’d be a Tiger fan even if they played outside of Louisiana.

“I just like their style and the way that they play defense,” Granier said. “The scheme that they have under Coach Chavis is just exciting to watch and it will be fun to be a part of it. I love the way that they play defense.”

When asked if he had a player that he models his game after, Granier paused initially, but then also returned back to the LSU roster.

“It’s got to be Kelvin Sheppard,” Granier said. “He’s just a guy that I’ve always looked up to so much because of the way that he plays the position. He played with so much fire throughout his career and I really just look up to how hard he always played. I just love football. On Saturday’s, I always sit at home and watch all of the games that are on and he’s a guy that I’ve always looked up to and admired the way that he played.”

With virtually a full year until the next National Signing Day, Granier said he continues to receive calls from coaches at other schools.

And while he said he answers from time-to-time, one thing remains clear - this won’t be another Thibodaux Tiger who flees home.

“I’ll pick up the phone and listen,” Granier said. “But it’s like I tell them, it’s like a thanks, but no thanks thing. I know there are plenty of great programs around the country, but I really like the opportunity I have at LSU, and I couldn’t imagine myself choosing to play anywhere else - especially when it would give me an opportunity to represent my home state in the process. I’m very firm to LSU.”