North Shore edge rusher K’Lavon Chaisson doesn’t like talking to the media much. He would rather let his play do the talking for him, and he has been an absolute monster on the football field. In 2015, Chaisson absolutely wrecked game plans to the tune of 21 sacks and was named the MVP of the state championship game in North Shore’s victory over Austin Westlake as he harassed and disrupted Texas commit Sam Ehlinger and the Westlake offense all day long.
While North Shore’s attempt for another state title came up short in 2016, Chaisson wasn’t quite done being a thorn in the side of high school quarterbacks. Chaisson earned Under Armor All American honors and after being tasked with the mission of bringing home MVP honors by Houston defensive tackle Ed Oliver (a former Under Armor All-American), Chaisson delivered in emphatic fashion. Not only was Chaisson named MVP, he absolutely dominated the game to the tune of 6 tackles, 5 tackles for a loss, 3 sacks, and a pass deflection. Chaisson’s 3 sacks tied the Under Armor All American game record previously set by Michigan’s Rashan Gary and Tampa Bay Buccaneer Noah Spence.
Chaisson left no doubt that he is one of the best edge rushing prospects in the entire country during his time in Orlando and it will no doubt only increase the intensity of the colleges that are in pursuit to land him come February. Chaisson recently declared that his top two were Texas and LSU, but he will also visit Colorado and USC this month. For a while now, it has felt like this recruitment would come down to the Tigers and the Longhorns, but that wasn’t always the case, as things didn’t begin to heat up between Chaisson and Texas until over the summer.
LSU seemed to be the favorite early on, but Texas has surged into the mix and now may lead heading into home stretch of the cycle.
Chaisson has been adamant that he wants to play outside linebacker in the 3-4 at the next level and both Dave Aranda (LSU) and Todd Orlando (Texas) fit that bill, and both of their defenses have been playing a very high level. Both schools give Chaisson a chance to play his collegiate ball close to home, which is a reason why Houston was high on his list when Tom Herman and his staff were there. Those pre-existing relationships definitely are helping the Longhorns here and as with any other recruit, relationships play a major factor in getting a player to commit and sign to your school.
When it is all said and done, one lucky school is set to get a dominant edge player who is going to continue to grow and continue to get better as he continues to get coached up. He already possesses the edge rusher starter kit and he is nowhere close to reaching his ceiling as a pass rusher. If I had to pick today, I think the Longhorns win out in this one, but I only give them a slight edge at this juncture and LSU definitely shouldn’t be ruled out until the ink is dry.
Brought to you by:
