Valentine Cleared By The NCAA
32 minutes ago
LSU's final piece to the 2014 class is now cleared to enroll at LSU.
On Monday morning, four-star defensive tackle Travonte Valentine got the go-ahead from the NCAA Clearinghouse to enroll at LSU for the fall semester, meaning the incoming freshman is officially on the depth chart at defensive tackle, where the Tigers are in need of more depth.
247Sports national recruiting analyst Ryan Bartow spoke with Champagnat head coach Mike Tunsil, and word is that Valentine was cleared this morning, will arrive on campus in Baton Rouge on Tuesday evening and then begin practicing with the Tigers on Wednesday. Valentine is now scheduled to begin his coursework with the rest of the team when classes begin on Monday.
Valentine finished his senior season ranked as the No. 3 defensive tackle prospect in the country, and LSU defensive line coach Brick Haley is hoping the true freshman can step in and deliver reps in the rotation right away despite enrolling less than two weeks before the season opener.
"It is very hard for a true freshman to come in and play at that position and be a starter, but you can get a guy like him ready to give you some valuable minutes and rest some guys and give them an opportunity to have some life at the end of the game," Haley said. "You can put him in some situations to be successful. I am looking forward to that.
"Hopefully he’s going to be in really good condition. If he’s not, he’s going to be behind. That’s normally the reason why guys don’t start as true freshmen. They do get behind and they have a lot to learn and it’s a lot on their bodies. But you can always get a young guy to come in and give you valuable minutes to rest some of those other guys."