Most football players growing up in Louisiana dream of playing for LSU.
The odds of reeling in a football recruit from that area slim once the Tigers provide a scholarship offer.
Offensive linemanΒ Adrian Ealy went to high school at East Ascension, just 30 minutes away from LSU's Tiger Stadium. He has an LSU offer.
He might go to Arizona.
Thursday at 10 a.m. (Arizona time, 11 in Louisiana) Ealy will release a Bleacher Report-produced video announcing his college destination.Β
Arizona is in the running for the four-star offensive lineman, along with Oklahoma, Auburn and, of course, LSU.
"I'm made to play college football," Ealy told the Star on Tuesday. "Thursday, I'm going to get it (the recruiting process) over with."
A highly-touted football player from Louisiana choosing a school other than LSU, with an offer from the Tigers, isn't normal, but Ealy's recruiting process hasn't been normal anyway.
In April, Ealy released a Top 12 that included the four schools already mentioned, plus Texas, Florida, Florida State, Tennessee, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Miami and Michigan.
During the summer, he visited Mississippi State, Oklahoma, LSU and Auburn, and Oklahoma again during the season. Then, on Dec. 2, he visited Kansas. On Dec. 9, he took an official to Arizona.Β
"I mean, I didnβt know much about them," Ealy said of Arizona. "I knew about their basketball team. I didnβt know much about the football program. (Co-offensive coordinator Calvin) Magee persuaded me to go out there and take a visit, and I went out there and I fell in love with it."
Ealy would add a much-needed boost to Arizona's recruiting class, which has dealt with some deflections and recent concerns with current commits visiting elsewhere and garnering elite offers.
Ealy's lead recruiters have been Magee, who recruits Louisiana, and offensive line coachΒ Jim Michalczik, who Ealy said he keeps in contact with "almost every day."
He's listed at 6-5 and 285 pounds and rated four-stars by Scout.com, the No. 25 offensive tackle in the nation, No. 10 in the South and No. 1 in Louisiana.
Don't go assuming he's staying home for college. If anything, Oklahoma is probably Arizona's toughest competition for Ealy.
"My freshman year (LSU) was probably my dream school but after I started talking to all these schools, it really faded away," Ealy said. "LSU is close and it would be cool to stay at the house. If I do pick an out-of-state school, Iβd be very excited just to get away from home and start something."
The Wildcats currently have two offensive linemen committed for 2017 in tackleΒ Cody Shear and guardΒ Edgar Burrola. After next season, Arizona will lose three of its starters from 2016 in guardΒ Jacob Alsadek and tacklesΒ Gerhard de Beer andΒ Layth Friekh, so even if Ealy doesn't play right away β true freshmen offensive linemen rarely do β he'd likely compete for a starting job in 2018 at Arizona.
"They say by coming there I can do what I gotta do," Ealy said. "I can pretty much go there, do what I gotta do, theyβll take good care of me and help me fulfill my dreams of playing in the NFL."
