April 22, 2008

Baton Rouge, LA (UWIRE) -- Florida A&M University High School linebacker Willie Ferrell arrived at school Monday morning wearing a Florida Gator hat.

Ferrell, one of the state's top linebacker prospects, went home with a different lid.

The Tallahassee, Fla., native announced his commitment to LSU on Monday at an afternoon press conference where the orange hat was replaced by Tiger purple.

"I decided to mess with everyone a little," Ferrell said. "It was LSU all the way. [Florida] never offered me a spot, so I will admit that it had a little to do with it."

Ferrell, a four-star recruit according to Rivals.com, said the decision to choose LSU was the right one, despite his early interest toward in-state schools.

"I was interested in what Miami, Florida and Florida State had to offer," Ferrell said. "But with LSU, it goes both ways. When January came and the state schools weren't offering, LSU became more and more like home."

Ferrell led FAMU High School to back-to-back state championship appearances, winning the state title as a junior. The 6-foot-2-inch, 222-pounder led the team in tackles both seasons with 212 and 183 tackles in his sophomore and junior seasons, respectively.

"The coaches told me that I can fill a needed linebacker position, and I wanted to be a part of the program," Ferrell said. "I will more than likely end up at middle linebacker."

Ferrell said he has been to LSU twice for summer camp, so Baton Rouge is familiar territory.

"I remember coming to Baton Rouge my freshman year in high school," he said. "I remember my brother's recruiting process, and that LSU was a place that always felt like home for my family."

Ferrell chose LSU over offers from Illinois, Maryland and South Carolina. He marks LSU's eighth commitment of the class of 2009 from outside Louisiana and the second from Florida.

Ferrell has the opportunity to graduate in December and enroll at LSU in the spring of 2009.

"I am going to hit the books hard," he said. "If I can get a few summer school courses completed, I can graduate early. If not, I will just use the time to continue to study and probably make a few trips to Baton Rouge."

In terms of his recruiting trail, Ferrell said the story ended Monday.

"I'm committed to LSU, and that's that," Ferrell said. "Now I am going to do what I have to do to help them continue winning national championships."

(C) 2008 The Daily Reveille via UWIRE