Tight end Jalen Shead commits to LSU

Ed Orgeron and the LSU football program picked up some positive news on Sunday as Olive Branch, Miss. tight end Jalen Shead‍ announced his commitment to the Tigers.

“They recruited me basically harder than anyone else and my old teammate (Xavier Hill) and he tells me great things about the program all the time,” Shead said. 

Shead committed to LSU over Ole Miss and Alabama.

Xavier Hill is now a freshman offensive lineman after signing with LSU last December. 

“According to coach Orgeron and other coaches on the staff he’s doing very well and he’s already second string,” Shead said. “I just want to be the best tight end I can be and I feel like I can do that at LSU.”

The 6-foot-4, 240-pound Shead was strictly a basketball player until last spring when his football coach convince him that he could be a major college football prospect if he put in the work.  After one season of football, he amassed over 20 scholarship offers.

“It wasn’t just from him, but a lot of other people because I’m a heavy-set dude.  Basketball was working out but being D1 at 6-4, 240 isn’t really realistic these days,” Shead said. “Everyone was asking me all the time why aren’t you playing football so I wasn’t really getting tired of hearing but i figured they must be seeing something.

“I ended up trying it out and ended up liking it.”  

With Shead’s pledge, LSU now has 18 commitments for the class of 2021.  He’s expected to be the Tigers lone tight end signed this year after signing Arik Gilbert and Kole Taylor last year.

Shead is being recruited to LSU by Tigers tight ends coach Derek Shay. 

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