Joel Ross, the 6-foot, 310-pound defensive tackle from Vanderbilt Catholic High School in Houma (La.), said he plans to wait until February before committing to a school.
"I won't commit early," Ross said. "I'm going to wait. I don't want to pressure myself now. I just want to focus on finishing high school and concentrate on my senior year."
Ross also said he favors LSU slightly over Ole Miss, Florida, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State. He has offers from Mississippi, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State, as well as Grambling and McNeese.
"I've always liked LSU," Ross said. "They are a great d-line school. They have a really good d-line tradition and I love how they are always playing for a big bowl game or even a national championship.
"Oklahoma is like that too," he said. "They are always in big bowls and are a top team every year.
"I was supposed to go to the LSU camp a few weeks ago and I think they would have offered me, but I couldn't make it because I was taking the ACT."
The only schools that Ross has actually visited are the Tigers and the Rebels. "I like how Mississippi plays very up-tempo," he said. "I like how exciting the coaches are and that they have tons of energy. They are always upbeat and are always smiling and bringing everybody up."
Ross says he hopes to play early. "I'd like to be able to go in and have an effect on the team or at least play early."
He reports a 2.5 core GPA and is awaiting his ACT results. Ross is currently taking Algebra I in summer school.