It has only been a few weeks since the 2014 class of prospects signed their National Letters of Intent to play collegiate football, but most schools already have their sights set on future classes. This includes LSU, who received a commitment for the class of 2018 over the weekend.
That’s right. 2018.
Zadock Dinkelmann is only 14-years-old, but the eighth grade quarterback received a verbal scholarship offer from the Tigers last Tuesday according to Tiger Bait – LSU’s Rivals site. After thinking it over for a few days, the 6-foot-4, 190-pound Dinkelmann called offensive coordinator Cam Cameron on Friday and verbally committed.
Dinkelmann, who played last season at Somerset (Texas) Junior High School, is the nephew of former NFL quarterbacks Ty and Koy Detmer. He visited LSU for a home game last season and is planning to take several unofficial visits in the spring.
Dinkelmann isn’t exactly a typical eighth-grader. He’s already 6-foot-4 and his dad, Johan, said he is still growing quickly.
“I hope he stops at about 6-8 because he puts on about an inch to an inch and a half a year lately,” Johan Dinkelmann said. “I’m 6-4, my dad is 6-5 and my brother is 6-7. He has an uncle who’s 6-8. I don’t know where he’s going to stop.”
Dinkelmann isn’t the only LSU commit who won’t step on campus as a student for several years. The Tigers also have a commitment from 2017 prospect Dylan Moses, a linebacker and running back from Baton Rouge.
Dinkelmann’s commitment certainly isn’t binding as a lot can happen between now and signing day in 2018. We've seen this before when seventh-grader David Sills committed to Lane Kiffin and USC back in 2010 at the age of 13.
Sills, a 2015 prospect, is still committed to USC all of these years later even though Kiffin was fired last season. Rivals ranks Sills as a four-star recruit and the No. 12 overall pro-style quarterback in the country for his class.
Circumstances can change between now and 2018, but Dinkelmann has family members around him who have experienced the recruiting process. In addition to the Detmers, his dad played at Cincinnati and his grandfather, Sonny Detmer, will coach him next season at Somerset High School where he’s likely to serve as the backup to Koy Detmer, Jr.
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