By Sam Spielgelman, SEC Country —
3-star Texas DB Grant Delpit (Student Sports)
LSU lands commitment from Grant Delpit, the nation’s No. 9 safety
At age 6, it wasn’t easy for Grant Delpit to comprehend why his family was rushing out of their home in Eastern New Orleans.
Delpit doesn’t remember much about the day, only leaving the night before Hurricane Katrina rained down on the city as his family squeezed into a car with whatever they could carry and fled for Texas.
More than a decade later, Delpit has since returned to his home state. The three-star safety visited LSU for the Tigers’ Junior Day in late February in what can only be categorized as a homecoming of sorts.
The 6-foot-3, 185-pound product out of Lamar High School (Houston, Texas) is the nation’s No. 25 safety and a major target in LSU’s 2017 recruiting class.
Delpit visited LSU 13 days after picking up an offer from the Tigers, which inevitably brought up the prospect of a potential homecoming in the future.
“Pretty much every coach I spoke with said that this would be like home for me,” Delpit said of his visit to LSU. “Yeah, it would be pretty cool (to play at LSU). It would be easy on the family, and yeah, being close to home could be a factor. (My family) would like it again because it’s so close to home.”
The 6-year-old Delpit doesn’t hold onto too many memories from his family’s evacuation in 2005 before the storm.
The Delpits took very little and packed into their car, then hit the road for Texas, where he was taken in by his cousin, former NFL fullback Lorenzo Neal.
Much of Delpit’s recollection of the scene is a blur, though he does remember what it did to his Louisiana home.
“I mean, Katrina just took down our house,” Delpit remembered. “So we needed to move to Houston and we stayed there. Most of my family is still in New Orleans.”
“We left the night before the storm, but we didn’t really pack anything pretty much,” he added, indicating “it was just about whatever they could carry into the car.”
Delpit maintained a focused approach when he returned to The Boot late last month, signaling in on a potential college football future in Baton Rouge, La.
While the elite defensive back and New Orleans native recognized the emotional significance returning to Louisiana holds, he was equally as keen on how high his ceiling could be should he suit up for the Purple and Gold.
“I liked it a lot, and I’m going to be up there for some spring practices,” Delpit said. “I’d have the opportunity to play early. Basically, I’d be a great fit for their defense, and I think I’d be a good fit since they play a lot of defensive backs and I could potentially play early.”
“They’re one of the top schools in my list,” he added. “I just like what they have to offer.”
And a homecoming certainly fits the criteria.
LSU lands commitment from Grant Delpit, the nation’s No. 9 safety
