It will be a busy day at Amite High as two of the nation's top uncommitted prospects will make their final decisions. Ishmael Sopsher, the nation's No. 5 defensive tackle prospect and top defensive linemen in Louisiana, is set to announce his decision on ESPN2 at 12:45 p.m. CST. Sopsher has a lead group that includes LSU, Alabama, Oregon, Texas A&M, Ole Miss and others, though LSU and Alabama are viewed as the teams to beat in the race for the Amite High native. Sopsher made an official visit to Texas A&M in November and Oregon in December, then took a trip to Alabama in January before spending the final weekend of his recruiting process in Baton Rouge on an official visit to LSU. Here's what 247Sports Director of Scouting Barton Simmons said about Sopsher as a prospect, who he compared to New York Giants defensive lineman John Jenkins. Densely built defender with a powerful lower-half and a thick upper-half who brings mass without a lot of bad weight. Has natural strength and punch and uses his hands effectively when he wants to. Can flash suddenness and get-off for a bigger defender and has demonstrated instances of good lateral quickness. Two-gap ability. Overpowering on the high school level. A high school defensive end that has been extremely productive and has an above average motor. Wins with size in high school and will need to develop a more well-rounded game for the next level including ability to retrace, change directions and play with consistent pad level and technique. May be close to his ceiling physically. Impact high level Power Five defender potential early round NFL Draft pick. The 247Sports Crystal Ball favors LSU with 71-percent of the predictions and Alabama with 29-percent of the predictions, but those numbers could continue to shift as his announcement draws closer. Meanwhile, four-star Devonta Lee will also make his college announcement on ESPN2 at 12:45 p.m. At 6-foot-2 and 212 pounds, Lee is ranked by the 247Sports Composite as the No. 166 overall prospect, the No. 8 athlete in the country and the No. 10 prospect in Louisiana. He will have a final group that includes LSU, Kentucky, Texas A&M and potentially others. Lee used his final official visit on LSU last weekend, and he took an official visit to Kentucky in December. He did not make an official visit to Texas A&M. Here's what 247Sports recruiting analyst Charles Power said about Lee as a prospect. Began his career as a wide receiver prospect but has begun to fill out a big frame, likely outgrowing the position. Good stature with bulk and a filled out, muscled build. Plays all over the field for a state championship team as a safety, kick returner and receiver. Projects as a safety who could grow into a linebacker at the next level. Shows good instincts in coverage with ball skills and ability to break on the ball. Dominates small school competition. Comes downhill and doesn’t hesitate to get physical as a run defender. Will need to hone tackling and coverage technique once he gets to the college level, as he’s spent much of his time on offense. Projects as a multi-year Power 5 starter with the potential of developing into a mid-round draft pick. Stay tuned to Geaux247 for updates on both Sopsher and Lee as they wind down their recruiting process. Head to the Geaux247 board to track the announcements and buildup. Click here to head to the Death Valley board<doc-sep>Top-50 prospect Ishmael Sopsher never committed to a single program during his recruitment, letting some of the country's best programs continue their efforts to secure his commitment all the way until his decision on National Signing Day. Sopsher told the crowd gathered at Amite High School in Louisiana that he didn't want to go through the process of committing and decommiting, and the four-star defensive tackle made it clear before making his announcement that he was bracing for some blowback once he finally made his decision. That was because Sopsher is heading out of state to play for Alabama, choosing the Tide over LSU, Auburn and Oregon. The 6-foot-4, 335-pound defensive tackle has all of the potential in the world to be yet another game-changing interior lineman for Nick Saban, and the chance to play for Saban was what ultimately led to Sopsher's commitment. Sopsher ranks as the No. 47 overall prospect and No. 5 defensive tackle, according to the 247Sports Composite. Director of scouting Barton Simmons described him as a "densely built defender with a powerful lower-half and a thick upper-half who brings mass without a lot of bad weight" who "has natural strength and punch and uses his hands effectively when he wants to." The announcement drew an instant reaction coming from the same crowd that had cheered on wide receiver Devonta Lee, a four-star prospect, commit to LSU. Lee is ranked by the 247Sports Composite as the No. 166 overall prospect, the No. 8 athlete in the country and the No. 10 prospect in Louisiana.<doc-sep>LSU didn't get the clean sweep it was looking for in Tangipahoa Parish on National Signing Day. 2019 Amite (La.) defensive tackle Ishmael Sopsher announced his commitment to Alabama over LSU and Oregon, he told the crowd assembled in the school's auditorium. According to the industry-generated 247Sports Composite, Sopsher ranks as the No. 47 overall prospect in the nation, No. 5 defensive tackle nationally and No. 3 overall prospect in Louisiana. The Crimson Tide picked up the latest 247Sports Crystal Ball picks, but held the edge overall for the state's No. 1 defensive tackle. LSU currently sits with the No. 6 recruiting class in the country and No. 4 overall class in the Southeastern Conference, according to the 247Sports Composite Team Recruiting Rankings. The Tigers have 24 commitments for the class and are fresh off landing a commitment from junior college defensive end Soni Fonua on Sunday. The program landed signatures from four-star cornerback Jay Ward, four-star offensive tackle Ray Parker, four-star defensive back Maurice Hampton and four-star athlete Devonta Lee on National Signing Day. Stick with Geaux247 as we continue to monitor LSU's finish to National Signing Day.<doc-sep>
247Sports Composite four-star defensive tackle Ishmael Sopsher is expected to announce his final commitment decision on National Signing Day, which will take place Wednesday, Feb. 6. Sopsher will pick between the Alabama Crimson Tide, LSU Tigers and Oregon Ducks between 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. ET live on ESPN2. Sopsher hails from Amite, La., where he attends Amite High School. The defensive tackle is ranked as the No. 47 overall player in the country, No. 5 defensive tackle and No. 3 overall player in Louisiana, per the 247Sports Composite rankings. As of Tuesday morning, LSU had garnered most of the picks in the 247Sports Crystal Ball projections for Sopsher. Among the expert predictions that were made, the Tigers had 71 percent of the projections, while Alabama is well behind at 29 percent. No expert had picked Oregon. Sopsher took official visits to Alabama, Ole Miss, LSU, Texas A&M and Oregon during his recruiting process. The prospect and his family spent this past weekend in Baton Rouge after taking a trip to Tuscaloosa a week ago. Sopsher's father, Rodney, spoke to Geaux247 about his son's interest in the finalists on Monday. His full comments can be seen by 247Sports VIP members by clicking here. "Everybody still the same. Just going to pray about it as a family," Rodney Sopsher Sr. said. "It's going to be on my son. Still praying on it." Sopsher's school gets a player that has great potential to make an impact up front on defense. "He is a densely built defender with a powerful lower-half and a thick upper-half who brings mass without a lot of bad weight," 247Sports Director of Scouting Barton Simmons wrote about Sopsher. "Has natural strength and punch and uses his hands effectively when he wants to. Can flash suddenness and get-off for a bigger defender and has demonstrated instances of good lateral quickness. Two-gap ability. Overpowering on the high school level. A high school defensive end that has been extremely productive and has an above average motor. Wins with size in high school and will need to develop a more well-rounded game for the next level including ability to retrace, change directions and play with consistent pad level and technique. May be close to his ceiling physically. Impact high level Power Five defender potential early round NFL Draft pick."