LSU Football Labeled Finalist for Talented Alabama Native, Four-Star Prospect

Originally posted on LSU Tigers on SI | By Zack Nagy | Last updated Jun 11, 2025 4:15 PM ET

Bessemer (Ala.) four-star defensive lineman Emanuel Ruffin is down to five schools and has locked in a commitment date for this summer as his recruiting process winds down.

Ruffin, a Top-20 defensive lineman in America, has received offers from a myriad of programs during his process with multiple SEC schools in the mix.

That includes Brian Kelly and the Bayou Bengals with Ruffin now narrowing his focus on a handful of schools this summer.

Ruffin is down to the LSU Tigers, Georgia Bulldogs, Alabama Crimson Tide, Ohio State Buckeyes and Texas Longhorns.

For Kelly and the Tigers, the program will get a crack at Ruffin this weekend where he will be in town for an official visit.

LSU will roll out the red carpet for the 6-foot-4, 290-pounder out of Alabama this weekend where he'll be in Baton Rouge for a multi-day stay.

“The conversations have been great from (LSU defensive line coach Kyle Williams),” Ruffin told On3 Sports. “He tells me how I can make an impact on their defensive line.”

Ruffin took an unofficial visit to LSU during the program's Spring Camp in March where he soaked in the scenes of Baton Rouge.

The official visit to LSU this weekend will be critical for the talented Top-10 prospect in Alabama, but he's also locked in two more for June.

Ruffin officially visited the Ohio State Buckeyes [June 6-8] last weekend and will also see the Alabama Crimson Tide [June 20-22] to round out his process.

The Georgia Bulldogs and Texas Longhorns are also viewed as contenders in his process as he navigates a critical stretch in his process.

Ruffin has locked in a commitment date for July 4 where he will choose between his finalists: LSU, Alabama, Georgia, Ohio State and Texas.

Top247 defensive lineman Emanuel Ruffin names five finalists and sets his commitment date.

Big one set to come off the board

VIP Story: https://t.co/mOp4vpygOA @247Sports / @emanuel_ruffin pic.twitter.com/TH3opgv1Bx
— Tom Loy (@TomLoy247) June 10, 2025

Ruffin recently competed in the Under Armour Next+ Camp in Nashville with On3 Sports' Cody Bellaire getting an up-close look at the talented four-star defender.

On3 Sports' Take: “Ruffin had the second best showing along the defensive front, behind fellow state of Alabama prospect, Jamarion Matthews,” wrote Charles Power, On3’s Director of Scouting and Rankings.

“The 6-foot-3.5, 290-pounder showed some explosive movements in drills along with a nice effort level. He carried that over into 1-on-1’s, where he won the majority of the reps we saw. Ruffin shot off the line with burst and violence at the point of attack.

"Similar to Matthews, we liked the technical ability Ruffin showed on Sunday. Ruffin often went for power but flashed a nice bull rush and employed a straight arm while driving the offensive lineman deep into the backfield.”

Kalen DeBoer and the home-state Alabama Crimson Tide are currently viewed as the favorites for Ruffin with LSU, Texas, Georgia and Ohio State remaining in pursuit of the talented four-star.