Chester wins state title in shot put, discus

2023 Eagle’s Landing Christian offensive lineman DJ Chester signed with LSU during the early signing period, giving the Tigers a big boost in the trenches.

LSU beat out Auburn, Florida State and others to win out for the four-star prospect.

Brian Kelly and Brad Davis prioritized the big offensive lineman early on, landing his commitment in November and holding on to his pledge through signing day.

Now, the LSU staff has even more reasons to be excited about the prospect the Tigers are getting in Chester.

Chester wins two state track-and-field titles as a senior

Track-and-field is leaned heavily upon with college coaches as indicator of everything from speed to explosiveness to power.

Following the Georgia High School State Track-and-Field Championships, Chester is looking like an even more impressive prospect.

The Eagles Landing Christian Academy offensive lineman took home state titles in both the discus and the shot put. Chester logged a 58’8″ shot put and a 174’10” discus throw.

At 6-foot-5, 330 pounds, Chester finished high school as the No. 7 interior offensive lineman in the country and a Top 150 prospect on the On3 Industry Rankings.

Coach’s Corner

Eagles Landing coach Jonathan Gess knows very well what LSU is getting in the four-star offensive lineman, who impressed both on and off the field in high school in Georgia.

“His leadership and his character,” Gess told On3. “Not even as a player, obviously he’s a great player, but I like his character and his leadership ability. I think he’s a great kid. Bright future and thankful he’s a part of us.”

LSU recruited Chester as an interior lineman who could play guard or center, and Gess said his versatility will be evident from the day he steps onto campus this summer.

“I think he can do so much,” Gess said. “He’s smart, he can play all three positions, he’s coachable. He’s willing to get better every day.”

The On3 Evaluation: LSU signee DJ Chester

“As a player, I think he probably projects on the interior longterm. He has good technique. We’ve seen his technique continue to improve as a senior. He has a good pass-set. I think he will be well above average as a pass protector on the interior, and I think maybe his best attribute is the power he can play with. His hands, he can stone defensive linemen at the point of attack. Combine pretty long arms, around 34-inch arms, with his core strength and size, I think he has the ability and upside to be a people mover in the run game in the SEC while also holding up in pass protection.

“In terms of other things on his profile that are encouraging, DJ Chester was the state runner up in shot-put and discus. That’s typically a really good indicator for athleticism and just functional strength for offensive linemen, so that’s really good. 

“An area he can continue to improve is his feet and change of direction. I think they are slightly above average, but to take that next step to be a truly elite prospect, I think that’s an area he can continue to improve. I also think he can reshape his body a little bit, too. You will see some benefit from being in a college strength and conditioning program and trimming down, adding muscle and losing some fat. That will help him. Being younger, I would not be surprised if he looks a good bit different after a year in LSU’s strength program.” – On3 National Director of Scouting and Rankings Charles Power