Heading into the Christmas break, Evans senior cornerback Emari Peterson wasn’t sure what the spring semester would look like.

The talented 6-foot, 185-pound defensive back had already graduated early and was planning to sign with a college to play football. He just didn’t know what college that would be. After decommitting from West Virginia on Nov. 30, three days before the Early National Signing Period, Peterson had nowhere to go.

What he did have was confidence that he would find a landing spot. He was right.

Shortly after Christmas, the new LSU coaching staff under Lane Kiffin was on the horn letting Peterson know he had a spot with the Bayou Bengals. Peterson was elated and Tuesday night, in a ceremony prior to an Evans home basketball game against Lake Brantley, Peterson made it official, announcing his commitment to LSU.

“I’m feeling really, really, really great about it and just trying to be humble about it,” Peterson said. “It’s a great opportunity.”

Evans cornerback Emari Peterson announced Tuesday night that he will be signing with LSU on National Signing Day, Feb. 4. (Chris Hays/Orlando Sentinel)

Peterson, ranked No. 22 in the Sentinel’s 2026 Central Florida Super60, said LSU had always been the school he wanted to play for. A call from LSU secondary coach Corey Raymond got the ball rolling and Peterson will sign with the Tigers on Feb. 4, the first day of the official National Signing Day.

“They were always No. 1 on my option board, it just came along a little later,” Peterson said. “That was my dream school, where I really wanted to go. And when I committed to West Virginia, they (LSU) were still talking to me and keeping in contact.

“And then when they saw I decommitted from West Virginia, they ended up hitting me up after Christmas and telling me they had a spot and it just all unfolded.”

The call came as a huge relief for Peterson, who had 29 tackles and two interceptions in nine games for the Trojans as a senior.

“I was really excited hearing that my dream school wanted to offer me,” Peterson said. “Wanting to bring me up there and give me the opportunity to play for LSU … it was a great experience and I know it’s gonna be super great and I’m just looking forward to it.”

The hiring of Kiffin added to Peterson’s excitement.

“That just really boosted it up,” Peterson said. “Lane Kiffin is one of the all-time great college coaches, so just getting an opportunity to play under him is a blessing.”

Peterson said he has not had a chance to talk to Kiffin yet, and is looking forward to the meeting.

He said the recruiting process, which has changed drastically for high school seniors with the chaos surrounding the NCAA transfer portal, was a bit frustrating. But he remained confident that he would land with a Power 4 program.

Peterson also had offers from Georgia Tech, Cincinnati, FAU, Illinois, Texas A&M and Wake Forest, among others. But many of those offers became uncommittable after schools began to fill their scholarships.

Evans cornerback Emari Peterson, shown above at a 2024 Under Armour Camp, announced Tuesday night that he will be signing with LSU on National Signing Day, Feb. 4. (Chris Hays/Orlando Sentinel)

“It was a little frustrating, but even when I decommitted from West Virginia, other schools were still getting in contact with me,” he said. “I always knew I was going to end up going to a big-time school. I just know what kind of player I am and I know what I can bring to the table.

“I had already graduated early, so if I didn’t get to sign with a college, I was going to be at home working out and stuff, keeping my head down,” he said.

He doesn’t have to worry about that.

“It’s a really, really big relief,” Peterson said. “Now I get to leave early and I get to go play spring ball in a whole new environment. It’s really big.”

Chris Hays can be found on X.com @OS_ChrisHays.

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2026/01/13/evans-cb-emari-peterson-makes-late-commitment-to-lsu/