D-line U. LSU has laid claim to the moniker for the best defensive line school the past several years with six All-Americans on the defensive line since 2003. This isn’t new to Tiger fans who know the history of LSU lineman such as Marcus Spears, Marquise Hill and Glenn Dorsey going to the NFL after terrorizing the Southeastern Conference.But the building of D-line U starts with recruiting, and LSU is preparing to bring in another haul of defensive lineman with the skills to carry on the torch.The Tigers have four defensive line commitments for the class of 2009: five-star defensive tackle Chris Davenport (Mansfield), four-star defensive tackle Josh Downs (Bastrop), four-star defensive tackle Akiem Hicks (Sacramento, Ca.) and four-star defensive end Michael Brockers (Houston).CHRIS DAVENPORTThe 6-foot-4-inch, 320-pound Davenport has a scholarship offer from most of the top programs in the country but has been committed to LSU since last July.The Mansfield High phenom is rated as the fourth best defensive tackle and the 25th best overall player in the country by Rivals.com.    “Chris is one of those kids that is well-mannered, hard-working and has great values,” said Donald Mayweather, Davenport’s coach at Mansfield High. “He’s always striving to get better. His family and his background shows that he has the morals that it takes to be successful.”JOSH DOWNSDowns hasn’t been the most hyped commit on LSU’s list. He hasn’t even been the most talked about player on his own team at Bastrop, as All-Everything wide receiver Rueben Randle has taken that honor.But Downs got people talking during the week of the Under Armour All-American game in Orlando. Several scouts in attendance said the 6-foot-1-inch, 270-pound force was nearly unblockable in one-on-one drills.Rivals.com rewarded him with a jump in the rankings from a three-star defensive lineman to a four-star prospect.”Josh is an undersized d-lineman, but you can’t put enough stars on his heart and how tough he is and the motor that he possesses,” said Brad Bradshaw, Downs’ coach at Bastrop. “There’s just something to be said about a kid who plays that hard with that kind of toughness.”Bradshaw said Downs can play either defensive tackle or center on the offensive line in college.”He can go either way, and it won’t matter to him one way or the other where he plays,” Bradshaw said. “He just likes to play the game of football. He played [center] as a sophomore, and he made All-State all three years here.”Bradshaw said scouts shouldn’t count Downs out because he isn’t as big as some other linemen in the state.”His motor and get-off is better,” Bradshaw said. “Of course he’s not as big as a lot of those, but as far as production out of a player, he’s better than them.”AKIEM HICKSHicks, a 6-foot-6-inch, 300-pound transfer from Sacramento City Junior College, joins Davenport and Downs at defensive tackle. He is rated as a four-star recruit by Rivals.”He’s a big, big boy with a big motor,” said Sacramento City Junior College coach Mike Clemons. “He’s still young. He has a great future in front of him.”Hicks chose LSU instead of offers from Oregon, Tennessee and Purdue among others. “His style of play is real ballistic,” Clemons said. “He gets after people and plays through pain. I’d like to think that he could come down there and maybe help right away.”Hicks has been committed since November after his official visit to the LSU-Alabama game.MICHAEL BROCKERSThe fourth defensive lineman committed to the Tigers is Michael Brockers, a 6-foot-6-inch, 255-pound defensive end from Houston. The four-star prospect committed to LSU last February and is rated as the No. 10 defensive end in the nation by Rivals.While the foundation of D-line U is being laid with these four commitments, LSU may not be done with defensive line prospects for the class of 2009.There are still some players out there that LSU will be keeping an eye on — specifically defensive end Sam Montgomery (Greenwood, S.C.), defensive tackle Darrington Sentimore (Destrehan) and defensive end Bennie Logan (Coushatta).But Tiger fans won’t have to wait too long to see who fills out the remaining spots for the class of 2009. National Signing Day is Feb. 4, only weeks away.—-Contact Tyler Harvey at [email protected]