NATCHEZ &8212; A week after it became official, Trinity Episcopal running back Stevan Ridley will tell you his decision to verbally commit to LSU is final.

No more changing his mind. No more talking with other coaches. And he&8217;s trying to move forward after deciding to play for the Tigers after initially committing to Ole Miss at the end of January.

And that means finishing out a senior season with the Saints in the fall.

&8220;Right now I&8217;m focusing on the team,&8221; Ridley said. &8220;My college career is in front of me, but I want to win a state championship with the guys I&8217;ve been with since JV. We&8217;ve got a good class coming in, and Coach (David) King and Coach (Matt) Mason have been with me the whole way. I wouldn&8217;t be going to LSU (without them), and they&8217;re like two fathers to me.&8221;

The news, however, may have made things distracting for the junior who honestly didn&8217;t think he&8217;d have coaches from the Southeastern Conference coming to speak with him at his school.

But that&8217;s been the case in recent months, and come February he&8217;s expected to be the first MPSA recruit at LSU since Will Arnold signed from Centreville Academy in 2003 and the first from Natchez to sign with the Tigers in several years.

David Smith was the last from Natchez to do when the offensive lineman signed in 1973 to play for the Tigers under head coach Charlie McClendon.

&8220;There&8217;s all kinds of speculation and rumors that Stevan can&8217;t play running back in the SEC,&8221; Trinity head coach David King said. &8220;I have no idea where he can play. A lot of people talk about how he doesn&8217;t have blazing speed, and that&8217;s true. They&8217;ll give him a shot at running back because his lateral movement is as good as anyone&8217;s.&8221;

It&8217;s the running back position that helped Ridley make the decision from Ole Miss to LSU &8212; that and his proximity of Baton Rouge and his dream of playing football at Tiger Stadium on Saturday nights.

And when the interest came from head coach Les Miles at Junior Day following his announcement that he&8217;d sign with Ole Miss, Ridley couldn&8217;t pass on the offer.

&8220;(Ole Miss) kind of popped up in school here really quick and showed interest in me,&8221; Ridley said. &8220;It&8217;s Division I and the SEC, and there&8217;s no way I felt I was good enough to look them in the face and turn them down. I never thought in my wildest dreams LSU would come to me and ask me to play football.&8221;

Ridley was set to play for head coach Ed Orgergon and the Rebels when a letter came in from LSU inviting him to Junior Day on campus. He arrived there, met three or four of the top juniors the coaching staff was looking at before being asked out of the meeting.

Head coach Les Miles stepped in, pulled him out of the meeting and asked Ridley if he wanted to be a Tiger.

&8220;For me, that was breathtaking,&8221; Ridley said.

And the decision was easy to make.

&8220;Basically, the decision to commit (with Ole Miss) was at my urging,&8221; King said. &8220;I was just apprehensive as anyone else of someone coming from the SEC and taking a chance on Stevan. It&8217;s been a crux for athletes coming from the MPSA for some reason. I think every kid that&8217;s come from the MPSA to the SEC has been a great player.

&8220;I was scared if he waited and didn&8217;t commit he wouldn&8217;t get another offer. I never dreamed LSU &8212; which is his favorite school &8212; would ever look at him. Ole Miss is a great school and Coach Orgeron is building a great program, but when LSU jumped in and offered him right away, Stevan and I were both in total shock.&8221;

The decision for Miles and his staff to give him a shot at running back made the offer sweeter. Ole Miss and Mississippi State showed interest at him playing linebacker, but Ridley&8217;s heart was set on trying to make it as a running back.

It&8217;s the position he&8217;s made his mark at with the Saints, including 1,818 yards and 20 touchdowns last season. It&8217;s also the position where he wants to make his biggest impact in the fall in his final season of high school football.

&8220;I want to leave something great here and go to another great program,&8221; Ridley said. &8220;For me to be able to go and represent Trinity, a small school, it&8217;ll open people&8217;s eyes that you can make it wherever you are. It&8217;s hard work and dedication.&8221;