I care, because I pull for everyone who represents the Purple and Gold. Only caring about people when they're actually AT LSU seems pretty strange to me. Many of these kids give us great memories and enduring moments both of ecstasy as well as heartbreak. Ignore how important it is to the program to put guys on the field on Sunday, I'd like to see LSU continue to excel. No one gave the Tigers more publicity this year than Odell Beckham, Jr. The free exposure.. what an amazing benefit after he's left Baton Rouge.
No doubt, but did we have depth like we have now? Hell in 2011 we had 5 backs that could have started. 2012, we lost Ware and Ford but gained Hill, last year we lose Hill and Blue but gain Fournette and Williams. We had depth when the midget was here but not like we have now and since Frank has been here.
Yep you can give lots of credit to Frank, but don't forget Les and the others. Same with DBU, Raymond took over, and never missed a beat. Most of this is Raymond along with Les and the staff. Talking with a few people, the haul on the OL this class was first class by far. In recruiting, a staff and Head Coach have to work very hard together. One kid can drop, then you get a call from another that wants to make a last minute visit. It could change week to week or day to day.
Well, I think LSU paid for that, but yeah absolutely. The catch we now know is loaded on every Tiger recruiter's tablet and they play it for kids at critical moments. It's awesome. You don't see high LSU picks flame out. JaMarcus Russell going first overall was a net loss for LSU, imo. We had guys like Tyson Jackson taken way too high. Sure, sometimes we still put out a Sonic Sam who doesn't live up to his ability, but generally we're seeing LSU guys live up to their draft status. Remember the KC newspaper article ripping the LSU program for putting out poor players? Russell Shepard is still on a roster as a special teams ace. Hill, Landry, OBJ, and Mett all had successful debut seasons. Lafell just won a title. Bowe's been a stud. Mingo isn't amazing, but he's got time and he's been banged up. Then you have guys like Tharold Simon who probably left early but needed the money and he's sticking around. Mo Claiborne didn't work out in Dallas so far, but their defense when he got there was a disaster. Eric Reid is a monster with the 49ers. (I wanted him in black & gold over Vaccaro) Tyrann we never hear problems about. PP7 is great. These guys are all literally just off the top of my head, too. Alfred Blue did great. We know Ridley's been good with the Pats. We know old vets like Whitworth and Kyle Williams are still performing at a high level. I think it hurt Alabama some when Ingram failed with the Saints (contract year notwithstanding, I wanted Ingram on the Saints, thought he could be special, he was very mediocre instead until last year), Trent Richardson not doing well, they've had a slew of defensive backs struggle, but they've done really well with their DL and LBs and OL... Kids that come to LSU, USC, Alabama.. they're not just thinking Saturday night in Death Valley. Right or wrong, these kids think they will play on Sundays. Being able to show them that we're consistently putting quality at WR into the NFL no matter who is throwing the ball for LSU speaks volumes to these kids. OBJ, Landry, Lafell, Bowe, All awesome NFL receivers. Then there's guys we don't hear as much about but are collecting paychecks in the NFL and scrapping to stay on teams usually on special teams duty like James Wright, Russell Shepard, Trindon Holiday, and Kadron Boone. Rueben Randle has been a disappointment in NY, but he gets the best seat in the house to watch OBJ. That's a LOT of talent to send to the NFL. Kids pay attention to that. That's one big reason our recruiting of top notch receivers hasn't suffered.
Noted, but draft day has become somewhat of an anesthetic to soothe some fans ills to compensate for less than successful seasons. I buy season tickets to watch us succeed on Saturday nights. What our players might be doing a season or two away on Sundays just doesn't feed my bulldog.
No different than NSD, right? Signing Day is to colleges and some college fans what the NFL Draft is to NFL fans who like the draft. Both NSD and the NFL Draft ultimately help LSU, so I'm pleased to be informed.
