UL can not afford to let teams come in their backyard and let them take the best prosects like Alley Broussard and Early Doucet.
UL can not afford to let teams come in their backyard and let them take the best prosects like Alley Broussard and Early Doucet.
We can not compete with LSU for the top notch players. Now that LSU has won the National Championship we should be able to keep a few more local players here since they will be venturing off for the blue chip recruits.
An article on how recruiting in Louisiana will soon change.
La. prep recruiting heading for change
LSU has become more selective
Louisiana State University's Sugar Bowl victory may not only have given the Tigers their first national championship in four decades, but it may have changed -- for the better in some ways and for the worse in others -- the complexion of high school recruiting in Louisiana.
The marginal kid -- or the one who plays above his abilities because he is a lifelong fan desperate to leave a memorable mark on LSU football -- who may blossom into a special player to be sprinkled among the studs later on probably won't get a chance to do it in Baton Rouge anymore
Those are the kinds of athletes that have been the base of LSU football for generations. Coach Nick Saban, though, has been highly selective in who he signs, giving grants-in-aid only to those in-state recruits whose potential reaches to the stars, and filling in the rest of his annual classes by cherry-picking in the rest of the country.
It's paid off with the team every computer calculation in the land says is No. 1.
LSU is now in a position to be even more selective, upping the standard of potential that any athlete may have to snag a Tiger scholarship.
"I think that's so," said Larry Favre, head coach at Fontainebleau High. "It's going to be harder for our kids to play there, although I think it has been ever since Coach Saban got there. Really, since he's been at LSU, he's been hand-picking from the very best in Louisiana and filling in from elsewhere.
"We've had three kids go to Southern Miss in recent years that I don't think were even on LSU's board. It could be even more difficult for recruits now," said Favre, who will have several senior prospects next season, including backs Steven Korte and Christian Ducre.
Even with the higher requirements, Favre is exuberant about the situation. "I've always felt we have some of the best high school talent developed here in Louisiana," he said. "Now we've got a staff (at LSU) that has shown it can take that talent to another level. When you see the Pro Bowl roster and see people like Ed Reed, Peyton Manning and Patrick Sertan, who all grew up here but went to school outside of Louisiana, you realize what kind of program LSU could have by keeping those guys home."
Northshore's Frankie Jabbia sees the situation as a win-win-win situation for LSU, the other state schools, and the prospects. "No doubt LSU can be, and probably will be, more selective," he said. "But that will also benefit Tulane, McNeese, and Louisiana-Lafayette because they will pick up a lot of good athletes that might have gone to LSU in the past, but now won't be recruited by LSU."
There probably won't be that many, just enough to make a little difference, said Jabbia, who has two senior prospects committed to Tulane.
"The thing is that 95 percent of LSU's team this season is from Louisiana, and he doesn't just take anybody. So that's a good thing, and I hope it continues," Jabbia said.
"If Coach Saban started going out of state wholesale, then maybe I'd begin getting a little upset."
The source of the Story
TIMES-PICAYUNE
Marty Mulé
Marty Mulé can be reached at mmule@timespicayune.com or (985) 645-2847 January 11th, 2004, 09:46 am #4.
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Until high schoolers decide whether they want to be playing on Sunday or just be on the sidelines of BCS game they will continue to flock to BCS schools.
For every Justin Vincent success story there are the Ally Broussard's who even though they had succesful moments in regular season, soon find out there is only so much room for playing time. He averaged 6 carries a game which is not enough to get better as a player.
Take a look at Walter Paytons son in Miami it took him the entire year to get untracked after sitting for 3 years. If he wasn't Walters son would he ever have gotten untracked? I doubt it.
I could go on and on and deflve into all the Juniors and Seniors who get supplanted by Freshmen and how rare a Justin Vincent experience really is.
My point is there is no replacement for playing 4 years. True there are the 1 year success stories like Ike Taylor at Louisiana, but even in his case, if he had gone to a BCS school he would never have seen the light of day. Thus no NFL career.
Sad thing is, all the sideline watchers (from all the top rated recruiting classes) at the National championship game think they made the right choice. Hey life is short but not that short.
The NFL should be their goal.
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