LSU signs 22 players
Good and bad. Win or ... that other thing
“You get some good stuff; you get some bad stuff. But, other than that, it’s always a good time. Getting together with LSU fans is always great.” Walt Allen, of Slidell, and a Bayou Bash regular attendee
After a few extreme highs and lows for the LSU football team, fans said it was only fitting that the trend of ups and downs continued Wednesday for LSU’s Bayou Bash football recruiting party at the Baton Rouge River Center.
LSU’s football team gained 22 new members on National Signing Day with one addition in Oxford, Ala.: linebacker Kwon Alexander and one surprise defection in Shreveport defensive end/linebacker Torshiro Davis.
“You get some good stuff; you get some bad stuff,” said Walt Allen, of Slidell and a Bayou Bash regular attendee. “But, other than that, it’s always a good time. Getting together with LSU fans is always great.”
Count Allen among the hordes of LSU fans who attended the Bash for the camaraderie and the great variety of food and drinks ranging from boudin and cracklins to grits and grillades.
LSU employees Rachel Daza and Andrea Jones were some of the women who wanted to partake on the mostly male-centric Bayou Bash.
“It’s real exciting to kind of come and see what the men do,” Daza said. “But we’re big football fans too.”
After LSU arguably had its greatest regular season in winning the Southeastern Conference with a 13-0 record, the team suffered one its most difficult losses ever while being shut out against rival Alabama in a Jan. 9 rematch in the BCS National Championship game in New Orleans.
LSU also suffered recruiting setbacks when Louisiana’s consensus best senior — Dutchtown safety Landon Collins — committed to Alabama over LSU and top-rated Indiana quarterback Gunner Kiel withdrew his LSU commitment and opted for Notre Dame.
LSU recovered earlier this week by bringing in Oxford, Miss., quarterback Jeremy Liggins and Corey Thompson, a safety from Missouri City, Texas.
“It’s definitely been a roller coaster with the high of the 13-0 season and then the debacle in the Dome, and we started losing recruits,” said Terry Burford, of Sulphur, who was one of the early arrivals in time for breakfast.
The Bayou Bash setup also was different this year. The 2012 U.S. Bowling Congress Open Championships is occupying the River Center’s main exhibit hall, so the Bash was broken into separate sections — the main stage with the VIP tables and another public hall with most of the food and vendors. Many in attendance said they are eager for the Bash to the return to the main hall next year.
“The VIP (section) is separate and getting the special treatment, and we’re kind of out here tailgating,” said Billy Singletary, of Slidell, who clearly did not have a VIP table.
Marvin Dugas, better known as “The Big Ragoo,” is one of the event organizers with The Gridiron Club. Given the circumstances of the Alabama loss and the rearranged Bayou Bash setup, Dugas said he was pleased with the “good turnout.” He estimated about 3,000 people were attending throughout the day, which is down from roughly 4,000 last year in one of the biggest crowds ever,
“We had a great season and a tough last game,” Dugas said. “But people are coming around and coming here and getting motivated for next season.”
A little after 10 a.m., big cheers rang out when Kwon Alexander committed to LSU on national television. He removed his pullover to show off the LSU bowtie and suspenders he wore underneath. But, moments later, Alexander’s teammate, Tre Elston, chose Ole Miss over LSU.
Shortly after 11 a.m., word circulated that longtime LSU commitment Torshiro Davis spurned the Tigers for the Texas Longhorns and the mood at the Bayou Bash deflated somewhat.
Fortunately for the crowd though, by that time, the beer was flowing and the food booths were starting to serve.