If you’ve read much of my blog, you would know that I am a huge fan of college football and it’s history. I love the traditions and the pageantry of everything involving the game.
Some traditions have been established a little more recently than others.
One extremely new tradition is also one that I really like.
That’s the number 18 that is passed out every season at LSU.
The number 18 tradition started with LSU Quarterback Matt Mauck. An interesting story in himself, Mauck grew up in Jasper, Indiana and starred in football as a Quarterback and was recruited by a lot of programs including Michigan State and Nick Saban. Mauck was also an outstanding baseball player and his Jasper, Indiana High School baseball team won state titles in 1996 and 1997.
He committed to play Quarterback for Nick Saban at Michigan State, but changed his mind when the Chicago Cubs drafted him and they signed him to a minor league contract.
But, apparently, after 3 years in the minors he decided he would try football again and he had that connection with Nick Saban. Only now, Nick Saban had moved on from Michigan State to LSU.
Saban brought in Mauck in 2000 for depth.
Mauck won the starting job for the 2002 football season, but was injured and the Tigers struggled to an 8-5 finish.
Mauck was back for his senior season in 2003 and led the LSU Tigers to an 13-1 season winning the SEC championship and a controversial BCS championship over Oklahoma.
Mauck threw for 2,825 yards in 2003 on 229 completions out of 358 passing attempts and 28 Touchdowns.
Obviously, Mauck wore the number 18 while at LSU and he passed that number on to Jacob Hester, an incoming Fullback from Shreveport Evangel High School.
Hester was a true freshman the following year in 2004 and he wore the number 18 for the next 4 seasons. After the 2004 season, Nick Saban left Baton Rouge for the Miami Dolphins and the LSU Tigers hired Les Miles in January of 2005.
In the 2007 season, the LSU Tigers beat Ohio State and Hester wore #18 and ran for over 1,000 yards his last season in Baton Rouge. Hester was a 3rd round pick by the San Diego Chargers and played in the NFL for 5 seasons.
With his size, at 6-0, 225, Hester could play both the Fullback and Running Back positions and play them well. He was a great blocker as well as a very good back and was a total team player by all accounts.
Very fun player to watch and he seemed to pick out defenders to run over instead of trying to make a move on them. That’s the kind of Running Back that a lot of fans love to watch.
He started his last two years at Running Back and gained 1,103 yards as a senior making some All SEC lists. He was also a great receiver coming out of the backfield.
Ask about any LSU fan who their favorite number 18 was and most will say Jacob Hester.
Matt Mauck is given credit for starting the number 18 tradition at LSU, by giving his jersey to Jacob Hester. But, Les Miles had to have had something to do with it being carried on. The former players that wore number 18 and Les Miles vote on who will be the next guy to wear the jersey.
The player chosen to wear number 18 is supposed to be the player that demonstrates best how an LSU football player conducts himself on and off the football field.
After Jacob Hester was gone, coach Miles, Mauck and Hester voted on Richard Dickson to become the next number 18. Dickson played Tight End for LSU from 2006 to 2009.
As a junior, Richard Dickson was an All SEC selection both on the field and academically. If the jersey is supposed to be given to guys that are leaders both on and off the field and are good role models, then Dickson definitely fit that bill. His junior season in 2008, Dickson caught 31 passes. His totals dropped off in 2009 because of nagging injuries. But, Dickson still finished his career with more receptions than any Tight End in the history of LSU football with 90. Dickson signed with the Detroit Lions as a Free Agent but was never much of an NFL factor. Great college player, but I suppose the NFL likes their Tight Ends bigger than 6-3, 240.
The previous number 18 jersey guys and Miles then elected Richard Murphy to don the now famous number 18.
Richard Murphy was back for his senior season in 2010.
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Murphy didn’t have much of an impact on the playing field at LSU. He only rushed for just over 500 yards in his 4 seasons, but he was one of the guys that you would say earned the jersey by off the field issues and by leadership.
He lost both parents to cancer before he even made it to LSU. At 6-1, 215, Murphy was still considered a Running Back with potential and the Jacksonville Jaguars signed him to a free agent contract and he was on their roster for a couple of seasons.
After Murphy, Brandon Taylor was the first defensive player voted the number 18 jersey for his senior season in 2011. Brandon Taylor was an outstanding 3 year starter at safety for the LSU Tigers. The Tigers generally have a great defense, but 2011 could have been their very best. Three of the Defensive Backs from the 2011 season went in the NFL Draft with Morris Claiborne, Taylor and Ron Brooks all being picks.
The defense in 2011 was almost single handedly responsible for the Tigers making it to the national title game. Taylor was picked by the Chargers and played there a couple of seasons before a knee injury ended his NFL career.
Bennie Logan, the next number 18, showed that the selection committee could go big in 2012. Defensive Tackle Logan was 6-3, 295 and a run stopper extraordinaire. The Tigers had the 5th ranked run defense that season and a large part of that was Logan.
A Defensive Lineman stats are measured in tackles, or tackles for loss, or quarterback sacks and that doesn’t really show how much they clog up the middle and help another player such as their Middle Linebacker get a tackle by keeping the Offensive Linemen off of him. Logan did have 45 tackles in 2012 and 5.5 of those being for losses. He also had 2 Quarterback sacks and he blocked 2 kicks along the way.
Logan, declared early for the NFL and was picked by the Philadelphia Eagles where he is a current starter.
Lamin Barrow got the number 18 jersey in 2013 and he was a 6-2, 235 two year starter at Linebacker for the Tigers. As a senior in 2013, Barrow led the team in tackles and was particularly fantastic
against Florida possibly being one of the bigger reasons for the win. Barrow was drafted by the Denver Broncos but now plays for the Chicago Bears.
Terrence Magee was one of the top Running Backs for the Tigers in the 2014 season, as he had been in 2013.
Magee ran for 626 yards and 8 Touchdowns as a junior in 2013 and he was expected to be the top Running Back in 2014.
But, he had to share carries with Fournette, Kenny Hilliard and Darrel Williams and he still ran for over 500 yards.
Magee signed with the Baltimore Ravens as a free agent and made the team. Kenny Hilliard was drafted by the Houston Texans and is currently on their practice squad.
Running Backs are so good at LSU that the 2nd and 3rd team guys often make NFL rosters, which is an amazing accomplishment.
Tre’Davious White is this year’s number 18. He is a 5-11, 190 Cornerback that is a junior this season and has started since his freshman year. He is not only a great Cornerback with 4 career Interceptions, but he’s also an outstanding Punt Returner having taken 2 back for Touchdowns. Undoubtedly, he will declare for the NFL after this season and the 2016 will be needing a new number 18.
I am going to go ahead and nominate Leonard Fournette for the number 18 for the 2016 season.