LSU Football Recruiting: Alabama's Tide Rising on the Bayou

The 21-0 victory in the BCS National Championship game proved Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide’s dominance over LSU and left no doubt who the best team was in 2011. The victory was sweet revenge for Saban, coming off the earlier loss to the Tigers on Nov. 5. and it prevented a third loss in a row to Les Miles, the man who succeed him at LSU. 

Riding the wave of victory, Saban has Louisiana’ top two recruits, Landon Collins and Denzell Devall currently committed to the Tide. 

Saban knows Louisiana high school football very well. He was named the LSU coach in Nov. 1999 and quickly led the Tigers to a National Championship in 2003.

Saban took the job after LSU spent years mired in mediocrity: 

- From 1987 (post Bill Arnsparger) to 1999 (the year Saban arrived), LSU’s record was 76-70-2

- No Bowls: 1989-1994 and 1998-99 

- The “esteemed” coaches’ records:

- 1987-90 Mike Archer: 27-18-1

- 1991-94 Curley Hallman: 16-28

- 1995-99 Gerry DiNardo: 33-24-1

The NFL and those who coach and play in the state, know Louisiana is the top producer of NFL talent per capita of any state. It is well-documented that Saban was also aware of this fact and used this to build up the LSU program upon taking it over (a constant reminder to all Tiger fans by Tide fans). 

Placing walls around Louisiana was key to Saban’s success at LSU. His predecessors allowed the top players to leave the state, thus allowing LSU to wallow in the middle of the SEC pack. It appears Saban did not forget this little fact. 

When Les Miles took over for Saban in 2005, he continued the success by keeping Louisiana’s top players with the Tigers. 

With the exception of 2009, Alabama has not been successful in luring Louisiana’s top recruits to play for the Tide: 

- 2007 Luther Davis (DT, West Monroe, LA, West Monroe)

- 2008 Robby Green (DB, River Ridge, LA, John Curtis)

- 2009 Kenny Bell (WR, Rayville, LA Rayville), Eddie Lacy (RB, Geismar, LA Dutchtown), Darrington Sentimore (DT, Destrehan, LA Destrehan (transferred to UT)

- 2010  None

- 2011  Bradley Sylve (WR, Port Sulphur, LA, South Plaquemines)

All that ended in this year. With Louisiana’s two top prospects headed to play for Alabama in 2012 and with the verbal commitment of highly touted prospects Raheem Falkins (WR, New Orleans, G.W. Carver H.S.) along with an offer to Kenneth Santa Marina (OL, New Orleans, La./McDonough 35) for the 2013 season, Saban has broken through the walls he established in 1999 and Miles had sustained since Saban’s departure. 

Whether the Louisiana invasion is a calculated move by Saban or based on Alabama’s success, LSU and Les Miles must quickly build up the walls around Louisiana and stem the Tide from rising on the bayou or prepare to face a reunion with an old friend: mediocrity.