A burnt orange scare is spreading across the Louisiana landscape, infiltrating and brainwashing the minds of student athletes raised on a healthy diet of LSU fandom. Because of coach Tom Herman’s influence in bringing out-of-state recruits to the Texas capital, LSU frontman Ed Orgeron has embarked on a witch hunt to ban the color from The Pelican State.
“Paranoid Ed”, as Hal Mumme has called him, phrases his embargo of outside interest as his way of “keeping Louisiana together.” Additionally, he told Sports Illustrated that “protecting the state of Louisiana is always going to be my job as the coach of LSU.”
In recent years, football programs around the country have staged “satellite camps” — low cost events for athletes to attend particular areas that scouts could have otherwise missed. The camps decrease travel expenses and allow competitors at any level to participate on an even playing field. Some may get discovered; others leave with experience and progress in their personal college eligibility.
One such camp was supposed to be staged at a high school in Hammond, Louisiana. Reportedly, Texas — among other schools — were planning on attending. Instead, the purple-and-gold powers that be pulled the plug on the camp, per Mumme, the current head football coach at DIII school Belhaven University (Mississippi). It is the third such cancellation this year that can be traced back to the Tigers.
Of the 11 schools that play football in Louisiana, there’s only one — Louisiana College — that competes at Division III; the rest play at the DI level. There are hundreds of student athletes available for scholarships, but some live outside of a major highway corridor, making it exceedingly difficult for recruits to embark on a pilgrimage for a talent showcase. The camps are the perfect setup for these kids, and canceling their opportunities is a selfish play. By banning competition for in-state players, Orgeron is limiting options for student-athletes.
There may be a hint of bitterness tainting the Louisiana water: LSU attempted to hire coach Herman last fall while competing with Houston, but he chose the Longhorns instead. The Tigers lifted coach Orgeron’s interim tag in response.
Does LSU have a chip on their shoulder the size of Texas? Who knows. That said, depriving kids of potential scholarships is a lousy way of making anyone want to compete for any program.
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This makes me sick.
Telling half the story here to protect UT is silly. Maybe it’s the misconceptions that abound in Austin, but this is a stance taken by nearly all SEC schools and not aimed at the over hyped longhorn reputation. FEAR THE ACC? Maybe. But fearing a Big 12 school is a reach. Seriously weak slant.