re: Besides more hardware, what makes a recruit from Louisiana go to a hated rival?

It has nothing to do with bandwagoning. The view of blacks within Louisiana of LSU in many places is that LSU only wants us to make money off us. As a black man who went to LSU, I have been repeatedly asked why I attended there by everyone from a high school teacher of my own who is an LSU alum to friends, family and people in just general conversation. Most black people just see LSU as a PWI who protects its own, eats up all the instate education funding and only cheers for blacks when we are trying to raise a trophy in LSU's name. Posters here speaking graciously on the same kids that considered LSU, then trash them when they exclude LSU. But some still come and then there is the conflict of interests, posters who cheer for LSUs black athletes on the Rant and then trash the race on the Poli board. A lot of Louisiana blacks think that's LSU, two faced. Cheer for black athletes, racist underneath. Not saying its all truth, but its the perception.
Bama just gets chosen cause they beat LSU at what they love most and they revel in it. Even though the same ideas are probably had by blacks in Alabama of Alabama.