Former LSU Star Derek Curiel Sends Heartfelt Message To LSU, Coaches, Teammates & Family

quote:

---

My love letter to LSU

Thank you to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for allowing me to be a LSU Tiger. As this chapter of my life ends, it is another reminder that Jesus never does and never will. It has been such a honor to compete in the purple and gold for the past 2 years.

As I reflect on my time in Baton Rouge, I am filled with gratitude and I just want to say thank you. Thank you to my Coaches, my teammates, and the amazing fans and people that make LSU what it is.

THE STANDARD

Thank you to my Coaches and most of all Coach Johnson. Thank you for believing in me and writing me in that line up card everyday. Thank you for allowing me to earn it and for showing me what it takes. For all our late night conversations and hour meetings we had together reflecting on how we can get better. Thank you for caring for me as a person and as a player. You've impacted my life and I've grown as a man and as a player because of it.

Since I was in 7th grade we've been building this relationship and I couldn't be more happy and proud that we did what we set out to do together. Win a national championship and become a Top 5 pick in the Draft. You kept your word and we both put in the work.

To my Teammates, the brotherhood in which we embraced each other at LSU is second to none. We all had the same common goal of winning, improving as baseball players, and having fun.

Thank you to the older guys who showed me how to do it from day 1 and how to play to the LSU standard that we hold so dearly. It was truly a joy coming to the field everyday because of the relationships we built.

Even on the hard days there was always an attractive energy that made me grateful and that was because of my teammates and the culture that was built before us and the culture we continued to build. I'll forever be grateful for both of the teams I was a part of at LSU.
In 2025 we climbed the mountain, we did it.

We are forever linked to eachother and the memories that team created together with our late nate wins, our theme music, ping pong tournaments, and of course our 8th and 9th inning moments. We are Champions and we learned what it was like to become champions together. Tough and Together.

In 2026 we had a much different season full of struggle and disappointment but I am grateful for that team and my teammates because even down to the last out we were trying to brew up something special because that's just what LSU does. I know God allows things to happen for a reason and I am grateful for that struggle we experienced together. It will build us up as men for the rest of our life. It's easy to be the good teammate and happy when things are going great. It's when it gets hard when you find out who you truly are. When it gets hard get harder is a lifestyle and mindset I'll carry with me for the rest of my life and I'm grateful for that.

To My Parents, thank you for believing in me, loving me, and trusting me with my decision to go to LSU.

Thank you for all your support, flying across the country and showing up to 55 of the 68 regular season games x2 and all of our playoff and sec tournament games.
The sacrifices you've made for me to get here are something I cherish daily and will forever be grateful for.

This is not the end our journey but I love you each so much and the faith, trust, and encouragement you show me daily means the world to me.
Thank you for being my biggest fans. Team Curiel for life.

---

Loading Twitter/X Embed...
If tweet fails to load, click here.