Something I wrote about LF

Yeah, yeah before you see that I'm a UGA fan and you respond with TL;DR, do me a favor and give it a look. You may just like it.

The first time I saw Leonard Fournette in action I was watching SportsCenter highlights of the Tigers' win over Sam Houston State last year. I couldn't help but roll my eyes at him. He had just struck the Heisman pose after scoring his first collegiate touchdown, and I figured he was just another prima donna hotshot drawing attention to himself.

At the time, I thought to myself, “This is not what LSU needs.”

Thirteen months later, I believe he’s not only what LSU needs. But he’s exactly what college football needs as well.

Shortly following the Sam Houston State game, Fournette would apologize to his team for making the pose. Coach Les Miles also said of his young running back “he’s truly a humble guy.” Most people would assume that this was simply a PR move, and what any coach would do in a similar situation. After all, it’s hard to reconcile the description of “a humble guy” with an individual who was just seen flaunting himself against an overmatched opponent.

However, with Fournette's most recent act of generosity - offering up his jersey to be auctioned for the benefit of South Carolina’s flood victims - I now know enough about him to realize that this gesture is not just a facade for the TV cameras or feel-good fodder for his Heisman campaign. Likewise, anyone who does some research on Fournette's football career and his off-field exploits will quickly find, like I did, that Miles description of him as “a humble guy” was not just coach-speak.

Anecdote by anecdote, and article by article, the stories form an undeniable pattern of humility, generosity, and sportsmanship. From his deferral of a high school player of the year award to his refusal to be considered as good as Herschel Walker, Bo Jackson, or even Nick Chubb, Fournette has shown that class and talent still can co-exist on the highest stages of athletics.

That is why he has more than the ability to rewrite college football record books. He has the potential to change college football itself.

With “money” signs flashing, players unionizing, and underclassmen flocking in record numbers to declare early for the NFL Draft, it’s clear that we are witnessing a new era of the game. While this era undeniably possesses positive aspects, it is also characterized by an increased emphasis on fame and money. These things aren’t necessarily bad in and of themselves, but if left unchecked, they risk poisoning the sport. The game of football has humble origins, but as it rose in popularity and broadcast media become more ubiquitous, the money involved grew exponentially. What most of us have forgotten is that money, fame, and celebrity are not what football is about. Those are capitalistic side-effects of the sport's popularity.

Hard work. Determination. Leadership. Subordination of yourself to the team. That is what football is about. Imparting these values to young men is the duty of coaches, and embodying them is the duty of players.

Obviously, Leonard Fournette is not the first college football player to embody these values. However, he is the first player in recent memory who not only displays uncanny talent on the field, but consistently refuses to indulge in personal glories, always putting the team and others before himself. After earning MVP honors for his 228-yard, 3 touchdown performance against Auburn, he quickly deferred the award to his fullback. Of his own Heisman candidacy, Fournette himself has remarked “If I win it I win it. At the end of the day I want to win a championship.”

More than just a humble person, he is also described as one of the hardest workers you will ever see. Miles has compared him to Michael Jordan, alluding to the basketball legend’s reputation for quietly working harder than everyone else because of his own expectations to be the greatest player he could possibly be. His hard work clearly shows, and the nation has taken notice of the sophomore running back as he continues his dash towards history. Or course, this means that the NFL scouts have taken notice as well.

Less than three games into his sophomore campaign, some pundits were already suggesting that Fournette should sit out his junior year and wait until he’s eligible to declare for the draft, lest he risk a career-ending injury and lose out on millions of dollars.

“He needs to do what’s best for him,” they said. But as we know, in this day and age, doing “what’s best for you” is simply code for doing what will make you the most money.

Fournette’s response to this unsolicited advice? A tweet reading “I will never jump ship... I'm drowning with my brothers.” It’s safe to say that Leonard Fournette knows what’s best for himself. Because what’s best for himself is synonymous with what’s best for his team.

Regarding the money, Fournette’s recent actions suggest that he knows football is about more than personal gain. No one expected him to offer his game jersey to benefit those affected by the flooding in Columbia. No one except Fournette, that is. Pulling a pre-written speech out of his helmet, he reminded the country that football is just a game, and that we have neighbors in need everywhere. That’s an attitude that every football player, at all levels of the game, should take note of. It’s an attitude that used to be more prevalent, but has faded away over the past century.

So maybe it’s fitting that Leonard Fournette’s running style is a bit of a throwback. He’s not concerned with razzle-dazzle or flashy moves. He simply lowers his shoulders and runs toward the end zone, slightly shifting direction at times in order to speed past flat-footed defenders. If someone gets in his way, the competitor in him will find a way past them. Because they are what stands between him and the end zone. Each touchdown he scores may get tallied on his personal stat line, but each one brings the LSU Tigers - his team - closer to a national championship.

So what about that Heisman pose? After everything I’ve learned about Leonard Fournette, I’ve finally made sense of it. Fournette’s pose wasn’t the act of a prima donna saying “Look at how great I am.”

It was the act of a competitor saying “Here I am. Give me your best shot.”

We see you Leonard. Keep doing what you’re doing, and you may just change the game of college football.

Actually, no, you won’t.

You’ll simply remind us what college football has always been about.