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

Reading some of these responses in this thread, you may be answering your own question SMH

I cant wrap.my mind around his premise that SOUTHERN could steer a player away from LSU. Whn does a top recruit talk to southern?

There are people who are pro Southern and anti LSU. There are people alive who remember the segregated campuses. Just like you can’t change old white racists, you can’t change old black racists. 2 schools in the same city, but one was for whites and one was for blacks. Things are vastly different, but old people are stubborn.

True. Racists are racists no matter what color they are. And I must have ruffled the feathers of a Gump imposter or somebody who did not understand the previous post. Water cannons in B'ham 50-60 years ago. You can change the present course, you can make decisions now that will impact the future but you can't change the past. It is what it is and was Gumpland.

Well Grand parents need to show them the truth. Anyone can Google Alabama's rich racist past. There is a stretch of Eastern MS/Western Alabama which is probably the most racist part of this country.

Not everyone in the state is an LSU fan unfortunately.

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I cant wrap.my mind around his premise that SOUTHERN could steer a player away from LSU. Whn does a top recruit talk to southern?

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It's obviously hard for you to wrap your head around any of this.

Open your mind and try to understand that the HBCU people I'm talking about are their fans and alumni. Those people are the mentors, friends, and families of those big-time athletes LSU wants to recruit. If those adults have had a frick racist LSU attitude around that recruit for 17 years, do you really think LSU will get that recruit?

It's all about perception. Imagine yourself in a poor black area. You grow up not knowing one person that went to LSU. Do you actually feel like LSU would be for you?

Also, as I said before, they have friends and family with first-hand perceptions about LSU. They have absolutely zero knowledge about Alabama besides what they see on TV. Some of these kids have never even been to TX or MS. They haven't checked the diversity numbers.

If you haven't noticed, these people cheer for anyone who's beating LSU. You can believe what you want. I have been dealing with this most of my life being a black LSU fan and alumnus.

I'm not making excuses, I would like to change this perception. I have personally spoken highly about my time at LSU and provided an example for recruits to see a black LSU grad. I have told kids plenty of times how the Army was sent to the University of Alabama in order for black kids to attend. We have to connect with that particular demographic who believe those things about LSU. That may be a starting point.

I just don't see how LSU should be viewed in this negative way. I don't care what part of the country you are from, there is a social class for rich and poor and it doesn't discriminate based off of color. Poor people in poor neighborhoods tend to hang out with each other and It's the same with the wealthy. Those who are poor white or black isn't LSU's fault, but falls in the individual and their upbringing. I've seen some trashy arse white people who do not raise their young right and they end up on the lower end of society. The same rings true for black folks. Football brings us all together white, black, poor, or wealthy. Why in the hell would black athletes want to stick it to the white man just because they like LSU? I'm white and I have to get my hands dirty on a daily basis through hard work and dedication. Where is this perception coming from that white people are oppressing black people? What do I need to change in my daily activities that can change that perception? The answer is nothing! The only difference between oppressed poor black people and white people is that white people have to live with their oppression and can only blame theirselves. Black people point fingers to white people for theirs and that is really the origin of racism in a nutshell. Quit pointing fingers and blaming others for your problems because all it does is create the hate and racism. I don't feel an ounce of hate or anomosity for any black person until they start pointing fingers and blaming me for shite that I have nothing to do with. This blame game has become an epidemic in this country and it's the black folks who are more dead set on rebelling everything than it is whites by far. Alabama isn't any better and I would argue that the divide is worse there.

Who cares. Name one kid that didn't come here becauae of race...name just ONE.

Thanks or shut up