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No true freshman player has ever won college football’s coveted Heisman Trophy.
LSU freshman halfback Leonard Fournette thinks he has the best shot of anyone that’s entered college football over the past several seasons.
Once an All-World, top-notch high school phenom at St. Augustine in New Orleans, Fournette is now LSU’s freshman sensation – a young player that Tiger fans are starved to see in purple and gold this coming fall.
Whether or not he starts or gets the lion’s share of the Tigers’ carries remains to be seen.
But one thing is for sure – all eyes will be on No. 7 when he takes the field on Aug. 30 for LSU’s season-opening tilt with Wisconsin.
“Leonard Fournette is doing exactly what he should be doing,” LSU coach Les Miles said at SEC Media Days last month. “He’s getting in the weight room, running, getting in great shape. He’s pursuing the classroom, got great grades and is quiet – he’s not assuming. He’s humble in his approach.
“He expects himself to be something very special. I think if you look at Michael Jordan, he could not have been coached to be Michael Jordan. Michael Jordan accepted the role of expecting him to be better than any.”
A comparison to Michael Jordan for a true freshman college football player?
Those are quite lofty words for Fournette to live up to.
But if anyone watched the standout play high school ball, it’s easy to see why he is the recipient of such praise.
While at St. Aug., Fournette was an absolute terror to opponents – easily the No. 1 player in Louisiana in the Class of 2014, according to recruiting analysts all across the country.
As a Purple Knight, Fournette rushed for a ridiculous 7,619 yards and 88 touchdowns, winning the Louisiana Gatorade Player of the Year awards in both the 2013 and 2014 seasons.
Fournette capped off his storied career in style, rushing for 1,792 yards and 16 touchdowns as a senior.
When teams keyed on Fournette’s rushing he showed his athleticism, catching 45 passes for 745 yards and six touchdowns.
At the college level, the preliminary reports are the same, and every player in the Tigers’ locker room seems to think that the true freshman will be the real deal from day one in purple and gold.
“Leonard is great,” senior halfback Terrence Magee said. “He’s such a special, special player. He is very versatile in the ways that he can attack the defense. He has power and he is blessed with breakaway speed and good hands.”
But while everyone around the LSU program tosses praise and expectations onto Fournette, he said that his biggest focus right now is becoming a better player.
At LSU’s Preseason Media Day, the freshman admitted that the transition from high school to college has been a little bit difficult because he’s had to learn the Tigers’ offensive system in a short span of time.
He said that all of the talk about Heisman Trophies and 2,000 yard seasons are on hold as he tries to polish his skills.
“They are teaching us right now,” Fournette said. “Any mistakes we are making right now, they are teaching us how to make it right. I don’t believe in growing pains because as a team, we’re good. Right now, we are focused on getting to know each other and getting in the groove with each other.”
Those words and that humble mentality may seem like someone with years of media training. But with Fournette, it seems like the ability to remain humble is just part of his personality.
Throughout his career, Fournette has showed countless acts of sportsmanship and a propensity to act with class and dignity.
While at St. Augustine, Fournette was named the Greater New Orleans Quarterback Club’s Prep Player of the Year Award.
After accepting the trophy and giving thanks to the club for the selection, Fournette then presented his trophy to East Jefferson quarterback Eugene Wells – a player that Fournette said was more deserving of the honor because he led his team to the Class 4A state championship.
“I’d like to thank you all for picking me Prep Player of the Year,” Fournette said at the banquet, according to Nola.com. “But I feel like I’ve seen him grow up as a young man, so I feel like Eugene Wells deserves this.”
“He’s humble,” Miles said. “I think he has a quiet confidence there that will benefit him.”
But even while his focus is on preparation and self-development, Fournette admitted that he spends time at night dreaming about what it’ll be like to play in Tiger Stadium.
We’re going to find out soon enough, as the season inches closer and closer to its beginning.
When it does, all eyes will be on No. 7 for LSU – the true freshman sensation.
If his college career is anything like his days at St. Aug, he’ll be a headache for SEC defensive coordinators for years to come.
“I have thought about my first touchdown a thousand times,” Fournette said. “Seeing the crowd cheer for our first touchdown. It is exciting. Hopefully it will be the first game.”
History is now on notice.
Leonard Founette is here.
Let the show begin.
LSU true freshman sensation Leonard Fournette is used to the headlines and the mainstream media attention. At LSU’s Preseason Media Days, reporters flocked to get an interview with the freshman, who will likely be off-limits to reporters throughout the season per LSU’s policy. Fournette expects big success in his first collegiate season.
