LSU running back Leonard Fournette already has his own Wikipedia page.
The incoming freshman has yet to take a snap in an LSU uniform, but he has already put Tiger Nation in a frenzy. As a result, he has become a lot of things to a lot of people.
To LSU coach Les Miles, he’s worth mentioning in the same breath as Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods.
“He expects himself to be something very special,” Miles said at SEC Football Media Days in July. “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.”
To Tiger fans, he’s the future.
The reigning Louisiana Mr. Football’s expectations are unparalleled: He’s to bring the Tigers to the promised land. He’s to be the second coming of Billy Cannon, and bring the Heisman Trophy back to Baton Rouge.
A quick look at his accolades tells why. He earned the title of USA Today National Offensive Player of the Year and became the first high school athlete to win the Corbett Award for amateur athletes in Louisiana after his senior campaign.
He’s a consensus All-American and the first player in state history to win the Louisiana Gatorade Player of the Year award twice.
To Fournette’s mother, he’s just a kid. An 18-year-old boy in a grown man’s body beginning his first year of college and still needs nightly text messages to reminding him of what’s important.
“Say you’re prayers, and ask God to keep you humble,” these messages say, according to Leonard. And he obeys every night.
To LSU offensive coordinator Cam Cameron, he’s ordinary.
“We’ve got a lot of guys that are like Leonard,” Cameron said. “A lot of them.”
That’s not to say he’s not talented. The fact that running backs like Fournette are common says more about LSU’s recruiting pool than Fournette himself.
“He’s like a lot of guys in the state of Louisiana in that they don’t get tired,” Cameron said. “Most 235-pound running backs get tired. This guy can run all day.”
And run he did in his four years at St. Augustine High School in New Orleans where he amassed 7,619 rushing yards and 88 rushing touchdowns.
To Fournette’s teammates, he’s a freshman. A new brother in arms yet to earn his stripes.
Fournette may have been a star in high school, but his older brothers make sure remind him he’s new to the family by making him and his fellow freshmen carry balls and bring them water when needed.
They also keep him humble, often making fun of his newfound celebrity status on campus.
“The older guys, they kind of make a mock of it,” Fournette said. “They say ‘Oh my God, it’s Leonard’, and I just laugh at them.”
There may be sibling rivalries, but trumping that is respect.
“His burst and quickness are unreal,” senior running back Terrence Magee said. “He’s picking up on things so fast, and it’s a big plus for us.”
And to Leonard Fournette, well, he’s just Leonard Fournette.
“These expectations mean nothing to me,” Fournette said. “I haven’t proved myself yet, so I just laugh at it like it’s a joke.”