As he lands the cover of Sports Illustrated, LSU running back Leonard Fournette is beginning to relate less with the average LSU student and more with Taylor Swift.
Fournette’s meteoric rise to fame this football season is taking the nation by storm. It goes without saying, LSU is reaping the benefits of Fournette’s popularity — as it should.
From featuring him in this summer’s recent campaign to push ticket sales, to the endless onslaught of press, Fournette has quickly become the face of LSU. With him being an all-around swell guy too, LSU would be hard-pressed to find a better posterboy.
Last weekend’s game against the University of South Carolina was the perfect opportunity to showcase Fournette’s persona as the everyman champion. With Fournette receiving NCAA approval to auction off his jersey for South Carolina flood victims and another A+ performance at the game, it’s safe to say he’s killing it.
At the rate he’s going, analysts and pundits are expecting Fournette to sign a $20 million, 4-year deal when he’s drafted by the NFL. Until then, LSU will continue to showcase him as its favorite son.
By representing LSU, Fournette is representing the Baton Rouge community — and in a sense, Louisiana. Fournette serves the same purpose for LSU as Swift does for Nashville — he’s an ambassador of unprecedented proportions.
It’s remarkable Fournette seems to be so nonchalant about his role in the LSU machine and the pressures that accompany it. Despite landing the cover of Sports Illustrated, Fournette still maintains his casual, 20-year-old college student identity.
But Fournette’s situation is anything but normal.
He is a vehicle to push LSU’s brand to new audiences — namely potential recruits and students. He’s funny, likable and immensely talented, and LSU is using it to its advantage.
Similarly, Swift was a vehicle to push country music and Nashville to people who previously weren’t fans. But, as with Swift’s case, there will come a time when Fournette has to rise above his current position and university branding.
How Fournette expects to do so remains to be seen. Though he doesn’t strike me as the type to don a crop top in order to rebrand himself.
With the amount of rightfully-earned attention Fournette is receiving, I can’t help but wish LSU showed off some of the other athletes here on campus, especially the female ones.
Football obviously gets the most attention here, and there’s nothing wrong with that. Football is part of LSU’s DNA.
Many athletes are role models for children. Fournette has done a stand-up job thus far being a proper role model for his fans too.
But what about the kids who don’t relate to Fournette? Who do they look up to?
Junior softball pitcher Baylee Corbello has consistently performed well. Why not showcase athletes like her as well?
As the season’s winning streak, hopefully, continues, Fournette’s celebrity status will likely grow. It’s unfortunate NCAA bylaws prevent him from being in control of it at the moment, but one can only hope he maintains his popularity when he moves on to other things.
Nevertheless, LSU will keep flaunting him like a golden child until he does.
I may not know a lot about sports, but I do know a bit about public relations. I understand why LSU is managing Fournette in the manner it currently is.
But there’s plenty of room for more than one person in the spotlight. Even Taylor knows that. #SquadUp
John Gavin Harp is a 20-year-old mass communication junior from St. Francisville, Louisiana. You can reach him on Twitter @SirJohnGavin.

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Javier Fernández

LSU sophomore running back Leonard Fournette greets fans during the Tigers’ 45-24 victory against the University of South Carolina on Saturday, Oct. 10, 2015 in Tiger Stadium.