It’s all about swag.
They’re a group of five wide receivers – senior Russell Shepard, juniors Kadron Boone and James Wright and sophomores Jarvis Landry and Odell Beckham, Jr. – and likely the top-five wideouts at LSU heading into the 2012 season
But they’re more than that – they’re the “Fab Five.”
“We just wanted a trending thing to start about us,” Landry said. “We know that changes are going to come to our offense, and we’re going to be a part of the biggest changes. We just wanted to have something that carries behind us as we head into the season.”
The movement started in February as the players found extra free time during the offseason. They made it public on Twitter, preparing the LSU nation for the impending offensive overhaul that the “Fab Five” will provide.
When new wide receivers coach Adam Henry came to LSU, he encouraged his players to play with a little edge.
“Great receivers, they play with confidence,” Shepard said. “They got a little cockiness to them. Not too much, but they have a little cockiness.”
Look at past tweets, and Shepard appears to be the founder of the “Fab Five.” His eagerness for the upcoming season toes the line between cocky and confident.
Bringing both seniority and swag, Landry said Shepard created the idea of the “Fab Five.”
“He’s into stuff like that,” Landry said. “He’s been a big leader since I got here. He started the name, and it’s just been going from there.”
But Shepard showed humility when discussing his role in the creation of a group based on cockiness.
“I’m not going to take credit for it,” Shepard said. “We all took it and ran with it.”
The “Fab Five” means more than just extravagant attitudes and outrageous posts on Twitter. Once the regular season comes, the fivesome hopes its offseason creation will transform into on-field production.
“The dream set for us is a five-receiver set,” Shepard said. “It’s the most receivers you can have on the field, so that’s where the five came from.”
Unlike last season, when former wide receiver Rueben Randle was the focal point for opposing defenses, this year’s receiving corps has a different look. With Randle’s departure for the NFL, none of the remaining receivers have more than 500 career receiving yards.
Shepard leads the “Fab Five” with five receiving touchdowns, but Beckham emerged last season with 437 receiving yards and two touchdowns, earning a spot on the Southeastern Conference All-Freshman Team.
Shepard said no one player stands above the rest, something that contributes to the “Fab Five” mentality.
“We don’t have just one sole leader,” Shepard said. “Everybody steps up and does their part. That’s what great teams do. Everybody accounts for their responsibility.”
All “Fab Five” members will admit, though, that the group would not exist without junior quarterback Zach Mettenberger. LSU coach Les Miles has taken notice of the relationship between Mettenberger and his receivers.
“There’s chemistry between Zach and a lot of guys,” Miles said. “They enjoy him. He’s working to get them the ball and trying to do the right thing.”
Mettenberger also has that one trait the “Fab Five” demand. “For a white guy,” Landry said, “he definitely has a lot of swag.”
 
_____ Contact Hunter Paniagua at [email protected]