More than 3,000 excited and hopeful Tiger fans celebrated the future of LSU football at the 14th annual Bayou Bash, watching LSU lock up high-profile recruits like Rueben Randle, Russell Shepard and Craig Loston. Fans watched highlights of the prospects, looking forward to the day the recruits will trade their high school colors for purple and gold.”A lot of these players see themselves wearing purple and gold long before they sign their letters,” said University alumnus Steven Wickliffe, who attended his eighth Bayou Bash. “What [LSU Coach] Les [Miles] is finishing makes LSU the elite program it is today and makes the Bayou Bash what it is today.”Chase Hernandez, general studies senior, enjoyed going to a football event in the winter.”It’s great to come and talk about LSU football,” Hernandez said. “Football is everything around here, and the fans are very supportive of LSU.”Hernandez was impressed with the amount of fans at the Bayou Bash.”It’s a big reason why we can get classes like this,” Hernandez said. “They want to come to a place where fans appreciate them.”The Bayou Bash is the only large recruiting party of its kind in the nation. Schools such as Ohio State, Arkansas and Arizona State have talked to members of the Tiger Gridiron Club about modeling a recruiting party after the Bayou Bash, but the schools don’t have the support from fans or sponsors.”This is the greatest post-signing day party in America,” Miles said in his address at the Bayou Bash.Vince DeSalvo, president of the Tiger Gridiron Club, said the Bayou Bash ran smoothly and successfully.”The Coke and Budweiser are flowing freely,” DeSalvo said. “Everybody’s having a great time.”DeSalvo said the 14th annual Bayou Bash may have been the best ever.”I think it’s absolutely a roaring success”, DeSalvo said. “This may be the best one we’ve ever had, and we’ve had some good ones.”Former LSU defensive lineman Glenn Dorsey, cornerback Corey Webster and linebacker Lionel Turner spoke at the Bayou Bash.”There’s no place like home,” Dorsey said.This year’s Bayou Bash was Turner’s third time to attend. The former linebacker said the LSU fans are the best in the country.”I guarantee you go to any college, and they don’t have anything like this where the fans come out and have a good time and see the recruiting class,” Turner said. “You got a lot of people come out that love LSU.”Even though Alabama claimed the Rivals.com No. 1 recruiting class, fans are still excited about LSU’s No. 2 class.—-Contact Michael Lambert at [email protected]