For the 68 LSU football players who are Louisiana natives, the next step in their football careers was only a short drive and a few parishes from home.
But for sophomores defensive tackle Christian LaCouture and center Ethan Pocic, the journey also included a completely new culture, climate and lifestyle.
“It’s definitely a lot different. The traffic is a little slower,” Pocic said. “Different weather, different people, and there’s a lot more hospitality in the South.”
Pocic hails from Lemont, Illinois, a suburb 30 miles southwest of Chicago. His brother Graham played offensive line at the University of Illinois, where he earned All-Big 10 honorable mention accolades twice during his career.
Although he had offers from northern schools and has his roots in Illinois, Pocic chose to head 900 miles south to play football in Baton Rouge.
“I was definitely looking at some schools up north. My brother played at Illinois, so I was looking there, Wisconsin, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Michigan, all that,” Pocic said. “But then I was looking at a lot down south too, and having the opportunity to play in the Southeastern Conference is what set LSU apart.”
In his second year with the Tigers, Pocic has been able to establish his role on the team. When senior center Elliott Porter was suspended at the beginning of the 2014 season, Pocic stepped up and helped lead LSU to two victories against Wisconsin and Sam Houston State.
LaCouture also has taken full advantage of his opportunities so far this season. The sophomore has registered 30 tackles, along with 1.5 sacks and two pass breakups.
Like Pocic, LaCouture has had a long journey to end up in Baton Rouge.
Football doesn’t run in LaCouture’s family — but hockey does. His father, David, was a member of the University of Maine hockey team that won the NCAA National Championship in 1993. After his career with the Black Bears, David had a brief stint in the Detroit Red Wings’ training camp in 1993 before being sent to the minors, where he bounced around to multiple teams.
“I’m a hockey fan. My uncle played for the Bruins and my dad played a bit for the Red Wings, so I kind of root for them both,” LaCouture said. “I played hockey up until my fifth-grade year. I was a left winger, just like my dad.”
As LaCouture grew, he was moved from left wing back to defense. He played hockey until fifth grade, but hung up his skates and then he traded them for cleats.
“When I kept growing, my mom and dad really wanted me to try football out,” LaCouture said. “I wanted to be close to my friends, too, and they were playing football. I really started noticing I was pretty good at it.”
As a child, LaCouture moved around Massachusetts, Maine and Nebraska until he ended up in Odessa, Texas, where his father purchased a minority stake the Odessa Jackalopes, a minor-league team in the Central Hockey League.
While in Odessa, LaCouture played football at Odessa Permian High School, the school on which the popular movie and TV series “Friday Night Lights” was based. LaCouture excelled in Odessa, but moved to Lincoln, Nebraska, where he was named a Class A first-team all-state player by the Lincoln Journal Star after his senior season.
From Lincoln, LaCouture went south to LSU and hasn’t looked back. Although the South is different, LaCouture said it’s a challenge he embraces.
“Football is a lot more serious down here,” LaCouture said. “It’s like a religion. You have to take it very seriously. Up north, it’s more hockey and baseball, but they still love the football. The weather is different, the climate is different, everything is different. They’re all just things I have to adapt to.”