The number a player wears can sometimes mean everything.
For some, like Jacksonville Jaguars running back Maurice Jones-Drew, the number is a source of inspiration.
Jones-Drew, who said he always plays with a chip on his shoulder, wears number 32 because that is the number of teams that passed on him in the 2006 NFL Draft.
For others, the number is in honor of a fellow or former athlete.
Brett Favre, who most recently played for the Minnesota Vikings but is currently retired, wore number 4 because he idolized Bobby Orr of the NHL’s Boston Bruins.
For Chad Ochocinco, the number is a name.
For LSU sophomore cornerback Tyrann Mathieu and senior safety Brandon Taylor, the new numbers they will be wearing this season will be honoring tradition and the LSU players who came before them.
The departure of former LSU cornerback Patrick Peterson to the NFL leaves a huge void in the Tigers’ secondary. Mathieu, who wore number 14 for the Tigers last season, said he sees himself as the player to fill that void.
“Pat was like a brother to me. Me getting his number is me giving back to him,” Mathieu said.
A standout as a freshman in the secondary last season, Mathieu was named Cotton Bowl Defensive MVP and a 2010 Freshman All-American by multiple outlets. He is also one of two sophomores in the nation named to the 2011 Chuck Bednarik Award Watch List.
Mathieu asked for the approval of his coaches and those who wore number 7 before him before claiming the number.
“We’re trying to get a tradition started here with the number 7,” Mathieu said.
The tradition following Taylor’s new number 18 is already in place.
Taylor returns this season after suffering a foot injury during the Alabama game last year, which caused him to miss the remaining four games.
Former LSU quarterback Matt Mauck started the tradition after the 2003-04 season by passing his number 18 to former LSU and current San Diego Chargers running back Jacob Hester.
Ironically, Mauck suffered a similar injury to Taylor’s during his sophomore year at LSU.
After Hester, the number was worn by tight end Richard Dickson, who passed it to tailback Richard Murphy before last season.
Taylor said he was pulled into the coaches’ office where they asked him if he would wear number 18. The coaches explained the significance of the number and the responsibility that comes with it.
“It represents what it means to be a Tiger,” Taylor said.
Taylor, the first defensive player to have the number passed to him, said he was happy to wear it.
“It shows that they have a lot of faith in me, on and off the field,” Taylor said.
The tradition has also recently made its way to the LSU baseball team.
Mikie Mahtook, a 2011 first-team All-American and first-round selection of the Tampa Bay Rays, wore number 8 during his time at LSU.
The number 8 will be worn by junior Mason Katz when the LSU baseball team takes the field in the spring.
“I guess we’ve decided to do a Patrick Peterson, Tyrann Mathieu type of tradition in the baseball program,” LSU baseball coach Paul Mainieri said.
Mainieri said that Mahtook arranged for Katz to wear his number 8 in 2012.
“I don’t want some freshman coming in wearing my number. I want it to mean something. The number 8 means a lot to me,” Mahtook said at a press conference following his signing with the Rays.
“He loves LSU and his team, I feel like that’s what LSU baseball is all about,” Mahtook said of Katz.
“I asked him if he would take it [number 8], and he said he would be honored to do it,” Mahtook said.
LSU running backs Spencer Ware and Alfred Blue and cornerback Tharold Simon are also wearing different numbers in their sophomore seasons.
Ware, who ran for 102 yards in last season’s Cotton Bowl, wore number 16 last year but will wear number 11 in 2011. Blue will wear number 4 this season after rushing for 101 yards and a touchdown in the number 24 jersey last year.
Simon, who will be a part of the defensive backfield rotation this year, wore No. 26 last year but will wear No. 24 this season.
 
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Contact Scott Branson at [email protected]