Tim McGraw and Kenny Chesney weren’t the only ones rocking last weekend.
LSU running backs coach and recruiting coordinator Frank Wilson was rocking and rolling on the recruiting front, reeling in three more commitments for the 2012 class.
East Jefferson defensive back Derrick Raymond, Hahnville defensive back Jerqwinick Sandolph and West St. Mary dual lineman Jerald Hawkins all gave their verbal commitments May 28, bringing LSU’s total number up to 12.
“LSU is home,” Raymond said. “It’s been my dream school, and my family gets to see me play. LSU is a great team. They send their cornerbacks to the pros.”
LSU hosted about 40 recruits during the last weekend in May at an event they called The Bayou Picnic.
Derek Ponamsky, recruiting analyst and publisher of BayouBengalsInsider.com, said Wilson and the rest of the coaching staff wanted to replicate the atmosphere of a football game on campus by using the festivities surrounding Bayou Country Superfest.
“They had a really good turnout,”  Ponamsky said. “Most of the commitments came in and a lot of uncommitted guys.”
Raymond said the event was a great opportunity for recruits to familiarize themselves with campus, coaches and other recruits.
“The Bayou Picnic was fun,” he said. “They had a lot of people there, and the LSU players were there. We ate, we got a tour of the campus, I met all the coaches and some players and got to hang out with some other recruits.”
Raymond was the first pickup of the weekend for the Tigers, but his road to a collegiate career wasn’t an easy one.
The New Orleans native began his high school days at Lee High before transferring to Port Allen High for his sophomore year, making him ineligible to play varsity sports.
He then moved back to his hometown to live with his grandmother and enrolled at East Jefferson, where again he could not play varsity sports.
“Raymond’s story is kind of like ‘The Blind Side,'” Ponamsky said. “The year he was sitting out, he went to practice every day, never missed a workout, never missed anything. Sometimes when you’re at [LSU’s] level, you don’t really want to take a shot on a guy because you haven’t seen him in production.”
But while Raymond’s journey may seem like a crazy ride, the future Tiger took it all in stride.
“I never really thought too much about it,” said the six-foot-two, 175-pounder. “Of course I wanted to play, but now I’m here and I have a lot of opportunities.”
Adding to Raymond’s story is his impressive track record.
The speedster won both the Class 4A state championships in the 100-meter dash, his best time being 10.41 and the 200, with a time of 21.51. Raymond also competed in the 4×1 and 4×2 relays.
“He’s one of the faster guys in the state of Louisiana, and he might be one of the faster guys in the country this year,” said Ponamsky, who projected Raymond as a cornerback at LSU. “He’s a good student. … He’s going to be a qualifier so he’s
certainly a guy that’s good to see.”
The second bit of good news for the Tigers came when Hawkins changed his commitment from Texas A&M to LSU.
The six-foot-seven, 285-pound lineman plays both offense and defense for West St. Mary but is expected to be a full time offensive lineman when he arrives in Baton Rouge.
“He’s a guy that has never been a full time offensive lineman … but he’s a big, physical, athletic guy,” Ponamsky said. “He has all the tools to be a big time lineman. Those guys look at him and see the athleticism you’ve got from a big guy like that, and he has unlimited potential.”
The final announcement came when Sandolph gave his verbal commitment to LSU, following in the footsteps of former Hahnville stars LaRon Landry and Alfred Blue.
“It’s a great pickup because that’s a guy who you know can play,” said Ponamsky of the six-one, 180-pound DB. “He’s a good-sized, physical guy. He’s a really good football player that still has some room for improvement. They play a tough brand of football down there [in Hahnville].”
 
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Contact Mark Clements at [email protected]