by Caroline Domecq
LSU Sports Information
Five years of dedication to the LSU football program are about to end for many of the team’s seniors. Two players who have taken full advantage of those years are linebacker Dorsett Buckels and defensive end Jarvus Ryes.
Both fifth-year seniors, Buckels and Ryes have given their all to the Tigers, and neither wants his time here to end. And neither will ever forget what got him to where he is today and the experiences he had along the way.
Buckels remembers very vividly his transition from high school into an LSU uniform. An Amite, La., native, he was a stellar player for Amite High School. In his senior campaign he led the Warriors to a 15-0 record and a class 3A state championship, recording 180 tackles, including 23 for loss. For that performance he was named first-team 3A All-State and received District Defense MVP and 3A Defensive Player of the Year honors.
But Buckels knew he could not start off as dominantly in college, so he took the approach at LSU to just help out in whatever ways he could.
“I was ‘the man’ in high school, and then I came here and I knew that everybody was going to be ‘the man’ coming from their school,” Buckels said. “So I just had to work hard and contribute in whatever ways I was needed.”
Being able to come to LSU and play in purple and gold was something Buckels had wanted for a long time, especially since his brother had done so in the early ’90s. Carlton Buckels played for the Tigers at cornerback and was a three-year letterwinner from 1990-92.
“When I watched him play, I always thought he did a great job,” Buckels said of his brother. “I just wanted to keep this in the family tradition and keep doing a great job and follow his example.”
He has always strived to follow that example and to heed the advice given to him by Carlton and his other brothers as well.
“My brother Carlton has affected me a whole lot in my life as have all of my brothers,” he said. “They stayed on me, told me to keep working hard, which I did. He told me no matter what to keep working hard, so I did that.”
One way that Buckels has reaped the benefits of his efforts was by being able to be on a national championship team.
“Getting a national championship was great. I won a state championship in high school my senior year, and my junior year here we won a national championship, and that was the best thing ever. I always dreamed about a national championship. I didn’t know if we were going to get one, but I hoped we would have the chance. We got the chance last year and we won it.”
Prior to this season, Buckels saw limited action on the field in his time at LSU. But at the beginning of the year he started earning more playing time and was making an impact on the field. In the six games in which he participated, Buckels recorded nine total tackles with two for loss. He also recorded the first sack of his career in the Tigers’ 51-0 rout of Mississippi State.
Then, in LSU’s comeback win over Florida in October, Buckels suffered the biggest disappointment of his career. On the opening kickoff, he hit the ground and heard a noise he knew could not be good. Trainers confirmed he had torn his anterior cruciate ligament.
“That was very disappointing,” Buckels explained. “When I was on the ground, I was like ‘Oh man’ because I heard something pop. I just hoped that wasn’t the end of my year. I had been playing really well and the coaches had been telling me how well I was doing. So after I heard the pop, they told me I had torn my ACL. I just started crying because I knew I would have to miss the rest of the season. It felt like my world was coming to an end at the moment.”
But he knew he would have to pull himself together, he and was able to find inner strength by understanding that everything in life happens for a purpose.
“I know that everything happens for a reason,” Buckels said, “so I know that whatever doors close, God is going to open another one for me.”
So while the doors closed on him to be a contributor on the field, the door opened for him to contribute in other ways and help the other players in their duties on the field.
“My role on the team now is being like a cheerleader,” he explained. “I’m going to cheer my guys on and pump everybody up to keep going and do what they have to do to be successful.”
His teammates really appreciate his support and do not overlook all of the various contributions Buckels has made to this team in his five years. Tigers cornerback Corey Webster, also a fifth-year senior, has the utmost respect for Buckels and his perseverance.
“He was playing a lot and making a lot of plays and really getting more playing time,” Webster said, “and then the injury happened against Florida. We just try to keep on his side and give him good spirits and keep his hopes up. He’s always there for us to talk to us and tell us to play every play like it’s our last. We’re by his side.”
Despite such a disappointing injury so close to the end of his career, after leaving LSU Buckels will remember all of the positives he was able to achieve.
“I’ve been here for five years, and it’s been a really great experience,” he said. “I’ve been blessed just to be on this team to play for the LSU Tigers. It’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me. We won a national championship, got a few rings, and I’ve just been blessed.”
Ryes shares Buckels’ appreciation for his experiences at LSU and the opportunities it has given him.
“It’s been a great experience, especially coming from the small town I came from,” Ryes said. “I’ve gotten to meet so many people and see a lot of different things.”
And just like all others on the team, he will never forget the experience of winning a national championship.
“It was one of the greatest experiences of my life because I had never won a championship before that,” Ryes explained. “I’ve always fallen just short, and just being on a national championship team that had so much camaraderie and team effort felt great and made it such a great experience.”
The “falling just short” to which Ryes refers is making it to the semifinals of the state playoffs in high school and not advancing to the championship game. A standout for Loureauville (La.) High School, Ryes played at defensive end and fullback, and he served as the team’s deep snapper. He racked up many individual honors in his time there, including first-team Class A All-State and runner-up Class A Defensive MVP. His senior season he recorded 188 stops, five sacks, two fumble recoveries and one interception.
The transition to college for him was difficult also, but he had other troubles before coming to LSU. Like Buckels, Ryes also tore his ACL. But he tore his before ever having a chance to play in an LSU uniform.
While playing in the Louisiana High School All-Star game the summer after his senior year, Ryes tore his ACL, diminishing his chances at becoming a stellar player for the Tigers.
“When they broke the news to me that I had torn my ACL, that’s when it all hurt and shattered everything for me. But my family didn’t let it get me too down and they helped me. People around here really helped me to get myself together and get myself back to the position where I needed to be and where I am now.
“It was a big transition, especially for me coming in right away behind everyone after tearing my ACL before I got a chance to do anything,” Ryes said. “The difference is the level of the competition and the difference is within yourself. If you go out there and compete and do the things you have to do, you’ll be able to get yourself a spot somewhere.”
Ryes has found his spot on the LSU football team, though not necessarily as an impact player on the field, but as a motivational leader.
“My role is not necessarily on the field. That’s how I have really gotten to know everyone here and how I’ve built relationships. It’s really taught me that you can never give up, and you have to have a ‘never-say-die’ attitude. You just have to go out there and keep fighting every day.”
Webster said he and the rest of team also respect this never-say-die attitude of Ryes.
“A lot of people look up to people like that who have been here for five years, not really playing but still giving it his all. He still goes out there and plays hard every day and gives it all he has. A lot of young guys look up to him and respect him for that.”
Just as those players look up to Ryes, he has that same mentality toward his mother and his brother Jeffrey. Jeffrey also played football — in college for the University of Louisiana-Lafayette and then professionally in the Arena Football League for Houston. Ryes said both of those people have been major parts of his life.
“All through my life, my brother and my mother have been my role models because I never really had a father figure,” he said. “So my brother and one of my neighbors were my father figures growing up, and my mom always guided me through everything. I always looked up to my brother and wanted to do what he did plus a little more.”
Ryes’ career at LSU will soon end, and as much as he would like to hold on to it, he knows all he can do is finish out strong to make a positive lasting impression.
“In the back of my mind I know it’s almost over,” he said. “I’m glad I had the opportunity, but I wish I could do it again and just keep it going. I know they say all good things must come to an end, but this is just one thing that you want to keep holding on to. It’s finally coming to end, though, and I just hope I can end on a high note.”
Players like Buckels and Ryes will be able to look back on their careers and know they unselfishly gave to a team that was able to accomplish great things. This is something, according to Webster, that will never be forgotten.
“Everybody on the team can’t be the big star player, and they understand that,” Webster said. “And what they do around here doesn’t go unnoticed.
Everybody knows what they do and that they help out the team in any way they can. That’s why we’ve been doing so well, because players like them step up and fill the roles that they’re needed to fill.”