BATON ROUGE – Six LSU underclassmen – four juniors and two redshirt sophomores – announced on Friday that they will remain in school for another year.
The six players – offensive linemen Vadal Alexander and Jerald Hawkins, tight end Dillon Gordon, wide receiver Travin Dural, linebacker Lamar Louis, and defensive back Jalen Mills – were joined the press conference by head coach Les Miles.
“These guys handled the decision with maturity,” Miles said. “There are a variety of draft positions represented in this group. What they did was postpone wealth and said that there is more to accomplish. They want to get a degree, play for a championship and raise their draft status. In other words, rather than give the NFL a bargain we are going to go to the senior bowl, get our degree, play for championships for one more year. We are going to command top dollar when we go to the NFL. They are going to make their draft entry the most profitable position that they can be in.
“The decision is certainly not ours. It is theirs. What we do is give them as much information as we can. We have ties to the NFL and we have ties to player personnel people who very comfortably give advice. We turned in our inquiry to the NFL and they returned it with draft positions. We shared those with these guys. This is a personal decision and it’s what is best for them. I’m excited. This group that we return will provide leadership and will be dead in the middle of our success. As we go forward, this is a great reason to believe that we will have a very talented team.”
The six players have combined to start 152 games for the Tigers. Mills leads the way with 39 career starts in the secondary, followed by Alexander with 34 career starts, Hawkins with 26, Gordon with 25, Louis with 15 and Dural with 13.
Alexander, Hawkins and Gordon will be among four returning starters, joining center Ethan Pocic, on the offensive line for the Tigers in 2015. LSU will return a total of eight starters on offense next year.
Dural returns as LSU’s top receiver from a year ago as he hauled in 37 passes for 758 yards and seven touchdowns for the Tigers. With Dural coming back, LSU returns its top rusher (Leonard Fournette), top passer (Anthony Jennings) and top receiver (Dural) for only the third time since 2000.
The two other times since 2000 that LSU returned its top rusher, passer and receiver came in 2009 (Charles Scott, Jordan Jefferson, Brandon LaFell) and 2013 (Jeremy Hill, Zach Mettenberger, Jarvis Landry).
Defensively, Mills finished with 62 tackles in 2014 and was a key component for an LSU unit that led the SEC in total defense and pass defense. For his career, Mills has 186 tackles, 7.0 tackles for loss, 3.0 sacks and six interceptions.
Louis started 10 games at outside linebacker for the Tigers in 2014 and he registered 29 tackles and 2.5 tackles for loss. He has 67 tackles for his career.
The return of Mills and Louis gives the Tigers seven returning starters on defense in 2015.
Statements from LB Lamar Louis, DB Jalen Mills and OL Vadal Alexander:
LB Lamar Louis
“It’s good to be back. My decision to come back was pretty simple and easy. I didn’t have the full measure of success with a championship and degree. I’m going to finish up getting my degree and we are going to fight for a championship this year. Anybody who is a junior and has the ability to come out, even though you’re not very high, is something to think about. When you’re presented with the league minimum it takes some thought to give depending on your situation. It really hits you when it’s time to decide. I have all of my brothers who are counting on me to finish some business that we didn’t take care of. Every year we are fighting for a championship and that’s the number one goal. At the end of the day we wanted to say we got a championship and a degree. My decision was pretty simple. I was very encouraged with the additions to the coaching staff in coach (Kevin) Steele and coach (Ed) Orgeron. I had an opportunity to meet with coach Steele and it was a very good meeting. I’m very enthused with what’s going on around the defense. One thing that struck me was when he had the opportunity to coach Sam Mills in the NFL. We have a bunch of Sam Mills type linebackers running around LSU right now. I thought that was a plus for my linebacker group and me. I know that he has had some success in the past in different schemes as far as running more 3-4. That’s one thing that we are really excited about, being able to play something different. We are a very versatile defense. “
S Jalen Mills
“With this whole process, I feel like the hardest part for me was seeing guys that I have actually played with and guys that I know – Patrick Peterson, Eric Reid, Barkevious Mingo – you see those guys and they come in and play ball. You kind of want to be not exactly like them, but you want put yourself in the position that they put themselves in. As a junior you have that decision, but you also have the decision to come back. The biggest part for me coming back was coach Miles actually coming to my house and taking the time because everybody knows he’s a busy man. Taking the time and sitting down with my mom, just laying out for my family and I the better situation of me staying for my last year. Also hammering to my mom the importance of getting my degree. The NFL might not last for long, but once you get that degree, no one can take that from you. That’s really what made my final decision, just coming back and trying to get my degree and being one of the leaders on the team. I want to show the younger guys the way and I feel that’s what a lot of teams miss at times. Juniors leave early so their team is young and haven’t gotten a total feel for it. So coming back, being a senior and being able to show the younger guys how we do things around here. I feel like we’re going to be a top contender for a national championship because of the guys I have sitting to the right of me. They’re all playmakers at their positions. Coach Miles is the leader of our team and we trust him. I trust his judgment, coming to me and telling me all of the things I can benefit from by coming back. He helped make my final decision, and I called and told him that I’m coming to get my degree and play for a national championship. I want to thank coach Miles for putting the time in with me to help me with my decision. I’m happy to be an LSU Tiger.”
OT Vadal Alexander
“I’d like to thank God, my family, my sister, my dad and mom. I have loved LSU ever since I was a kid. Growing up, my dad always wore LSU stuff so I didn’t know anything else other than that. I watched the national championship game with Justin Vincent running the ball. I watched us win the national championship in 2007 with coach Miles and I always dreamed about being on that team and being a part of that. I really do love LSU. I love the fans, coaches, trainers, and the entire staff. It’s not easy being a college athlete but it’s worth it. Sitting back thinking about everything, we have the opportunity to go to the NFL and leave school early, but we would be leaving a lot behind. When you think about it, it’s really worth coming back to better yourself, better the team, and better the LSU program. I sat down with coach Miles and talked to him with my parents. We had a really in depth conversation about the pros and cons of leaving and staying. I realized how important this program is for me. I thought about when I first came to LSU when I was little for summer camps. I was probably nine and after camp I was taking pictures by the tiger with my dad, coach Miles knows the story. He walked past us then stopped and turned around and said ‘One day you’re going to be an LSU Tiger’. I was only like nine years old but it meant the world to me that he said that. It always stuck with me that he said that. I want to thank coach Miles, coach Grimes, coach Cameron, coach Wilson, coach Ensminger and the entire staff. Like coach Miles said, there’s a lot to look forward to in the NFL, but it would be premature to leave without winning a national championship, getting my degree, and bettering myself as a player. With the help of coach Miles, coach Grimes and my fellow seniors, I feel like we can do that. You only get one chance to play in Tiger Stadium in front of 100,000. I get another year of that and I feel like it’s worth it. I hope we can accomplish something big this year.”