30 Greatest Tigers of the Decade: #18 Jacob Hester

by Poseur on Jan 14, 2010 12:00 PM CST Comment 40 comments

#18 Jacob Hester

Yeah, I couldn't resist.

If Jacob Hester didn't exist, some PR flak probably would have invented him. He was almost too perfect a story to actually be real. And in some ways, he wasn't real. It's difificult sometimes to separate the truth from the myth. Matt Mauck did not give him the #18 jersey, it just happened to be available, though he did bequeath it to Richard Dickson. He was not a two star recruit who no one wanted, he was a 5A Offensive MVP as a fullback. But he was a three star recruit so the story that LSU's recruiting rank went down when he signed is likely true.

Yes, he was a tenacious player and a dedicated runner. I don't think I can ever remember a runner who ran to the sticks like Hester. Though he did not convert five fourth downs against Florida, he did score the game-winning touchdown. The Legend of Jacob Hester will likely grow as the years go on. But let's try and get to the facts.

Jacob Hester led the LSU in rushing yards for two straight seasons, something that only three players have done in the past twenty years (LaBradon Toefield - who just missed this list - is one, the incomparable Kevin Faulk is the other - and he did it for four seasons). Hester wasn't some walk-on, he was an extremely talented back. He was beloved for his hard-nosed running style, and he established himself as a reliable short yardage back as early as his sophomore year.

He was part of a crowded backfield on the 2006 Sugar Bowl team. He had the role of a short yardage back and catching balls out of the backfield, but he somehow led the team in both rushing yards. Living up to his blue collar reputation, Hester continued to play special teams all the way through to his senior year. In fact, he made 38 tackles on his career of 52 games. He was the kid in class who always volunteered to help the teacher. You had an assignment, Hester would do it.

But Hester's legend is founded on his senior year, and the Florida game in particular. Really, it is the most exciting football game I've ever seen and Hester's numbers don't exactly grab you: 23 carries for 106 yards. But, with Hester, the numbers sort of miss the point. If it was third and 3, he'd get three yards seemingly every time. He had a knack for getting tough yards, and every one of those yards against Florida qualified. He's the kind of player every title winning program needs, the guy who plays with reckless abandon and always seems to make the big play.

He didn't make All-American. He wasn't even first team all-SEC. He wasn't the most talented player and he probably wasn't even the most athletically gifted member of his own backfield. Jacob Hester will have to settle for being a champion. And a legend.

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Jacob Hester is God.

Jrlz rhymes with Charles.

by Jrlz on Jan 14, 2010 12:25 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

One of the things I've always found funny

Was the juxtaposition of Hester and JaMarcus Russell — who I think are the two least understood LSU players of my lifetime.

People were always quick to cast Hester as nothing but a try-hard overachieving white guy, when the reality was he was a solid power back with excellent instincts and body control and quicker feet than anybody ever realized.

Similarly, JaMarcus Russell’s career is always analyzed as the dumb black guy who got by on nothing but his arm, when he was a pretty damn accurate passer who read defenses better than any other QB we’ve had at this school since Hodson. His pro career doesn’t bear that out but his last season at LSU was freaking surgical.

by Billy Gomila on Jan 14, 2010 12:33 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

JaMarcus was clutch

He might have been the “clutchiest” LSU football player ever. It’s really between JaMarcus and Hester. Russell was the master of the 4th quarter comeback, Hester was the king of the 3rd and 3 run.

I’ve never understood why we had to pick between the two. Both were absolutely critical to our success this decade. And I will now pretend their is no racial component to their portrayals.

Fake Pundit. Real Fan.
http://www.andthevalleyshook.com

by Poseur on Jan 14, 2010 12:36 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Oh yeah

And I will now pretend their is no racial component to their portrayals.

I was juuuust about to add that part lol.

by Billy Gomila on Jan 14, 2010 12:38 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

JaMarcus was great his junior year

If i’m not mistaken I think he was in the top 3 in the country in passing efficiency, hardly just the strong armed athletic freak who didn’t have a brain that he was portrayed as. But yeah, he was unbelievably clutch. Starting with Arizona State and all the way through the rest of his career. He’s still clutch, even in the NFL. It seems like he can’t complete a pass until it’s the last drive of the game, and then he is money.

Another player who was unbelievably clutch was Matt Flynn, and I don’t think he gets as much credit as he should. He had one year of starting, and he made the most of it. He would have a terrible half against Alabama, for example, but he couldn’t be rattled. He was at least as responsible for the 07 Championship as Hester, in my opinion.

by Ianoka on Jan 14, 2010 9:24 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Um

Matt Flynn was hardly captain clutch in 2007. He stunk things up in the two losses that season.

I don’t want to get into the most retarded debate on the internet (Flynn/Russell) because you inevitably sound like you’re dragging Flynn down and he was a good player, but that gets said a lot and its NOT true.

by Billy Gomila on Jan 15, 2010 8:39 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

I've gotta disagree there

And I’m not going to mention Russell, he was a great player, but I’m talking about Flynn by himself right now. Flynn WAS clutch. He led game winning drives against Auburn, Florida, and Alabama. He led the game tying drive against Arkansas. He led game tying drives (obviously) in 4 overtimes. Yeah he had a bad game against Kentucky, but one bad game doesn’t take away how clutch he is. He didn’t choke or anything. As for the Arkansas game, he didn’t play great in the first half, but in the second he played extremely well (and his bad play in the first didn’t include any turnovers).

by Ianoka on Jan 15, 2010 7:40 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

+1

GEAUX TIGERS!!!

by SouthernMan on Jan 15, 2010 7:58 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

He was terrible in the first half verus Arkansas

He couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn in that game. And giving him credit for the Bama game is giving him credit for cleaning up his own mess. He threw some terrible picks in that game.

There’s only one real game where Flynn was “clutch” and that was Auburn. Hester was far more important versus Florida.

Flynn was a solid player who absolutely helped lead LSU to a championship. But his captain clutch reputation is brutally overstated.

by Billy Gomila on Jan 16, 2010 2:30 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

I'm not comparing Flynn to Hester

But in 07 if Hester was the hammer, Flynn was the nail.

I also think Flynn was pretty clutch in that he didn’t make a lot of mistakes. He was no Tim Tebow nor was he Jamarcus Russell but I’m not sure we would have hoisted the Crystal with JR that year, to be honest.

Remember why we lost to Florida in 06’ JR fumbles at the goal line, etc…

Honestly though, I don’t think we should tear any of them down, they were ALL great Tigers and part of the winningest and most decorated group we’ve ever had.

LOVE THEM ALL!

GEAUX TIGERS!!!

by SouthernMan on Jan 16, 2010 7:11 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

So, what!

Your argument is off topic. If he played poorly in the first half, that doesn’t mean he wasn’t “clutch.” Clutchtime is when the game is hanging in the balance and one play or one possession can decide the game, i.e. not the first half.

by uberschuck on Jan 17, 2010 3:29 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Agreed

So he played bad in our two losses, in which we scored 37 and 48 points. And I agree with uberschuck, I don’t know what definition of clutch you’re going by, but it’s obviously different than mine.

by Ianoka on Jan 17, 2010 7:05 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Um

You do remember the interception at the end of the Arkansas game, right?

Again, NOT clutch.

by Billy Gomila on Jan 17, 2010 9:35 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Jacob Hester

Should be FAR higher than this IMHO.

He is the epitome of what a football player should be and I would have given any of my vital organs for him to hve been on the team this year!

Jacob Hester IS my all time favorite LSU Tiger!!!

GEAUX TIGERS!!!

by SouthernMan on Jan 14, 2010 12:37 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

I wouldve rated Hester higher than this

He was certainly one of my favorites when I was there.

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by DrB on Jan 14, 2010 12:40 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

He actually was a two star

Link

And looking at that picture, what I wouldn’t give to have that OL back.

by The Bengal on Jan 14, 2010 12:51 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

But he wasn't lightly recruited,

which was I think your point. He had offers from Miami, Oklahoma, Oregon, and Texas Tech. He had actually committed to Texas before he decommitted and committed to LSU.

by The Bengal on Jan 14, 2010 12:58 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

#18

One of my pet peeves is the not-so-subtle racism that surrounds sports coverage. “Blue collar” means white, “athletic” means black. And we all know it. It’s insulting, as every player works hard (well, not every player, but you know what I mean – it’s not like Hester had a stronger work ethic than Toefield or Addai). And I hate to fall into the trap, but I have to admit, I LOVE Hester. He was money. And I loved how he always seemed to get the exact yardage you needed.

He’s rightfully beloved. He won us a title. He was one of the marquee players on a national champion. But it’s funny that people want him higher up when he is the ONLY player on this top 30 list who wasn’t an All-American or even 1st team all-SEC. His myth is that powerful.

Heck, I’ll be honest. I own a #18 jersey.

Oh, he was two/three star depending on the service, but that’s because he was a fullback. Fullbacks tend not to rack up big ratings. He was heavily recruited and he was a top recruit at his position. He wasn’t some walk-on.

Fake Pundit. Real Fan.
http://www.andthevalleyshook.com

by Poseur on Jan 14, 2010 12:58 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

And he had a great motor

LOL

by The Bengal on Jan 14, 2010 1:00 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Exactly

Hester was hardly just some try-hard spaz who got by on grit and stick-to-it-iveness.

by Billy Gomila on Jan 14, 2010 1:12 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

He did not receive the national recognition he deserved

But I have NEVER seen a more dependable Tiger.

3 or 4th and whatever was Hester Time and he delivered.

Actually, you could say HE was the Lesticals in 2006 and 2007. Les went for it all the time because he had #18 to rely on.

For me personally he is my number one, but I recognize that others have a good argument and were bigger, better, faster, more decorated athletes but NOBODY has been more ‘MONEY’ than Jacob Hester, just saying!

GEAUX TIGERS!!!

by SouthernMan on Jan 14, 2010 1:26 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Les went for it all the time because he had #18 to rely on.

Yeah. Les played the percentages. Hester was Les’ security blanket that allowed him to be “crazy”. Completely agree.

While we’re looking for the Hester comp – let me throw out Ally Broussard (pre injury)

Fake Pundit. Real Fan.
http://www.andthevalleyshook.com

by Poseur on Jan 14, 2010 1:50 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Very good one

A countdown of LSU “what could have been’s” would be interesting.

by Billy Gomila on Jan 14, 2010 1:53 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

That list would have to start (end?) with Cecil Collins

by The Bengal on Jan 14, 2010 3:33 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Yea

I loved Ally too

GEAUX TIGERS!!!

by SouthernMan on Jan 14, 2010 3:41 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

If you want to make a good comparison

Hester has more in common as a player with Mark Ingram (or Spencer Ware) than he ever did with Tommy Banks.

by Billy Gomila on Jan 14, 2010 1:15 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Or Charles Scott

by The Bengal on Jan 14, 2010 1:21 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Scott's much more of a straight-line guy

Hester/Ingram/Ware have/had more east-west movement, less of a slasher-type.

This is why I think Ware’s unlike other backs LSU has had recently, because he has more speed than Hester’s had. Most of the recent running backs have been that straight-line zone-block guy.

by Billy Gomila on Jan 14, 2010 1:40 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

I'll have to go back and look

I don’t remember Hester having a lot of east-west.

by The Bengal on Jan 14, 2010 2:01 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

He might not have shook a lot of guys

But you have to watch his feet as he runs. He wasn’t as much a 1-cut-and-go guy as Scott.

by Billy Gomila on Jan 14, 2010 2:12 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

his junior year

You touched on this, but I think it was a huge strength of his. Hester had great hands and made several great catch and runs his junior year. JR would at times lock in on Hester and he would catch balls in traffic. The weren’t always for big yds, but I was very impressed w/ his overall utility as a junior.

We didn’t throw the ball to him nearly as much his senior year, but he truly was a complete player.

by Zandor435 on Jan 14, 2010 2:29 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

My senior year of highschool

His brother was one of our assistant coaches for football. We were watching film one day and Jacob walks into the room. He had a halo around his head I swear. I also seem to remember blurting out “You’re the man!” or something like that.

He just always seemed to get the yards and make the plays that he was asked to make. He did everything 100%. I strongly believe he will go down as one of the most beloved Tigers ever.

"Tiger Stadium is by far the worst place to play for a visiting team. It's like being inside a drum." - Paul "Bear" Bryant

by Chinese Bandit on Jan 14, 2010 5:29 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

good series you ahve going here

giving me a good edcuation

"A good plan violently executed now is better than a perfect plan executed next week. "
George S Patton

by psu in the w-b on Jan 14, 2010 8:45 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

comparisons

Since we’re making comparisons to say Hester was like X, I’ll make an unexpected one.

Hester was like Michael Irvin…playmaker. The plays were drawn up differently, but Hester was the playmaker. Deep down inside every football fan would rather see a runner get hit behind the line and surge forward, carrying a mound of tacklers forward for first down yardage on 4th down, than the skinny post pattern for 25 yards. Plus, Hester didn’t need to wear t-shirts proclaiming himself the playmaker.

By the way, back in the days of geauxtuscaloosa.com I made the point that Hester presented a terrible problem for defenses, as he could be very effective running, catching or blocking, and no defensive coordinator wants to plan his game around the flippin’ fullback when Russell’s got Doucet, Byrd, and Lafell at wide out. I wish I could ask the defensive coordinators who faced us in ‘06 and ’07 how many of our pass plays were successful because they were looking for Hester and couldn’t have help in pass coverage.

by uberschuck on Jan 14, 2010 9:08 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Hester's effect on recruiting rankings

“But he was a three star recruit so the story that LSU’s recruiting rank went down when he signed is likely true. "

I would like an explanation of how Hester’s commitment to LSU lowered the team’s recruiting ranking. The only thing I can think of is that the star average went down, but that’s not the same as the team’s recruiting ranking.

by dan iqua on Jan 14, 2010 9:39 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

I don't know that it had that much overall effect but I remembered

that he was only a two star which to me has been the classic example of why the ‘star’ rating isn’t always relevant…

GEAUX TIGERS!!!

by SouthernMan on Jan 15, 2010 2:26 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Two factors...

… other schools would be recruiting and could pass LSU in the ratings. Two, the average star rating would drop, causing the class rating to drop.

Fake Pundit. Real Fan.
http://www.andthevalleyshook.com

by Poseur on Jan 15, 2010 8:30 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

“… other schools would be recruiting and could pass LSU in the ratings. Two, the average star rating would drop, causing the class rating to drop.”

I can’t think of a single recruiting service where star average affects the recruiting ranking. These are two different things. The only thing star average affects is star average.

Does the first part of your post mean that other schools would be bringing in higher-ranked players, allowing them to pass LSU in the class rankings? That’s the only way Hester’s comment makes sense. However, it’s only true if Hester took the place of some other, more highly ranked player in that class, and I don’t know if that was the case or not.

It’s a fun story to tell, but I don’t think there’s much to back it up.

by dan iqua on Jan 15, 2010 12:40 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs