Should I stay or should I go now?

Prep Roundup Week 2
September 16, 2015
Terrebonne sheriff and deputies sued over shooting of teen
September 22, 2015
Prep Roundup Week 2
September 16, 2015
Terrebonne sheriff and deputies sued over shooting of teen
September 22, 2015

On Sunday night, millions of NFL fans watched in anticipation as former LSU standout and current New York Giants receiver Odell Beckham took the field to begin his season.

Expectations are high for Beckham in 2015-16 after a monstrous rookie season that saw the receiver catch 91 passes for 1,305 and 12 touchdowns. He’s most known for a ridiculous, one-handed catch against the Cowboys that just might go down as the best in the history of the league.

Indeed, life is good for Beckham these days. He is a legitimate world-renowned superstar who can’t go to any public place without being flanked by paparazzi. The Giants are paying the receiver $2.6 million this fall. Combine that with a $5.8 million signing bonus and countless endorsements, including being the cover boy for Madden 16, and it’s pretty easy to see that life is pretty good for the former Tiger.


But the grass isn’t always greener on the other side of the fence for other players who have the same aspirations that Beckham has.

Beckham was an early entrant into the NFL – one of countless LSU players in the past several seasons who have bypassed a college degree in the name of chasing the money and the fame that comes with the NFL.

Since the 2013 NFL Draft, the Tigers have become sort-of the face of this growing trend. In the past three years, LSU has lost 20 players early to the NFL – a number that represents close to 10 percent of the entire cast of early departures in college football.


With such a big crop of the players having worn purple and gold, this topic is one that’s highly debated by Louisiana sports fans who often debate whether a college kid should stay in school or go pro if given the chance to chase the money.

I was asked by a reader this past week to give an update on all 20 players who have departed from LSU. So I’ll do that in this week’s piece, while also giving my thoughts on what should go into such a big decision.

In 2013, the LSU football team was ravished. It lost 11 players with remaining eligibility to the league.


For some, the decision to go into the draft panned out. Bennie Logan was in that group. He’s a solid starter for the Eagles. The same can be said for Tyrann Mathieu, who is a fringe superstar for the Cardinals. Also still in the NFL are Barkevious Mingo, Kevin Minter, Eric Reid, Therold Simon and Brad Wing.

Those seven players have combined to make more than $50 million in their two-year careers. It’s hard to argue with math and debating that those guys made the right decision to leave school early.

But the others in that group could have benefitted from another year in college.


That would be guys like Chris Faulk, Michael Ford, Sam Montgomery and Spencer Ware – all players who haven’t had any semblance of success in the pros.

Ford and Ware rolled the dice and went pro because of a logjam at halfback in Baton Rouge. But now they’re both out of the NFL picture. Ford has already started playing in Canada. Ware probably will do the same here in the future.

Faulk and Montgomery aren’t far behind. Neither could ever stick with a pro roster.


In 2014, LSU sent a ridiculously impressive crop to the pros.

In addition to Beckham, teammates Ego Ferguson, Jeremy Hill, Jarvis Landry, Alfred Blue and Trai Turner are all in position to make big impacts this fall.

Beckham, Hill, Landry and Turner are stars – guys who will play a decade in the league if able to maintain health.


The lone bad apple out of this bunch was defensive tackle Anthony Johnson, who went pro early and was undrafted. He’s bounced around some, but attitude issues will likely keep him from a successful pro career.

So now for my advice: if you’re a junior and you can be drafted somewhere in the first four rounds, it’s time to go pro.

I know LSU fans won’t like me saying that, but there just isn’t a reason to stay in school anymore. In the past, first-round picks were vastly overpaid, so there was a lot of incentive to use all of your collegiate eligibility to try and work up to the highest tier of the draft. But since the league fixed its rookie scale, the difference between being a first-round or second-round pick isn’t much anymore. Likewise, the gap between being a second-round or fourth-round pick is even smaller.


Of course, a college education is great. But you know what happens when you go pro and earn $2 million? You can get the best of both worlds. You can get paid, which allows you the opportunity to afford paying for your own tuition if you choose to return for a degree in the future.

Football is too violent a game. If the money is there, go grab it.

My math says that LSU is batting a pretty high average right now on its early enrollees. I think we should all expect this trend to continue into the future.


2013

1. Chris Faulk – out the league; CFL experience

2. Michael Ford – out the league; CFL experience


3. Bennie Logan – starter for the Philadelphia Eagles

4. Tyrann Mathieu – starter for the Arizona Cardinals

5. KeKe Mingo – oft-injured; still on Cleveland Browns roster


6. Kevin Minter – Starter for Arizona Cardinals

7. Sam Montgomery – out of the NFL

8. Eric Reid – starter for San Francisco 49ers


9. Tharold Simon – contributor for Seattle Seahawks

10. Spencer Ware – out of the league

11. Brad Wing – punter for New York Giants


2014

1. Ego Ferguson – starter for Chicago Bears

2. Jeremy Hill – starter for Cincinnati Bengals


3. Anthony Johnson – out the league

4. Jarvis Landry – starter for Miami Dolphins

5. Odell Beckham – starter for New York Giants


6. Alfred Blue – contributor for Houston Texans**

7. Trai Turner – starter for Carolina Panthers

2015


1. Kwon Alexander – expected contributor for Tampa Bay Bucs

2. Jalen Collins – contributor for Atlanta Falcons

3. Danielle Hunter – reserve for Minnesota Vikings


**denotes Blue’s eligibility at LSU was done, but was eligible for injury redshirt

Odell BeckhamCOURTESY