JaMarcus Russell discusses his recruitment to LSU, why he chose the Tigers

When young JaMarcus Russell hit the LSU campus for the first time, it was the people on campus and the recruits planning to become Tigers that tipped the scales for his eventual commitment. The former Tigers quarterback and Oakland Raiders first-rounder discussed his recruitment with fellow former Tiger Ryan Clark on The Pivot this week.

“I didn’t have a clue, bro,” Russell said. “I was just a young kid who loved the game. And I really got a chance to get away from home. You know growing up out of the neighborhood, the thing is to go to college, no matter how you get there but fortunately, my thing was football. I played a little basketball, had a few scholarships on the line, but football was the one where the most recognition came, so that’s what we moved towards.

“My senior year, my mom didn’t let me play basketball because I had a scholarship. It was crazy, bro. Everything that happened, happened so fast. I was always a child that was able to play so, it was all new to me. When I got to LSU, Dwayne Beau, Buster (Craig) Davis, the guys that was coming, and Jimbo Fisher, he recruited me. At first, Coach (Will) Muschamp recruited me … But the guys that were coming, they were receivers or running backs, and they just said if we have you to add to this, we can do a little bit, so that’s what I chose. It was two hours away from me.”

JaMarcus Russell made LSU history with draft slot

During his time at LSU, Russell became the starter in 2005, leading the Tigers to a 22-4 record over the next two years. After leading the team to a Sugar Bowl win in 2006, he went No. 1 overall to the Oakland Raiders in the 2007 NFL Draft. He became just the second LSU football player to go No. 1 overall in the NFL Draft, several years before Joe Burrow would become the third. Russell was expected to lead the franchise into their next era of success but instead was famously out of the league by the end of the 2009 season.

In the Purple and Gold, the quarterback threw for 6,625 yards and 52 touchdowns. He’s only the fourth Tiger to throw for more than 6,000 yards in their career.