Like mother, like son: How LSU won over The Heards

Five-star Monroe (La.) Neville offensive tackle Zalance Heard‘s decision is in, but it didn’t come easy.

The path from Monroe, La. down to the capital didn’t come without its share of struggles, hardships and months of contemplation. Fortunately, On3’s No. 13 overall player has always been able to lean on two things: Mom and his smarts. Both were critical in ultimately leading Heard to LSU.

According to Veronica Faye Heard, her son has been obsessive over education since the 6-foot-6, 310-pounder was about 5. Fittingly, it was the difference in a tightly contested race with Florida and Nebraska.

“It was such a struggle choosing because everyone was saying the same thing as far as academics,” Heard explained. “Lance is such a humble kid and not many people knew he was as intelligent as he is. He’s been like this since he was 5 years old. He was always so intelligent, using big words and asking, ‘Mom, what does this mean?’

“When we talked about academics, he wanted to know what the word meant and for him to attach himself to a word so much at 5 years, he just wanted to know everything.”

It’s not too surprising considering the emphasis that Heard put on education for all of her children, who like Zalance are also student-athletes.

Zalance, however, is also one of the nation’s best 50 players on the On3 Consensus, adding more pressure to the blue-chip tackle’s decision. Roster makeup and relationships with different staffs were factors, but LSU checked off one box a smidge better than the rest during the family’s multi-day visit to Baton Rouge in June.

“It was mostly academics and the roster, but honestly mostly academics,” Heard said. “I’m big on academics and all my kids are athletic, but it’s all about education with them. I tell them that education will you farther than anything in this world and it’s all about your future, your purpose and what God put you here for.”

“I know for a fact that when we visited LSU, they talked about academics tremendously,” she continued. “They honed in academics, on education and what he needed to do in his classes. For Lance, it’s not about the sport. His heart is in it and he loves it, but It was never about the football.” 

“Mom was partial. Everybody was. Mom, dad, my sister … everybody was partial,” Zalance told On3. “LSU didn’t just talk to me, they talked to my mom and checked up on Mom. They checked up on Dad. They made sure everyone was straight, not just me.”

From Brad Davis to Joe Sloan to Jon Randall Belton, the Tigers used multiple coaches to help keep North Louisiana’s best in The Boot. Belton, a former West Monroe (La.) quarterback now and LSU’s Director of Recruiting, was critical in turning the heads on not only the five-star tackle but the entire Heard Family, including Mom.

“JR has been like an older son, or like a big brother to Lance, guiding him and telling him about his own story and how he ended up where he is,” she said. “He’s mostly been a mentor to him, a very good mentor. He’s a good all-around kid and to be honest, I really grew into JR. He is such a sweet person.”