Loyalty, legacy have Tyrion Davis, Kardell Thomas excited to represent home

Southern Lab has prepared for not only a signing ceremony Wednesday afternoon since prior to this school year — but specially an LSU signing ceremony for Tyrion Davis and Kardell Thomas.

Administration and coaches certainly hoped other Kittens — for instance, Louisiana-Lafayette commit Tyler Guidry — would earn their own opportunities to join.

But for the two marquee prospects, who each committed to the hometown Tigers at least 18 months ago, the plan has always been for purple and gold.

“I grew up wanting to play for LSU,” Davis said. “I wanted to be an LSU player, so that’s always in my heart and always will be in my heart. And no matter what school came in here or what visit I took, I always knew where I was gonna end up. It’s just that feeling that you’re not gonna ever get rid of for life.”

And, so, Southern Lab scheduled its assembly, printed event programs and began gathering its decorations — including a stuffed tiger doll or two.

Longtime assistant Kevin Augustine, a fixture at Southern Lab, even began checking other schools’ plans for their own LSU signees, such as Derek Stingley Jr. at Dunham and John Emery at Destrehan, to determine which other ceremonies Davis and Thomas might be able to attend.

“(Colleges) are probably calling in the middle of the night, ‘Look…’” Augustine said. “But they’ve never flinched. And any time you’ve talked to them with “Roll Tide” or “Gig ‘Em Aggies,” they don’t even hear that foolishness. They’re LSU Tigers. And all we wanna do, on Dec. 19, is celebrate them like it’s 1999.”

For Davis and Thomas, that level of commitment stems back to a quality they value as much as any other.

“Loyalty is everything,” Thomas said. “It really determines a person’s character is the way I look at it, because a lot of people try to say things that they really don’t mean, and a lot of people will try to stab you in the back and snake you, so loyalty is definitely a big thing.”

Said Davis: “That means everything to me, because if you don’t have that, you can’t really be trusted … so that’s the biggest thing in life, really for me, is loyalty.”

And, so, the star offensive lineman and running back have remained firmly committed to LSU even amid a process often known for being fickle.

Despite what adversity might arise or which opposing coaches might try to sway their decisions.

Thomas and Davis remained firmly committed to LSU the same way they had Southern Lab just August.

Speculation swirled in the weeks leading up to their junior season whether they or other Kittens might transfer.

The LHSAA had just dropped a sledgehammer on Southern Lab that included forfeited back-to-back state championships and a two-year suspension from the next two postseasons.

“During that time, I really didn’t know what to think,” Davis said. “I kind of blacked out that whole day. Going to another school wasn’t really on my mind. It was just, ‘Is this really happening?’ I thought I was dreaming… but at that time that wasn’t the question to ask.”

Each player referenced “a lot of things that (they) probably won’t say or can’t say” occurring at that time.

“It was crazy,” Davis added. “So much stuff was going on that a lot of people don’t even know about.”

Davis, the Outstanding Player in the Kittens’ suddenly forfeited 2016 title, admitted the idea of transferring eventually did cross his mind once the initial shock subsided.

But neither he or his longtime friend and teammate — among other standouts such as then-senior linebacker Damone Clark, now a freshman at LSU — budged.

“We just had to pray and see,” Davis said. “And what I came to was ‘I’m gonna stay loyal to them.’ Some people would’ve left. But I was gonna stay — I’d been here since seventh grade — and start off my season strong. And no matter what happened, our goal was ‘We’re gonna finish these 10 games and gonna be undefeated, and then start my senior year off and we’re gonna win a state championship.’

“So I just stayed loyal. It was hard every day. We had to learn to walk again. That’s the worst thing that I’ve ever been through in my life, because I really love football, and to know that we couldn’t go — all my goals ever since we won our sophomore year, I was like, ‘We’re really gonna four-peat this thing.”

Southern Lab stumbled hard to three straight losses to open the season before winning five of its final seven.

The school appealed and was granted a reduction to a single year’s postseason ban.

Davis, Guidry, Thomas and company rattled off a 9-1 regular season and earned the top seed in Division IV.

A semifinal heartbreak at the hands of defending and eventual repeat champion Lafayette Christian spoiled their storybook ending.

But Thomas took at least some solace in having been a part of the Kittens’ return to Class 1A’s elite.

“We built a powerhouse,” he said. “It got blemished a little bit when the sanctions happened, but that was the biggest moment for me was seeing that transition from losing for a couple years — and you remember covering us when we were 5-5 and seeing that transition, too — to going 9-1 with two state championships.”

For all the victories and highlight reels and accolades, Augustine said that commitment and character will be the legacy Davis and Thomas leave behind to Southern Lab’s already rich tradition.

“They grew up,” the coach said. “They were men — their belief, their faith and their family values. They started here, and they were going to complete it here. I feel like that there were probably some outsiders saying, ‘Look, man, they’re gonna be on probation two years. You’re not gonna be able to play in the playoffs. You sure you wanna stick around?’

“Well, that didn’t stop the (college) recruiters from coming. That didn’t stop them from making their grades and the honor roll. That didn’t stop them from being around these babies. See Southern Lab is a school that’s Pre-K to 12thgrade, so these babies were watching them, because on Friday night, they go to the games. And they showed that through it all, when all the dust settled, guess what, they’re All-Americans. They’re All-American’s at Southern University Laboratory School.”

Little surprise then that Davis and Thomas reference a loyalty from coach Ed Orgeron and his assistants among the most meaningful aspects of LSU’s recruiting efforts.

“I committed to (former coach Les) Miles,” said Thomas. “So it was a whole different coaching staff that I committed to and I’d dealt with and I’d been around. But once the transition to Coach O being the head coach happened, that same love and that same caring, everything was still there. You know, the team still treated me like a little brother. The coaching staff still kept in touch with me. Nothing ever changed throughout that time.

“And that’s the biggest thing for me that made me stick with LSU. Because when you got through a coaching change, you might get a coach that doesn’t think you are what you are, so he might look at this guy better … but ever since they made the transition, LSU still treats me the same.”

Davis earned his scholarship offer June 5, 2017, during Orgeron’s first full recruiting cycle as the Tigers’ permanent coach.

The 6-foot- 1, 215-pound playmaker hasn’t much looked back since.

“Since I committed to LSU, there wasn’t one day that at least somebody didn’t contact me or try to reach out to me,” he said. “So that’s the biggest thing that made me feel like, ‘OK, they really care about me and they really want me.’ I know some (coaches), you might hear from ‘em once a week or maybe not even that, because they’re trying to get other people as well. So that was the big thing for me.”

The teammates remained two of LSU’s most vocal supporters in August, when some fans and media projected a 6-6 or 7-5 campaign on the horizon.

“It doesn’t matter if they win one game — we’re coming,” Davis told TigerDetails.com prior to the season, but also projected exceeded expectations, including an upset of highly ranked Georgia.

The Tigers ultimately finished the regular season 9-3, including narrow defeats at Florida and Texas A&M.

“It wasn’t really a shocker to me,” Davis said. “I knew they weren’t going no 5-7 or 6-6 or anything like that. There was a couple games that really impressed me, like that Georgia game really impressed me. I thought they were gonna win anyway, but when they blew ‘em out like that, it was like, ‘OK, OK.’ And when we get there, it’s gonna be even better. I always had faith in ‘em.

“We would always go and watch them practice. And there’s people that have never played the game of football that are always ridiculing them and saying this and that and thinking they’re not gonna do this and not gonna do that, but they don’t know how hard those people really practice and how much they really love each other. It’s really a brotherhood up there. They’re really like family. They go through everything together. Once you hang out around them, it’s like it’s more than a team, it’s a family, and you’re gonna play even harder for each other.”

Even at this season’s lowest point, Thomas was adamant about his passion and expectations for the program.

“Mark my words,” he posted to Twitter following a 29-0 loss to Alabama. “We will beat Bama all my years here. Remember this tweet. I don’t care what anyone has to say. It’s a bold statement, and I will be ready to back it up. Good game, Alabama, but enjoy this last win against us. #ForeverLSU.”

The loyalty runs deeper than Orgeron, the coaching staff and the current players, though.

LSU football provides Davis and Thomas an opportunity to represent their home town and home state.

“Honestly, it’s the best thing, the best feeling to have your hometown want you,” Davis said. “Especially an LSU or an Alabama, or if you were from Tennessee and Tennessee wanted you — and you can be considered your hometown hero just staying home. People really appreciate that more, you know?”

Davis and Thomas recognize that dynamic as much as maybe any prospects.

As much of a legacy as they leave at Southern Lab, the school boasts a proud tradition that long precedes them.

And few former Kittens have garnered as much admiration as Marcus Spears and Chad Jones, who signed with the Tigers in 2001 and 2007, respectively.

“We’ve been fortunate enough to go to a school that’s world-known, world-renowned, and we’ve been fortunate enough to follow in the footsteps of guys that came from Baton Rouge that went and wore the purple and gold and did things in the NFL,” Thomas said. “So with us, it was all about doing the same things they did, going in, being from your hometown and helping them win a national championship.

“The last time a lot of people from Louisiana stayed, we won a championship, so that’s the biggest thing and we’re just trying to follow in those footsteps. So it’s a big deal — a very big deal — and the city appreciates it.”

Community members won’t let them forget.

“’Stay home,’” Davis said he’s told every time he leaves his house to grab food or run another errand. “That’s the main thing they express. They always tell us, ‘I’m really proud of what you’re doing. You’re doing great things. You’re gonna do good at LSU and be something.’ But, ‘Stay home,’ is really the thing I hear the most.”

Added Thomas: “Same thing. When I go out, it’s a lot of: ‘I’m proud of what you’re doing and glad you’re staying home.’ Everyone’s just ready to see us.”

And the wait is nearly complete.

Davis and Thomas plan to venture across Baton Rouge to Stingley’s ceremony at 10 a.m. Wednesday, before the top-rated cornerback returns the favor at 1:30 p.m.

The purple-and-gold support of the Kittens’ two most well-known stars figures to turn a likely overflowing gymnasium into almost an early Mardi Gras celebration.

And at its center will be Davis and Thomas, on the same campus they began this journey, signing letters of intent to play college football at hometown LSU eight miles away.

“It’s gonna be very emotional for me,” Davis said. “I know it’s gonna be very emotional for me, just to know all my work is getting ready to pay off.”

Added Thomas: “Signing Wednesday to the college of my dreams and knowing all the hard work and effort I put into it, like Ty said, it’s gonna be very emotional. But I’m gonna be able to cross a goal off my list. It’s just something to thank God for. It’s a blessing because everyone’s not in this position.”