7 Days Until the College Football Season Kicks Off

We are so close.

Yesterday for day 8, we highlighted a defensive back that played college football in Boise, Idaho. Now today for day 7, we stay in the defensive backfield and look at one of the best defenders of the past twenty years.

Tyrann “The Honey Badger” Mathieu was born in New Orleans, Louisiana and attended St. Augustine High School. In addition to being a stud on the gridiron, Mathieu was an unreal track star.

Out of high school, Mathieu was lightly recruited by local schools. He received offers from Tulane, SMU, Louisiana Monroe, and Florida International but took a scholarship offer from Les Miles and the LSU Tigers.

Mathieu only played in 2010 and 2011 but absolutely balled out. In 2010, Mathieu recorded fifty nine tackles, four and a half sacks, and five forced fumbles. His efforts as a true freshman earned him the Defensive MVP of the 2011 Cotton Bowl.

In 2011, Mathieu somehow played even better. He tallied seventy seven tackles, one and a half sacks, and six forced fumbles.

His play made him a Heisman Trophy finalist, he won the Bednarik Award, was an SEC Champ, was named SEC Defensive Player of the Year, was a consensus All American, and was First Team All SEC.

In 2012, Mathieu was dismissed from the LSU football team for an undisclosed reason. Many people speculate that it was due to failed drug tests but it was never confirmed. In October of 2012, Mathieu was arrested for possession of marijuana.

He entered into the 2013 NFL Draft and was taken in the third round by the Arizona Cardinals. He has since been named to five All Pro Teams.

Tomorrow for day 6, we’ll be taking a look at a recent Heisman Trophy winner from Oklahoma.