Javien Toviano opens up on his road to LSU

On3 imageby:Shea Dixon•01/09/23•

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By the time Texas four-star defensive back Javien Toviano announced his college decision in December, LSU fans were on pins and needles.

All signs pointed to it being the Tigers, and LSU was sitting at over 90% on the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine.

Toviano had made multiple visits for games in Tiger Stadium, and he didn’t pop up often on other campuses.

Still, there was some uncertainty when it came to how the final decision would play out. Would he stay in Texas for college? Would a school like Georgia come in with a late steal?

During his announcement ceremony, Toviano thanked all teams in the mix. With a number of hats on the table, Toviano dug into a bag, ultimately revealing an LSU hat.

At the same time, his family unzipped jackets and revealed LSU gear.

For a prospect who had been considered a heavy LSU lean, Toviano’s rare ability to hold his cards close while rarely ever talking up any leaders left fans guessing until the end – and the celebration from LSU fans all the more noteworthy.

“Really, it was just taking it day by day and keeping it close to the vest,” Toviano said. “It was about not being too much in the media, because a lot of people are into that these days with committing and de-committing, and I am just not a big fan of that.

“I wanted it to be special for me. I wanted it to be special for the family. I didn’t want to have anyone ruin the moment. That’s what my thought process was. I wanted to do it my way, and I did it. And it was a great day with family and LSU fans.”

The Tigers are getting a Top 100 prospect – and a locker room leader

When head coach Brian Kelly reviewed LSU’s 2022 Signing Day haul in December, he had high praise from his experience recruiting Toviano.

“Recruiting can be kind of a bittersweet deal,” Kelly said. “The bitter is actually recruiting the guy, because sometimes, it’s ‘he’s a hard guy to like’. But the sweet is that he ends up coming your way.

“This kid (Toviano) is an amazing young man. It was just enjoyable to spend time with him and his family. To get the opportunity to recruit someone you enjoy being around as much as this young man, and him choose your university, it feels like a double-win.

“He fits all the criteria we look for in the classroom, and on the field he is an elite player. It was extremely enjoyable recruiting him.”

During the final practice day ahead of the Under Armour Game a week ago, coaches on hand preached to the nation’s top recruits about prioritizing leadership and handling business away from the team over on-field success. With nearly a hundred prospects gathered on the field, Toviano was front-and-center as coaches shared their thoughts.

“I’ve tried to be a leader from the time I started playing this game,” Toviano said. “This game is an automobile. Every part counts. OL, DL, the coaches, the secondary, it all works together as one piece. Once you learn that part, that’s when you start having success.”

Remember when Toviano rushed the field after LSU’s win over Alabama?

LSU knocked off a Top 5 Alabama team in Tiger Stadium in November, and Toviano was in the stands – at least during the game.

After LSU head coach Brian Kelly called for a two-point conversion in overtime that gave LSU the 32-31 win, Toviano took off from the stands and joined thousands of fans on the field for the postgame celebration.

“A year ago people didn’t know where LSU was, and that kind of replayed in my head at the end,” Toviano said. “We are on the brink of knocking off Alabama in Year 1. I went from ‘There’s no way we are about to do this’ into ‘Holy cow we are doing this’ into ‘I got to go storm the field.’

“It was ballsy by Coach Kelly, for sure. When you have Nick Saban on the ropes, you have to pull the strings. I loved the decision he made. It was highly anticipated. The environment was second to none. It was by far the best college game I’ve ever been to.”

Toviano ready to do his part to rebuild DBU

When Javien Toviano committed to LSU, one thing was at the front of his mind.

How could he help build LSU’s “DBU” name back into what it was not long ago?

“That was my mindset,” he said. “It’s DBU. People may think we lost that name over the years, though we had Derek Stingley a couple years back. But just being a part of it, it’s a stepping stone for me and the rest of the guys who joined the class.

“It’s an opportunity for us to put our mark on DBU. It’s already been established, but just reestablish it. It means the world to have this opportunity. I am in for it. I am ready for the ride.”

Toviano has versatility, but will begin his LSU career at CB

LSU only returns two scholarship cornerbacks from the 2022 roster in Sevyn Banks and Laterrance Welch. Banks is coming off back-to-back season-ending injuries, while Welch just wrapped up his freshman season with a role on special teams.

Given the depth concerns, the Tigers have already added three cornerbacks from the NCAA Transfer Portal in Texas A&M’s Denver Harris, Southeastern’s Zy Alexander and Syracuse’s Duce Chestnut, but the competition will be open as the staff also welcomes a group of early-enrollees to campus in January.

Toviano is one of the program’s early-enrollees, and while he was ranked by the On3 Consensus as a Top 5 safety prospect in the country, his college career will begin with reps at cornerback.

“We talked about playing corner and being a boundary corner,” Toviano said. “Of course, being versatile as time progresses means being able to play in the nickel and play in the safety spot. But to start out, it’s been corner.”

With his campus move-in date rapidly approaching, Toviano said the LSU fanbase has helped drive home the reality that he made the right decision for his future.

“It’s insane with the fans,” he said. “You see college football fans and fanbases, and they are crazy. I am from Texas, and Texas schools are pretty rowdy.

“But months before I committed to LSU, I felt the love. Every time I went to Baton Rouge I would get stopped. It was just a great feeling and fit.”

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