New Orleans-- Not surprisingly, Jacob Hester knew all about Jim Taylor, though he was afraid to approach him until former LSU offensive coordinator Jimbo Fisher, now at FloridaState, introduced them. Now Hester and talk Taylor about once a week.
"Anything he says, I try to learn," said Hester.
One thing Taylor won't have to encourage him about is toughness. That came naturally. Hester began playing organized football when he was 4 and on his 6 1/2-year-old brother’s team.
"I had so much to prove, playing with older kids," he said. "I had to be tough."
In high school at Evangel in Shreveport, he played a different position each year because need, moving from defensive end to nose guard to running back to receiver.
Hester, who is 6-feet, and 228 pounds, shifted to fullback at LSU because it was the quickest path to getting on the field.
If you see him walking down the street, you probably wouldn't even think he was a football player," said Tigers wide receiver Early Doucet.
“But he's one of the most talented football players I've seen in a long time."
"I've always have something to prove," said Hester. "When I got the starting running back job, a lot of people didn't like it.It wasn't something they wanted to hear. People didn't think I could be the starting running back at LSU, and I always want to prove that I can do whatever I set my mind to do."
The skeptics quickly dwindled away and Hester became a fan favorite.
"Jacob Hester is the most popular guy I know," said Tigers quarterback Matt Flynn. "Everybody loves him. And I think around Baton Rouge, there's a bigger popularity of Elvis this year. I think everyone is starting to listen to him because of Jacob."
Hester has gained the respect of OhioState.
"He has a great passion for the game," said OSU defensive coordinator Jim Heacock. "You'd love to coach him. He's a physical player. He's a tough kid. He does all things blocking, pass protection, running, catching the ball out of the backfield. A very complete player."
Taylor, the Hall of Famer, gave Hester the ultimate compliment.
"I'm flattered to be compared to him," said Taylor.
Contrary to reports that keep cropping up in the media that covers LSU, Tigers quarterback Matt Flynn said he's ready to start against Ohio State in the BCS national championship on Monday night in the Superdome.
Flynn said he's fit, but he has been saying that for a month. Because of a sprain to his right shoulder, he sat out the Tigers' SEC championship game victory over Tennessee. He was on sidelines watching Ryan Perriloux direct the Tigers and earn the game's MVP award.
Forget about Flynn standing around on Monday night because he said he's ready to fling it. "I feel good," said the quarterback. “I feel as healthy as I have”.
"I have been very fortunate and blessed this season to be able to come out and start and contribute to this team, and watching the SEC championship game was one of the harder things I've ever had to do. It was definitely harder than sitting the previous four years and watching. That was tough.'
"Having Matt back there in the backfield is a blast," said Tigers running back Jacob Hester."I'm glad to see he's going to healthy for this game."
Flynn threw for 2,233 yards and 17 touchdowns with 10 interceptions this season and rushed 88 times for 207 yards and four touchdowns. He also delivered some clutch throws.
"He is somebody, who in big games can step up and do his job, and control his team," said OhioState cornerback Malcolm Jenkins. “He is a leader out there. He's somebody we're going to have to focus on and get him out of his rhythm, because once he gets in his rhythm it's hard to stop him."
