LSU’s recruiting specialist thrives locally and nationally all thanks to a ‘brown ball’
Jordan Arcement might fool you into thinking his job is easy. The way he talks about LSU and selling the brand makes it sound like all he has to do is show up. When asked about the strength of LSU’s brand he sees it as very straightforward.
“It's powerful, it really is,” Arcement said when speaking on the Jordy Culotta Show. “When you have those those three letters across your chest, man, I can't think of a better place.”
But even more than that, he believes in the state of Louisiana and the city of Baton Rouge. Arcement has made headway with Brian Kelly’s impressive passion to recruit in Louisiana and Baton Rouge firstly. With his strong Thibodaux accent, something he is very proud of, Arcement relates his own passion for LSU to all potential recruits, locally or nationally.
Arcement is also quick to praise his more experienced coworkers, like coaches Frank Wilson and Joe Sloan, both of which are known for their recruiting of Louisiana, for their help in the past six months when it comes to recruiting and bringing in new kids for Kelly’s new team. This isn’t the first time Arcement had interacted with Wilson and Sloan but that only added to his respect for the men.
“I knew a lot of these guys prior, whether it was them come and sit in the office when I was a high school coach, so then now to turn around and be working with them trying to sign the best players in the country it's been super fun. Especially somebody like coach Frank Wilson who's just a legend on the recruiting trail,” Arcement said. “To be able to be around him and some of that knowledge get passed down I think is priceless.”
In his short time at LSU, Arcement has had to deal with the affects of two major events in college football: the COVID pandemic and the addition of the transfer portal.
Covid hurt the recruitment process by making it difficult for recruiters to see players and it made it difficult for players to meet with coaches. Arcement sees the latter second relationship as ne of the most important parts of the recruiting process, and one that was sorely missed.
“This is them evaluating the coach, as well. We're evaluating you as a player but you have to see if that coach can develop you to the highest level and get you to where you need to go,” Arcement said on what was missed out on during the pandemic. “Guys who already have the offer to get worked out by our coaches who do it at the highest level and to then know okay he can take me to where I'm trying to go”.
As far as the transfer portal is concerned, Arcement has a very different point of view than seen with previous recruiters.
Arcement sees as a way to ensure that as a college team, they can always have a leg up on their rivals. The ability to be bale to bring in proven collegiate players helps take pressure off of freshman and players that need time, Arcement said.
“What it does is it can make you competitive each and every year,” Arcement said. “Even if we are having a lot of success on the recruiting trail, if you are to miss on the recruiting trail, you have some young guys who can't do it yet. you can fill voids that maybe in the past you needed guys to continue to develop…when you're bringing those freshmen and there's not so much pressure on those guys have to play right now because you can go get somebody who's proven on the college landscape to come fill a spot that you need.”
Regardless of how the game shifts, for Arcement, football is his life. He hopes that the recruits and hopeful kids take a page out of his book. Between his passion for the game and the relationships he has made since he entered this world of recruitment, Arcement believes all he has to thank is a “brown ball.”
“What we're talking about is football you know,” Arcement said. “I think as long as you represent yourself the right way shake the right hands and are a good person, the future is bright for anybody who plays a game.”
For the full conversation and more content , check out the Jordy Culotta Show.
