Steltz breaking out of former players' shadows

Editor's Note: Daily Reveille sports reporter Keith Claverie appeared on ESPN's morning show, First Take, on Thursday.

You can watch the segment by clicking here

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Senior safety Craig Steltz stole the spotlight in the Tigers season opener this past Thursday night, but his LSU football career began in the shadows.

After coming to LSU in 2004 as a four-star high school recruit and considered the top safety prospect in Louisiana, Steltz thought he could contribute right away. But he was in for a surprise.

"You're not prepared for what happens when you come here," Steltz said. "You go from being on top of the world where you've been a starter since you were a sophomore or a freshman [in high school] to where you're behind guys who have been here for three years."

Steltz did not play until the the fourth game of the season and played reserve roles on defense and special teams in just three more contests of his freshman campaign. He managed one tackle in that span - a far cry from his glory days at Metairie's Archbishop Rummel High School.

In his final two high school seasons, Steltz accumulated 150 tackles, nine interceptions and two sacks. He also led Rummel to back-to-back playoff appearances and just three regular season losses.

Even with the talent already on the LSU roster, Steltz said he still felt he could compete for a starting job.

"I don't want to say that you expect to come play, but you were the top of your school," Steltz said. "A lot of stuff - I don't want to say it was a shock - but it was new. It's a whole new world going from high school to college."

With talented veterans in front of him, Steltz said he knew he had to change his approach.

That's when he developed his "whatever it takes" attitude.

"When you come here and realize you might not be starting on defense or on offense, you figure out a way to get on the field," Steltz said. "When you come in as a freshman you don't need the mindset that you're coming in to be a starter on the defense - you're coming in to be a starter on one of the four special teams."

Steltz received offers from Division I programs such as Florida State and Colorado where he possibly could have seen earlier action at those schools. Junior offensive lineman Cole Louviere, who played with Steltz at Rummel, said the Kenner native would never consider transferring to another school for more playing time. "I don't think Steltz would ever think that because he's such a good person and so committed to the program," Louviere said. "He'll do whatever the team wants him to do. He wasn't starting, but he was behind some great people."

Over the next two seasons Steltz became a staple on special teams and even returned a fourth quarter blocked punt for a 29-yard touchdown in the Tigers' 35-31 come-from-behind victory against Arizona State.

Steltz's father, Keith, said special teams was not what his son wanted, but it allowed him to get on the field.

"I think that right there got him through, because ... he always felt like his time would come," Keith Steltz said. "He's a team player and he'll do whatever.

"By no means do I think it was easy. I think all those kids, when they come from high school, they feel that they're gonna go there and be a star. I don't think any of them think, 'I'm gonna have to wait three years to get my chance to show.'"

Because of injuries to former LSU safety Jessie Daniels, Steltz started five games at strong safety from 2005 to 2006 and even tied for the team lead with four interceptions this past season while amassing 42 tackles for seventh-best on the team.

"You had to go to practice everyday and practice like you're a starter - just in case your number was called, you'd be ready," Steltz said. "In my case, Jessie got injured a couple times, and I just happened to be the one behind him to step up."

In the 2007 season, with no upperclassmen in his way, Steltz was thrusted into the starting role and even won over his teammates enough to be named one of the Tigers' three captains for the first game of the season. Steltz joined senior quarterback Matt Flynn and senior defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey at midfield for the season's opening coin toss.

"He's always been a leader," Louviere said. "Just by his actions and everything he does - on and off the field."

In his first senior start Steltz did not let his teammates down. The 21-year-old pulled in three interceptions during the Tigers' 45-0 win over Mississippi State.

Even after his LSU record-tying performance this past Thursday night, the ever-humble Steltz could not boast about himself, but rather gave credit to his teammates and one other immeasurable intangible.

"When you got guys like Glenn Dorsey and Tyson Jackson putting pressure on the quarterback, it makes our job in the secondary so much easier," Steltz said. "A lot of it is about being, I don't want to say lucky, but just happening to be in the right place at the right time. If you prepare yourself, luck just seems to come to you. A lot of it is luck."

Keith Steltz said Craig and his brother Kevin, LSU fullback for the 2003 BCS National Championship, were competitive growing up. He also said Craig would love to match his brother's accomplishment.

"Anytime you ever see that ring that [Kevin] wears, it just goes back and shows you how special that team was in 2003," he said. "You always try to copy what they've [done]. You want to be the best. That's why you put in the long hours in the summer - the long practices in camp when it's 100 degrees outside. That's why everybody plays this game."

--- Contact Keith Claverie at kclaverie@lsureveille.com