By Gene Schallenberg
The Huntsville Hornets knew they had a special talent six years ago.
Terrance Toliver had moved to Huntsville from Hempstead while he was in elementary school and stayed through his freshman year at Huntsville High School.
Toliver showed his coaches what he was capable of when he played in the Hornets’ final three games of his freshman season. The young receiver caught 13 passes for two touchdowns and had more than 200 receiving yards. The freshman had also caught the eyes of the rest of Huntsville’s district, earning an all-district first-team honor.
“I had a great time in Huntsville,” Toliver said last week during a media session.
Huntsville had hoped on improving with Toliver, but he moved back to Hempstead, where he finished out his high school career. In his junior and senior seasons, he caught more than 1,300 yards worth of passes and scored 12 offensive touchdowns.
Toliver went on to become one of the country’s top recruits in 2007. He was ranked by Rivals.com as the second-best wide receiver in the country and the 13th-best overall prospect.
Toliver got plenty of interest from Texas A&M;, Texas, Southern Cal, Florida and Oklahoma, but ultimately spurned all those offers and chose to play for LSU.
In his freshman season at LSU, Toliver played a key role as a slot receiver for the Tigers, catching 10 passes for 249 yards and three scores. The Tigers, despite losing two games, went on to win the BCS national championship.
“That’s why I came here, to win a national championship,” Toliver said.
Since then, Toliver has bided his time and steadily paid his dues to become one of the main targets for the LSU offense as a junior this season.
The 6-5 receiver has caught 42 passes this season for 547 yards and three touchdowns with two regular-season games against rivals Ole Miss and Arkansas, plus a bowl game.
While Toliver has been making a name for himself in Baton Rouge, La., he still makes sure to stay in contact with friends and family from Texas.
“I would tell them I’m doing good,” Toliver said. “I like it here. I’m getting a lot of support from back home in Huntsville. I know a lot of people there. I know they see me on TV every Saturday. I talk to most of them back home, too. I’m doing good and I just want to thank them for supporting me.”
This season, LSU had high expectations. Throughout the season, the LSU offense with Toliver improved each week, but fell just short against No.1 Florida and No. 2 Alabama.
LSU will miss out on playing for an SEC championship for the second straight season and will likely not play in a BCS bowl, but Toliver insists that there is plenty to play for and that his team won’t fall apart.
“I think it’s about chemistry and leadership this year,” Toliver said. “Leadership goes a long way. Coach (Les) Miles wants everybody to be leaders. The season’s not over. We lost to Alabama, but our season’s not over. We’re ranked number eight. That shows how much respect they have for us. We still want to win these last games and get into a good bowl game.”
Former Huntsville athletes in action
The Rice Owls have finally put a stop to their season-long skid. Rice and former Huntsville Hornet Jared Williams defeated Conference USA foe Tulane 28-20 to snap a nine-game losing streak.
Former Lady Hornets guard Jaleesa Thomas, in her sophomore season with Blinn, helped the Lady Buccaneers improve to 4-1 after defeating Temple College 66-56 on the season after scoring a career-high 21 points last Wednesday. Thomas made four 3-pointers and was 7-of-8 from the free-throw line.
