LSU already had a Class of 2022 football commitment from a St.Thomas More “pitcher.”
So why not get the “catcher” as a Class of 2021 commit to complete the battery?
Senior wide receiver Jack Bech of the Lafayette-based high school committed Sunday to the Tigers as part of LSU’s 21 Class of 2021 commitments. He’ll sign a year ahead of St. Thomas More junior quarterback Walker Howard, a Class of 2022 commitment.
Bech pledged to LSU a day after the Tigers reached into the Acadiana area for a commitment from Lafayette Christian Academy’s Sage Ryan, the nation’s top-rated safety according to 247Sports.
“For the next four years I’ll be representing the family name on my back and our state on my chest at Louisiana State University,” Bech revealed in a video released on social media.
The 6-foot-3, 215-pound Bech is a four-star prospect at tight end by Rivals.com which also rated him the nation’s No. 17 tight end and state’s No. 9 player.
Bech was previously committed to Vanderbilt for seven months until rescinding that pledge Oct. 28 four days following LSU’s scholarship offer. He selected the Tigers over late offers from Notre Dame, Texas, TCU and Mississippi State.
“It’s a complete and utter dream come true,” Bech told Rivals.com. “To play in Tiger Stadium, on a Saturday night, with 110,000 people packed into the stadium, it was a dream of mine and I wasn’t gonna stop until I had that dream. Here we are … The day has come, and I want to continue the legacy and show my uncles that I’ll be the best one to wear that purple and gold.”
Like Ryan, who had family ties to LSU’s program with former players Kevin Faulk and Trev Faulk, Bech also developed a deep connection to the program. Both of his uncles – Blain (2001-03) and Brett Bech (1992-94) – played wide receiver for the Tigers.
“It’s been a lot going on the last year, a lot of ups and downs and I continued to fight through everything and make the best of every situation I was thrown into,” Bech said. “With my grandpa passing, that’s been a motivational factor. That’s something in my life I always think about and it’s something that pushes me at these 5 a.m. and 6 a.m. workouts when I don’t want to get up. I think about that and it gets me going and keeps me going.”
Bech led the state in receiving during his junior season in which STM captured the Division II state championship. He recorded a staggering 91 catches for 1,668 yards and 20 touchdowns, including a season-high 16 grabs for 228 yards and 2 TDs against Catholic High-Baton Rouge.
Bech is already the school’s career leader in receptions (130), yards (2,391) and touchdowns (31). He was also a member of the school’s Division II state-title basketball team last season.
STM’s (5-0) the second-ranked team in Class 4A is considered one of the favorites to repeat as Division II state champs. In Friday’s 42-19 win over arch-rival Teurlings Catholic, he had five catches for 119 yards and 2 TDs from Howard.
Bech, whose size and strength make him a candidate for either a H-back tight end or slot receiver, praised the Tigers’ spread offense which produced the program’s best single-season receiving performance by a tight end. Thaddeus Moss had 47 catches for 570 yards and 4 TDs during last year’s run to the national championship.
“I really like how much they throw the ball and utilize people in their offense and how they utilize everyone and all of the players on offense,” Bech said. “What they do now with the H-back role that I’ll be playing … I’ll see some action outside at receiver and inside (in the slot) and I’m really excited about that. I’ll be the hardest-working kid on that team and I’m not gonna stop until I’m on that field.”
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