*The quotes in this story are from a Wednesday interview with Havon Finney Sr. on After Further Review with Matt Moscona
Havon Finney and his family have been to Baton Rouge nearly a dozen times in the last year.
That’s one thing for a prospect from New Orleans or Lafayette. It’s quite another for a Los Angeles native. Since LSU’s 2023 spring game, the nation’s No. 2 cornerback according to Rivals has had eyes on LSU. He pledged his commitment on Monday, his mother’s birthday.
“He asked me if he could do it on my birthday or his mom’s birthday,” Finney Sr. said. “I said, ‘your mom is far more important’…We planned it out probably for a month. I think in his heart he had known (LSU) was the place. We wanted him to do his due diligence and look at other schools.”
Finney Jr. made good on that deal with his father, but in the end, it wasn’t a difficult decision.
“His relationship with Corey Raymond kind of made it easy,” Finney Sr. said. “If you’re a DB, and you have aspirations of going to the next level not only on the field but off the field, Corey Raymond is just a phenomenal guy. I don’t know how many times Havon and I have been to Baton Rouge, but the interactions with Corey Raymond always get better.
“You know what he knows about football. You know the guys that he’s coached, but he still seems very authentic and just a real guy.”
Raymond was one draw for the Finney family to continue making the trip from Southern California to the deep south, but he wasn’t the only reason.
Finney Sr. admits it’s a little tough to admit.
“I do believe that the SEC has a brand of football that is unmatched,” Finney said. “And I’m a west coast guy. But I do believe that you have to go where you have the relationship, and also where you feel that it’s right for you.”
Perhaps the younger Finney has known all along that he would be head to Louisiana. Finney Sr. told the story of his son, as an eight- or nine-year-old child, taking photos in various college football uniforms.
“He wanted to wear LSU,” Finney Sr. said. “It’s not a real LSU helmet. We had to design an LSU helmet. He had an LSU jersey made with the No. 5 on it. That’s what he wore.”
Finney Jr. was born after the Pete Carroll heyday at Southern Cal. His entire life has been lived through the lens of the SEC dominating college football. LSU has been a huge part of that, winning multiple national titles and pumping high profile players into the NFL.
“When Havon was younger, he mostly played receiver,” Finney Sr., said. “He saw players like Odell (Beckham Jr.), those guys. And then he swiftly changed to defensive back, so he became a Patrick (Peterson) fan. We’re in Cali, so you see a lot of players from USC, but you don’t necessarily see the receivers and DBs that come out of USC like that. So, I think it was easy for him to gravitate toward guys who were successful.”
Finney Jr. was determined to get to college as quickly as possible, even showing initiative unbeknownst to his parents. He and a teammate went to the Sierra Canyon High School guidance counselor and asked how they could reclassify from 2027 to 2026 so that they could enter college earlier.
Finney Jr. is 17 and will be 18 for the 2026 football season. As of Monday, Finney Jr. will begin that football season in Baton Rouge thanks to a childhood dream and a hardworking coaching staff.
“Blake (Baker) is my guy, phenomenal guy,” Finney Sr. said. “The entire staff has been really, really great to us. They’ve definitely made my son feel like a priority. I know it’s a dicey game. You’ve got to recruit, but (Finney Jr.) has absolutely felt like a priority to LSU. You really think about it, we’ve had an opportunity to sit down and meet with Blake Baker several times, Brian Kelly a lot. Everyone over there, Frank (Wilson). There’s been no stone left unturned over there, and I think that’s the part that drew us to them.”
