DaytonDailyNews.com

NEW ORLEANS — Growing up the New Orleans suburb of Kenner, Craig Steltz took advantage of the fun the area provided.

"I had a dad who enjoyed the outdoors, so besides football and sports throughout the year we enjoyed going fishing and hunting all the time," Steltz said Thursday afternoon. "You know, it's sportsman's paradise down in Louisiana."

He was quoting the moniker seen on many of the state's license plates, but Steltz could've also been talking about LSU's recent football seasons and his own play as a Tigers safety in discussing the fun of the area. Perhaps a bit out of place with his long blonde hair — leading many teammates to jokingly call him Surfer Boy — Steltz is the leader of an LSU defensive backfield that ranks as one of the best in the country.

But he's more than a football player. Steltz likes skydiving and is listed in the LSU media guide as interested in mixed martial arts, although he said the bio went a bit far in saying he would like to be part of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

"It's just something we watch," Steltz said. "I wouldn't say I'll get involved with it, but it's something we enjoy watching."

Plenty enjoy watching Steltz on the field. He leads the Tigers with 97 tackles, five sacks and six interceptions as a first-team All-American. It's difficult to describe him as the leader of a defense that includes defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey, but Steltz has paid his dues.

He entered LSU from Kenner's Archbishop Rummel High School, where he was the state's top safety prospect. He tried to make an impact immediately when he arrived on campus.

"From Day 1 ever since we were freshmen," said cornerback Chevis Jackson. "He used to hit the upperclassmen, and the upperclassmen don't usually like to be hit in practice but he just walked back to the huddle like nothing happened."

In his first three seasons, Steltz started just six games, although he became the first player in LSU history to intercept passes in four straight games as a junior. The 6-foot-2, 204-pounder is still known as a hard hitter as part of a unit that ranks third nationally in total defense (283.9 yards per game) and 20th in scoring defense (19.6 points per game).

Steltz is also one of the Tigers who was directly affected by Hurricane Katrina, which tested his football toughness.

"When the hurricane hit, you come back to New Orleans and to see a city you had been in your whole life and come back from Baton Rouge after two years, it just seems like a ghost town," Steltz said. "The bonding that happened when your family comes to Baton Rouge to stay with you for a couple weeks was unbelievable. It was a rough storm, but being with your family and friends for that amount of time was awesome."

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-7389 or knagel@DaytonDailyNews.com