Louisiana is a great state for high school football. Despite being a relatively small state, it routinely produces roughly 100 players annually who receive division 1A (BCS) scholarships (108 last year). P5 schools tend to take about half, around 50 or so, of those kids each year-- arguably, the top 50.
Each of the recruiting services, various blogs, newspapers, and magazines rank the players and I’ve made an attempt to do the same. While I have ranked the players by position and overall, my rankings are not based on a player’s potential for Tulane or any other school. For example, a tall, relatively immobile quarterback with a great arm might not be a “good fit” at Tulane under Coach Fritz, but a high profile, high value recruit elsewhere. At the same time, a shorter, very quick and decisive athlete with an adequate arm might make Tulane a great QB. Thinking back, Anthony Scelfo might have made a better QB for Coach Fritz than Patrick Ramsey. Go figure.
Anyway, my rankings by position and overall state-wide (top 90) rankings:
Quarterbacks (9)
6 Lowell Narcisse 6’2” 200# St. James
13 Keytaon Thompson 6’4” 220# Landry-Walker
35 Connor Curry 6’1” 175# Evangel
36 Devion Warren 5’10” 170# Ouachita Parish
40 Levi Lewis 5’10” 175# Scotlandville Magnet
42 Justice McCoy 6’0” 175# St. Augustine
55 Aldon Clark 6’3” 210# Edna Karr
81 Elijah Walker 6’2” 200# Amite
83 Kohen Granier 6’1”180# Destrehan
COMMENTS: Coach Fritz is probably looking for a QB who is an excellent athlete and good passer. Many high schools play their best athlete at QB even though his future college and possibly NFL potential is at WR or DB. And most of those kids choose one of the latter positions in college for just those reasons. Would a Levi Lewis, for example, prefer to play QB at Tulane rather than WR/DB at another, likely P5, school?
Running Backs/Fullbacks (12)
15 Clydrick Edwards-Helaire 5’8” 194# Catholic (B.R.)
22 Travis Etienne 5’1” 199# Jennings
26 Jaiden Cole 6’1” 196# Neville
31 Trey Coleman 6’1” 201# West Monroe
34 Tevin Bush 5’8” 170# Landry-Walker
40 Jacob Kibodi 6’1” 198# Christian Life
43 Ben Miles 6’1” 225# Catholic (B.R.)
46 Takulve Williams 5’11” 180# St. Augustine
51 Jakyl Holmes 5’10” 180# Ponchatoula
59 Javin Myers 5’9” 175# Woodlawn
69 Kevin Dominique 6’1” 200# Plaquemine
86 Christian Mosley 5’10” 180# Destrehan
COMMENTS: Ben Miles (Les Miles son) is probably the only “real” fullback among the above group, and is all but assuredly going to LSU. As for the running backs, there are several good ones. I’d personally like to see us sign Jacob Kibodi, but who knows.
Tight Ends (2)
68 Damien DeGruy 6’1” 192# West Jefferson
90 Allen Arclies 6’4” 220# Abbeville
COMMENTS: There is not much to choose from in Louisiana for tight ends this year. I rated DeGruy higher than Arclies because he’s a little faster and could play WR. Arclies would be the better choice for the Wave, however, since we need better blocking at the position. That said, we’ll probably go out of state if we get a TE this season.
Wide Receivers (17)
3 Davonte Smith 6’1” 155# Amite
11 Dontre Davis 6’0” 190# Lutcher
18 Jontre Kirklin 5’10.5” 166# Lutcher
21 Michael Young 5’11” 175# Destrehan
25 Jeremy Singleton 6’0” 170# Brother Martin
29 Travis Jordan 6’1” 180# John Ehret
37 Rayce McMath 6’2” 200# Edna Karr
50 Johnathon Jones 6’2” 180# Evangel
54 Brandon Rachel 6’5” 190# Natchitoches Central
56 Kendrick Paul 5’11” 175# Livonia
58 Josh Lister 5’11” 165# Haughton
67 J’Shon Foster 6’5” 200# Ferriday
70 Da’Vontavean Martin 6’4” 170# Ellender
73 Jabari Coston 6’3” 170# Loranger
79 Nijeel Meeking 6’3” 195# Union Parish
81 Nicholas DeRogers 6’3” 185# Livonia
87 Griffin Hebert 6’3” 190# St. Thomas More
COMMENTS: There’s a load of WR again this year in Louisiana who will probably sign BCS scholarship papers; probably more than I’ve listed as some of these will fall of the radar screen and others will be added. On a different thread I mentioned how I like the Martin kid from Houma, who has had little interest to date from other schools. Michael Young and/or Jeremy Singleton would be “top tier” gets, but the competition is fierce for the top 10 or so kids.
Offensive Line (10)
7 Adrian Ealy 6’5” 270# University Lab
38 Dwayne Fisher 6’5” 300# John Ehret
49 Mikhail Hill 6’3” 301# West Jefferson
63 Justin Henderson 6’7” 325# Denham Springs
74 Joshua Mote 6’2” 263# Oak Grove
77 Joshua Cooper 6’5” 333# Haughton
78 Ethan Harvey 6’3” 280# Evangel
82 E’Darius Anderson 6’5” 310# Madison Prep
85 Brian Thomas 6’4” 278# Scotlandville Magnet
89 Zach Tom 6’4” 270# Catholic (B.R.)
COMMENTS: I only see one truly “top end” lineman in this year’s Louisiana crop—Adrian Ealy. Fisher is committed to Arkansas but Hill, Henderson, Mote, etc. could turn out OK, also. Frankly, watching a 300 pound lineman “pancake” a 180# linebacker who doesn’t see him coming might make a good “highlight,” but it doesn’t prove much. Someone with more knowledge of the position could probably get more out of “highlights” than I can, but camera angles sometime hide footwork that could tell more. Sometime its even hard to tell how "high" or "low" the player positions himself.
Defensive End (8)
20 Bryan Jones 6’5” 240# Madison Prep
24 Dennis Collins 6’3” 250# West Monroe
32 Aaron Moffitt 6’4” 253# Catholic (B.R.)
47 Troy James II 6’3” 266# Madison Prep
52 Danquan Edwards 6’1” 253# De La Salle
53 Davion May 6’2” 220# Hammond
64 Christopher Turner 6’4” 223# Hammond
80 Tre Square 6’3” 230# Catholic (B.R.)
COMMENTS: Jones and Collins are generally considered the “class” of this year’s defensive end crop and have committed to Ole Miss and TCU respectively. For Tulane, I also really like Aaron Moffitt from Baton Rouge as well as Chris Turner from Hammond.
Defensive Tackle (6)
8 Tyler Shelvin 6’2” 310# Notre Dame
27 Phidarian Mathis 6’5” 280# Neville
65 Ziyon Hill 6’0” 279# Catholic (N.I.)
71 Caleb Sampson 6’3” 264# Northlake Christian
75 Andre Landry 6’5” 260# Acadiana
88 Langston Murray 6’2” 300# Logansport
COMMENTS: We’ve already got a commitment from Caleb Sampson, so that’s a good start. As noted elsewhere, I also really like Andre Landry, who could possibly play tight end in a pinch. Shelvin and Mathis are undoubtedly beyond our reach (and both may have academic issues), but I think we could have a shot at the Hill kid from New Iberia.
Linebacker (9)
1 Bruce Jordan-Swilling 6’0.5” 209# Brother Martin
4 Chris Allen 6’4” 220# Southern Lab
10 Patrick Queen 6’0” 190# Livonia
17 Josh Clarke 6’2” 200# Riverdale
46 Shahid Reece 6’0” 220# Rummel
55 Rashaad Harding 5’11.5” 202# Carenco
62 Zikerrion Baker 6’1” 203# Minden
66 Cameron Heil 6’1” 220# Baker
84 Tralon Thomas 6’1” 215# Ville Platte
COMMENTS: There are several really good linebackers in this year’s class, but the top four are probably not likely to sign with Tulane. But I think either (or both) Reece (who I really like) or Harding would be good pick-ups for the Wave.
Defensive Backs (16)
2 Todd Harris 5’11” 181# Plaquemine
5 Brad Stewart 6’1” 194# McDonough 35
9 Keldrick Carper 6’3” 185# Plain Dealing
12 Tre Swilling 6’0” 180# Brother Martin
14 Cheyenne Labruzza 5’10.5” 169# Albany
16 Michael Lee 5’10” 175# Landry-Walker
19 Corey Straughter 6’0” 165# Neville
23 Terrell Bailey 5’10” 175# John Ehret
28 JaCorian Andrews 6’0” 175# Neville
30 Garrett Wallow 6’3” 205# John Curtis
33 Amik Robertson 5’9” 150# Thibodeaux
36 Derrick Munson 6’0” 175# Rummel
44 Josh Paul 6’2” 205# De La Salle
45 Adam Sparks 6’0” 180# Dutchtown
61 Jeremiah West 6’1” 170# St. Augustine
72 Darus Campbell 5’9” 170# John Ehret
COMMENTS: We’ve got a commitment from Darius Campbell who I rate as the 16th best DB and 72nd best overall prospect in the state. At this point I see a big fall off at DB after him, however. Those I’ve rated above Campbell are all likely to end up with P5 schools, though I think Garrett Wallow, Amik Robertson, and Jeremiah West could be possibilities for the Wave.
Kicker (1)
62 Joseph Bulovas 5’11” 210# Mandeville
COMMENTS: Bulovas is the only punter/kicker I see who is clearly worthy of a BCS-level scholarship, though others could earn that over the next several months. I hope our own special teams perform at a level this year that come February, we won’t need to sign a specialist.
Anyway, that's how I see it as of the 4th of July. Much will change over the next few months, but I expect Coach Fritz to sign at least 6-7 kids from Louisiana come February. Any comments or insights would be appreciated. Thanks
Roll Wave!!!!
Each of the recruiting services, various blogs, newspapers, and magazines rank the players and I’ve made an attempt to do the same. While I have ranked the players by position and overall, my rankings are not based on a player’s potential for Tulane or any other school. For example, a tall, relatively immobile quarterback with a great arm might not be a “good fit” at Tulane under Coach Fritz, but a high profile, high value recruit elsewhere. At the same time, a shorter, very quick and decisive athlete with an adequate arm might make Tulane a great QB. Thinking back, Anthony Scelfo might have made a better QB for Coach Fritz than Patrick Ramsey. Go figure.
Anyway, my rankings by position and overall state-wide (top 90) rankings:
Quarterbacks (9)
6 Lowell Narcisse 6’2” 200# St. James
13 Keytaon Thompson 6’4” 220# Landry-Walker
35 Connor Curry 6’1” 175# Evangel
36 Devion Warren 5’10” 170# Ouachita Parish
40 Levi Lewis 5’10” 175# Scotlandville Magnet
42 Justice McCoy 6’0” 175# St. Augustine
55 Aldon Clark 6’3” 210# Edna Karr
81 Elijah Walker 6’2” 200# Amite
83 Kohen Granier 6’1”180# Destrehan
COMMENTS: Coach Fritz is probably looking for a QB who is an excellent athlete and good passer. Many high schools play their best athlete at QB even though his future college and possibly NFL potential is at WR or DB. And most of those kids choose one of the latter positions in college for just those reasons. Would a Levi Lewis, for example, prefer to play QB at Tulane rather than WR/DB at another, likely P5, school?
Running Backs/Fullbacks (12)
15 Clydrick Edwards-Helaire 5’8” 194# Catholic (B.R.)
22 Travis Etienne 5’1” 199# Jennings
26 Jaiden Cole 6’1” 196# Neville
31 Trey Coleman 6’1” 201# West Monroe
34 Tevin Bush 5’8” 170# Landry-Walker
40 Jacob Kibodi 6’1” 198# Christian Life
43 Ben Miles 6’1” 225# Catholic (B.R.)
46 Takulve Williams 5’11” 180# St. Augustine
51 Jakyl Holmes 5’10” 180# Ponchatoula
59 Javin Myers 5’9” 175# Woodlawn
69 Kevin Dominique 6’1” 200# Plaquemine
86 Christian Mosley 5’10” 180# Destrehan
COMMENTS: Ben Miles (Les Miles son) is probably the only “real” fullback among the above group, and is all but assuredly going to LSU. As for the running backs, there are several good ones. I’d personally like to see us sign Jacob Kibodi, but who knows.
Tight Ends (2)
68 Damien DeGruy 6’1” 192# West Jefferson
90 Allen Arclies 6’4” 220# Abbeville
COMMENTS: There is not much to choose from in Louisiana for tight ends this year. I rated DeGruy higher than Arclies because he’s a little faster and could play WR. Arclies would be the better choice for the Wave, however, since we need better blocking at the position. That said, we’ll probably go out of state if we get a TE this season.
Wide Receivers (17)
3 Davonte Smith 6’1” 155# Amite
11 Dontre Davis 6’0” 190# Lutcher
18 Jontre Kirklin 5’10.5” 166# Lutcher
21 Michael Young 5’11” 175# Destrehan
25 Jeremy Singleton 6’0” 170# Brother Martin
29 Travis Jordan 6’1” 180# John Ehret
37 Rayce McMath 6’2” 200# Edna Karr
50 Johnathon Jones 6’2” 180# Evangel
54 Brandon Rachel 6’5” 190# Natchitoches Central
56 Kendrick Paul 5’11” 175# Livonia
58 Josh Lister 5’11” 165# Haughton
67 J’Shon Foster 6’5” 200# Ferriday
70 Da’Vontavean Martin 6’4” 170# Ellender
73 Jabari Coston 6’3” 170# Loranger
79 Nijeel Meeking 6’3” 195# Union Parish
81 Nicholas DeRogers 6’3” 185# Livonia
87 Griffin Hebert 6’3” 190# St. Thomas More
COMMENTS: There’s a load of WR again this year in Louisiana who will probably sign BCS scholarship papers; probably more than I’ve listed as some of these will fall of the radar screen and others will be added. On a different thread I mentioned how I like the Martin kid from Houma, who has had little interest to date from other schools. Michael Young and/or Jeremy Singleton would be “top tier” gets, but the competition is fierce for the top 10 or so kids.
Offensive Line (10)
7 Adrian Ealy 6’5” 270# University Lab
38 Dwayne Fisher 6’5” 300# John Ehret
49 Mikhail Hill 6’3” 301# West Jefferson
63 Justin Henderson 6’7” 325# Denham Springs
74 Joshua Mote 6’2” 263# Oak Grove
77 Joshua Cooper 6’5” 333# Haughton
78 Ethan Harvey 6’3” 280# Evangel
82 E’Darius Anderson 6’5” 310# Madison Prep
85 Brian Thomas 6’4” 278# Scotlandville Magnet
89 Zach Tom 6’4” 270# Catholic (B.R.)
COMMENTS: I only see one truly “top end” lineman in this year’s Louisiana crop—Adrian Ealy. Fisher is committed to Arkansas but Hill, Henderson, Mote, etc. could turn out OK, also. Frankly, watching a 300 pound lineman “pancake” a 180# linebacker who doesn’t see him coming might make a good “highlight,” but it doesn’t prove much. Someone with more knowledge of the position could probably get more out of “highlights” than I can, but camera angles sometime hide footwork that could tell more. Sometime its even hard to tell how "high" or "low" the player positions himself.
Defensive End (8)
20 Bryan Jones 6’5” 240# Madison Prep
24 Dennis Collins 6’3” 250# West Monroe
32 Aaron Moffitt 6’4” 253# Catholic (B.R.)
47 Troy James II 6’3” 266# Madison Prep
52 Danquan Edwards 6’1” 253# De La Salle
53 Davion May 6’2” 220# Hammond
64 Christopher Turner 6’4” 223# Hammond
80 Tre Square 6’3” 230# Catholic (B.R.)
COMMENTS: Jones and Collins are generally considered the “class” of this year’s defensive end crop and have committed to Ole Miss and TCU respectively. For Tulane, I also really like Aaron Moffitt from Baton Rouge as well as Chris Turner from Hammond.
Defensive Tackle (6)
8 Tyler Shelvin 6’2” 310# Notre Dame
27 Phidarian Mathis 6’5” 280# Neville
65 Ziyon Hill 6’0” 279# Catholic (N.I.)
71 Caleb Sampson 6’3” 264# Northlake Christian
75 Andre Landry 6’5” 260# Acadiana
88 Langston Murray 6’2” 300# Logansport
COMMENTS: We’ve already got a commitment from Caleb Sampson, so that’s a good start. As noted elsewhere, I also really like Andre Landry, who could possibly play tight end in a pinch. Shelvin and Mathis are undoubtedly beyond our reach (and both may have academic issues), but I think we could have a shot at the Hill kid from New Iberia.
Linebacker (9)
1 Bruce Jordan-Swilling 6’0.5” 209# Brother Martin
4 Chris Allen 6’4” 220# Southern Lab
10 Patrick Queen 6’0” 190# Livonia
17 Josh Clarke 6’2” 200# Riverdale
46 Shahid Reece 6’0” 220# Rummel
55 Rashaad Harding 5’11.5” 202# Carenco
62 Zikerrion Baker 6’1” 203# Minden
66 Cameron Heil 6’1” 220# Baker
84 Tralon Thomas 6’1” 215# Ville Platte
COMMENTS: There are several really good linebackers in this year’s class, but the top four are probably not likely to sign with Tulane. But I think either (or both) Reece (who I really like) or Harding would be good pick-ups for the Wave.
Defensive Backs (16)
2 Todd Harris 5’11” 181# Plaquemine
5 Brad Stewart 6’1” 194# McDonough 35
9 Keldrick Carper 6’3” 185# Plain Dealing
12 Tre Swilling 6’0” 180# Brother Martin
14 Cheyenne Labruzza 5’10.5” 169# Albany
16 Michael Lee 5’10” 175# Landry-Walker
19 Corey Straughter 6’0” 165# Neville
23 Terrell Bailey 5’10” 175# John Ehret
28 JaCorian Andrews 6’0” 175# Neville
30 Garrett Wallow 6’3” 205# John Curtis
33 Amik Robertson 5’9” 150# Thibodeaux
36 Derrick Munson 6’0” 175# Rummel
44 Josh Paul 6’2” 205# De La Salle
45 Adam Sparks 6’0” 180# Dutchtown
61 Jeremiah West 6’1” 170# St. Augustine
72 Darus Campbell 5’9” 170# John Ehret
COMMENTS: We’ve got a commitment from Darius Campbell who I rate as the 16th best DB and 72nd best overall prospect in the state. At this point I see a big fall off at DB after him, however. Those I’ve rated above Campbell are all likely to end up with P5 schools, though I think Garrett Wallow, Amik Robertson, and Jeremiah West could be possibilities for the Wave.
Kicker (1)
62 Joseph Bulovas 5’11” 210# Mandeville
COMMENTS: Bulovas is the only punter/kicker I see who is clearly worthy of a BCS-level scholarship, though others could earn that over the next several months. I hope our own special teams perform at a level this year that come February, we won’t need to sign a specialist.
Anyway, that's how I see it as of the 4th of July. Much will change over the next few months, but I expect Coach Fritz to sign at least 6-7 kids from Louisiana come February. Any comments or insights would be appreciated. Thanks
Roll Wave!!!!
