Having signed 21 players during the early signing period, Tulane has four slots remaining for 2019. The next contact period with recruits begins on January 10; School starts Jan 14, and national signing day is February 6. So, if we are to get a JC player for the Spring semester, he needs to be on board by Jan 14 (give or take). JC’s, Graduate transfers, and even high school graduates could sign up all the way until school starts next year. But the focus right now is on the four slots for February 6. If we don’t fill them, then some of the other options could come into play.
Some Tulane fans rate our recruiting on how many Louisiana kids we sign. By that measure, Curtis Johnson was the greatest recruiter in Tulane history. Few, if any, actually believe that. Most of us, however, would love to see Tulane sign a healthy proportion of the state-wide recruits with the most college football potential. These are generally the most sought after and, for the most part, sign with P5 schools for reasons most of us understand. In most years Louisiana produces roughly 100 kids who receive Division 1A (BCS) scholarships divided almost evenly between P5 and G5 universities (50 each). That tells me we need to sign kids in the top 50 or so (if that could be accurately determined) to rise to the top of the G5 and start to compete with the lower rungs of P5 schools on a consistent basis. Of course, we would also need to sign comparable players from out of state.
Through the early signing period this year, to the best of my knowledge, only 57 Louisiana high school seniors have actually signed with BCS-level programs, 25 with P5 schools and 32 with G5 schools. Thus, if this is an average year (and it may well not be), we could expect another 40 or so kids to receive scholarships to BCS schools with as many as 25 going the P5 route. That suggests a number of quality recruits still available within the state.
To me our biggest needs are for QB with clear dual threat potential who fits our offense and could be an all-conference player after redshirting one year and starting for 3-4 years. Sadly, there are not many of them. Secondly, I think we need another offensive lineman who can start right away. That suggests another JC or graduate transfer, rather than a high school senior. Still, some freshmen do start even for the best teams, so if we can get a really good one, that would help. After that, most people think we should take the best players available to fill out or four slots. I agree if that means not to worry about what position. I’d prefer to think we’d limit ourselves to “can’t miss” or “can’t pass up” players at this point, rather than the “best” of what might be relatively poor alternatives. So, back to Louisiana.
At QB, the state offers Lance Legendre from Warren Easton. He’s big (6’3” and 210#), has a strong arm (on one highlight he throws the ball close to 70 yards in the air), and is listed as running a 4.6 40, which may or may not be accurate. He has numerous P5 offers but has visited Tulane unofficially on several occasions, so is familiar with the school. I think we’d be a good choice for him but who knows what enters a kid’s mental calculations on such things. While not a “sure thing” (few things are), he looks to be as close as we’re likely to get this year. Among the other available QB’s (Amani Gilmore, Travis Mumphrey, and Chandler Fields signed with Kentucky, UNLV, and ULL respectively), I don’t see anyone else in Louisiana I’d sign this year. In fact, I’d take Legendre over any of those three who signed earlier with other schools.
On the offensive line, there are also not many good options left in the state. I have our signee, Colby Orgeron, as the #8 Offensive lineman in the state with several who signed with ULL, ULM, Texas State, and the like, rated below him. Only two of those rated higher have not signed. The best, it appears, is Caleb Etienne, like Legendre, from Warren Easton. He’s 6’8” and 326#. What’s intriguing is that he’s committed to Ole Miss but not signed. On signing day, Ole Miss signed 25 players and, unless they have some room from earlier, when they were scholarship limited, they are done. He, and three other Ole Miss commits, appear to be in the same situation that Tyler Judson found himself, a commitment that was not honored by the school. Could Etienne come to Tulane? Could he and Legendre be a package deal? Does Judson have any influence with him since they were both Ole Miss commits and may have met and/or talked? We offered him early last year and he has been on unofficial visits to Tulane, so I’d think we’d be interested.
The other OLineman of possible interest, at least to me, is Jacques Wallace from Southern Lab. He’s 6’4” and 280# and looks to be a good prospect. He’s not, however, in the same class, potential wise, as Etienne. Unless we expect more attrition on the OLine, I’d probably pass.
We’re pretty well set at running back and I like our signee, Tyjae Spears, who I consider to be in the top five in the state after the two signed by LSU (Emory and Davis) and Michael Hollins who signed with UVA. Unsigned Tyreese Jackson would be in the same class to my way of thinking. From Westgate High School, he’s 6’0” and 215# with good speed (4.53?). We offered him early; he’s visited unofficially; and he’s got a number of P5 offers. However, his most recent offers have come from Prairie View, Ark-Pine Bluff, and other FCS schools, suggesting the possibility of academic issues. Ahmad Antoine from Karr (5’11” and 190#) also looks good but we’ve never offered him and he has a number of P5 offers that he might find more attractive. My guess is we’re done at RB unless we go out of state for a “can’t miss.”
I don’t see any attractive tight ends remaining in Louisiana and we’re probably done there anyway. Of course, like always, the state has a number of excellent wide receiver prospects, though we may be done there as well. Counting our two signees, Presley and Jackson, we will have ten on scholarship. Depending on the health situation of LeDee, Robertson, Sorrell Brown, and Ygenio Booker, that should/might be enough. One of the best players in the state, regardless the position, Davonta Lee from Amite, has not signed but he’s undoubtedly headed to LSU or another “top tier” football power. Obviously, we’d take him, but his availability to us is probably near zero. Lakeshore’s Jacob Bernard and Riverside Academy’s Kash Foley have had Tulane offers for a long time and have both visited unofficially. If we find a need for another wide receiver, I think either would be a good get.
On defense, we appear to be set for a couple of years on the defensive line and the signing of Darius Hodges, Caleb Thomas, Eric Hicks and Amani Dixon would seem to shore up depth for a while as well. The best remaining defensive linemen in the state are probably Earl Barquet from John Ehret and Billy Sonnier from Northside (Lafayette). I don’t know if we’ve offered Ehret, who has numerous P5 offers, and Sonnier appears to be a non-qualifier academically at this point. In another year, Dillion Davis from Ascension Catholic would be a good get but I doubt we have the room for him this year.
With Moody and Graham penciled in as starters, and lettermen Keith Jones, K.J. Vault, and Quentin Brown returning, we have a pretty good nucleus of linebackers. Add JC transfer, Nick Anderson, and early signee, Dorian Williams, and we may be done. But, I like to have plenty of linebackers who tend to make good special teamers so I’d be willing to take another really good prospect here. Larry Scott (Ferriday) and Cade Seymour (Walker) are the only ones left that I think we’ve offered at one point or another. But I’m not sure either qualifies as a top prospect when we’ve got so few openings remaining.
Right now we have 17 scholarship defensive backs, including our five signees, expected in the fall. Even with that I wouldn’t be shocked to see us sign another one. Within Louisiana, the two best remaining to my eye are Bertrand Carrell (Madison Prep) and Tyrone Lewis (Hammond). Both are about 6’1” and have had numerous P5 offers beyond that of Tulane. Carrell has visited unofficially a couple of times and Lewis took an official visit in December. Either one would be an excellent prospect but the question remains, do we have the room?
Finally, on special teams, I think we could use an excellent kicker with 50+ yard range. Unfortunately, few of them exist and none, to my knowledge, this year in Louisiana. By next year it will become more important as well as the need to find a snapper to replace Eatherly, whose anonymity has been a blessing.
Of course, all of this is just my opinion and, although I’ve watched a lot of hudl highlights on these kids, I’ve not met any of them or seen them play in person. And, as important, Louisiana, while blessed with a great deal of talent, does not have monopoly on football prospects. We could fill our needs very well without touching the state. But, it’s just so handy. I hope we can get more of the better prospects.
Roll Wave!!!
Some Tulane fans rate our recruiting on how many Louisiana kids we sign. By that measure, Curtis Johnson was the greatest recruiter in Tulane history. Few, if any, actually believe that. Most of us, however, would love to see Tulane sign a healthy proportion of the state-wide recruits with the most college football potential. These are generally the most sought after and, for the most part, sign with P5 schools for reasons most of us understand. In most years Louisiana produces roughly 100 kids who receive Division 1A (BCS) scholarships divided almost evenly between P5 and G5 universities (50 each). That tells me we need to sign kids in the top 50 or so (if that could be accurately determined) to rise to the top of the G5 and start to compete with the lower rungs of P5 schools on a consistent basis. Of course, we would also need to sign comparable players from out of state.
Through the early signing period this year, to the best of my knowledge, only 57 Louisiana high school seniors have actually signed with BCS-level programs, 25 with P5 schools and 32 with G5 schools. Thus, if this is an average year (and it may well not be), we could expect another 40 or so kids to receive scholarships to BCS schools with as many as 25 going the P5 route. That suggests a number of quality recruits still available within the state.
To me our biggest needs are for QB with clear dual threat potential who fits our offense and could be an all-conference player after redshirting one year and starting for 3-4 years. Sadly, there are not many of them. Secondly, I think we need another offensive lineman who can start right away. That suggests another JC or graduate transfer, rather than a high school senior. Still, some freshmen do start even for the best teams, so if we can get a really good one, that would help. After that, most people think we should take the best players available to fill out or four slots. I agree if that means not to worry about what position. I’d prefer to think we’d limit ourselves to “can’t miss” or “can’t pass up” players at this point, rather than the “best” of what might be relatively poor alternatives. So, back to Louisiana.
At QB, the state offers Lance Legendre from Warren Easton. He’s big (6’3” and 210#), has a strong arm (on one highlight he throws the ball close to 70 yards in the air), and is listed as running a 4.6 40, which may or may not be accurate. He has numerous P5 offers but has visited Tulane unofficially on several occasions, so is familiar with the school. I think we’d be a good choice for him but who knows what enters a kid’s mental calculations on such things. While not a “sure thing” (few things are), he looks to be as close as we’re likely to get this year. Among the other available QB’s (Amani Gilmore, Travis Mumphrey, and Chandler Fields signed with Kentucky, UNLV, and ULL respectively), I don’t see anyone else in Louisiana I’d sign this year. In fact, I’d take Legendre over any of those three who signed earlier with other schools.
On the offensive line, there are also not many good options left in the state. I have our signee, Colby Orgeron, as the #8 Offensive lineman in the state with several who signed with ULL, ULM, Texas State, and the like, rated below him. Only two of those rated higher have not signed. The best, it appears, is Caleb Etienne, like Legendre, from Warren Easton. He’s 6’8” and 326#. What’s intriguing is that he’s committed to Ole Miss but not signed. On signing day, Ole Miss signed 25 players and, unless they have some room from earlier, when they were scholarship limited, they are done. He, and three other Ole Miss commits, appear to be in the same situation that Tyler Judson found himself, a commitment that was not honored by the school. Could Etienne come to Tulane? Could he and Legendre be a package deal? Does Judson have any influence with him since they were both Ole Miss commits and may have met and/or talked? We offered him early last year and he has been on unofficial visits to Tulane, so I’d think we’d be interested.
The other OLineman of possible interest, at least to me, is Jacques Wallace from Southern Lab. He’s 6’4” and 280# and looks to be a good prospect. He’s not, however, in the same class, potential wise, as Etienne. Unless we expect more attrition on the OLine, I’d probably pass.
We’re pretty well set at running back and I like our signee, Tyjae Spears, who I consider to be in the top five in the state after the two signed by LSU (Emory and Davis) and Michael Hollins who signed with UVA. Unsigned Tyreese Jackson would be in the same class to my way of thinking. From Westgate High School, he’s 6’0” and 215# with good speed (4.53?). We offered him early; he’s visited unofficially; and he’s got a number of P5 offers. However, his most recent offers have come from Prairie View, Ark-Pine Bluff, and other FCS schools, suggesting the possibility of academic issues. Ahmad Antoine from Karr (5’11” and 190#) also looks good but we’ve never offered him and he has a number of P5 offers that he might find more attractive. My guess is we’re done at RB unless we go out of state for a “can’t miss.”
I don’t see any attractive tight ends remaining in Louisiana and we’re probably done there anyway. Of course, like always, the state has a number of excellent wide receiver prospects, though we may be done there as well. Counting our two signees, Presley and Jackson, we will have ten on scholarship. Depending on the health situation of LeDee, Robertson, Sorrell Brown, and Ygenio Booker, that should/might be enough. One of the best players in the state, regardless the position, Davonta Lee from Amite, has not signed but he’s undoubtedly headed to LSU or another “top tier” football power. Obviously, we’d take him, but his availability to us is probably near zero. Lakeshore’s Jacob Bernard and Riverside Academy’s Kash Foley have had Tulane offers for a long time and have both visited unofficially. If we find a need for another wide receiver, I think either would be a good get.
On defense, we appear to be set for a couple of years on the defensive line and the signing of Darius Hodges, Caleb Thomas, Eric Hicks and Amani Dixon would seem to shore up depth for a while as well. The best remaining defensive linemen in the state are probably Earl Barquet from John Ehret and Billy Sonnier from Northside (Lafayette). I don’t know if we’ve offered Ehret, who has numerous P5 offers, and Sonnier appears to be a non-qualifier academically at this point. In another year, Dillion Davis from Ascension Catholic would be a good get but I doubt we have the room for him this year.
With Moody and Graham penciled in as starters, and lettermen Keith Jones, K.J. Vault, and Quentin Brown returning, we have a pretty good nucleus of linebackers. Add JC transfer, Nick Anderson, and early signee, Dorian Williams, and we may be done. But, I like to have plenty of linebackers who tend to make good special teamers so I’d be willing to take another really good prospect here. Larry Scott (Ferriday) and Cade Seymour (Walker) are the only ones left that I think we’ve offered at one point or another. But I’m not sure either qualifies as a top prospect when we’ve got so few openings remaining.
Right now we have 17 scholarship defensive backs, including our five signees, expected in the fall. Even with that I wouldn’t be shocked to see us sign another one. Within Louisiana, the two best remaining to my eye are Bertrand Carrell (Madison Prep) and Tyrone Lewis (Hammond). Both are about 6’1” and have had numerous P5 offers beyond that of Tulane. Carrell has visited unofficially a couple of times and Lewis took an official visit in December. Either one would be an excellent prospect but the question remains, do we have the room?
Finally, on special teams, I think we could use an excellent kicker with 50+ yard range. Unfortunately, few of them exist and none, to my knowledge, this year in Louisiana. By next year it will become more important as well as the need to find a snapper to replace Eatherly, whose anonymity has been a blessing.
Of course, all of this is just my opinion and, although I’ve watched a lot of hudl highlights on these kids, I’ve not met any of them or seen them play in person. And, as important, Louisiana, while blessed with a great deal of talent, does not have monopoly on football prospects. We could fill our needs very well without touching the state. But, it’s just so handy. I hope we can get more of the better prospects.
Roll Wave!!!
Last edited:
