For a state that ranks 25th in U.S. population, Louisiana always rates much higher when it comes to high school football players.
For the 2020 season, the Pelican State claims the nation's top-ranked senior safety and punter and arguably the most talked about player, incoming sophomore Arch Manning, a highly touted quarterback rated, at this stage, better than his uncles — Super Bowl winning quarterbacks Peyton and Eli Manning.
Besides the Manning brothers, the state has claimed Hall of Famers Terry Bradshaw, Marshall Faulk and Ed Reed, along with current NFL stars including Odell Beckham Jr., Leonard Fournette and Dak Prescott.
The state's strength in 2020 is at wide receiver, where five of the state's top seven seniors recruits are ranked. With that in mind, we included three receivers on each of the first two teams on the 2020 MaxPreps preseason All-Louisiana football team.
Brian Thomas Jr., Walker
Photo by Tom Dendy
The
Louisiana commit is ranked the No. 51 dual-threat quarterback in the
country after throwing for 1,794 yards and 27 touchdowns (four
interceptions) last season. He also rushed for 1,123 yards and 25 more
scores.
RB — Ke'Travion Hargrove, Ruston | 5-11 | 185 | Sr. Rushed
205 times for 1,537 yards and 20 touchdowns as a junior, but was a big
threat as a receiver also, with 17 catches for 460 more yards. He picked Louisiana Tech over 13
other offers.
Had
a terrific junior season with 924 yards rushing and five touchdowns and
26 catches, while leading his team to a 13-0 record and state Division I
title. He has piled up 25 college offers.
WR — Brian Thomas Jr., Walker | 6-4 | 185 | Sr. Had
a big junior season with 75 catches for 1,272 yards and 17 touchdowns.
Also a highly recruited basketball player, Thomas is known to make
acrobatic catches in traffic. Of his 16 offers, including LSU and Alabama.
The LSU commit is super
athletic. He won the state high jump title as a sophomore with a
mark of 7 feet. He led Zachary to a second straight football title as a
sophomore. He's recorded 4.45 in the 40 and 11.12 in the 100
meters.
WR — Destyn Pazon, Edna Karr (New Orleans) | 6-0 | 170 | Sr. Had 14 touchdown catches
last season among his 54 receptions for 1,047 yards. He led his team to a
state 4A title last season. Also a track star, he has run an 11.09 100
meters. He has 21 offers, including LSU,
Oklahoma and Alabama.
TE — Shield Taylor, Alexandria | 6-4 | 235 | Sr.Didn't have big numbers last year,
but he wasn't thrown to very often either. He has 18 college offers, but
Stanford appears to be the front runner. Duke, Arkansas, Boise State
and Georgia State are also top contenders.
The recent Arkansas commit picked the Razorbacks over 17 other schools. He's also a standout basketball player.
The
Louisiana Tech commit helped Edna Karr to its fourth straight state 4A
title last season. He has 19 college offers, including Arizona, Arizona
State and Colorado.
A
first-team All-State 4A member last season, Campbell is ranked the
third best junior offensive tackle in the country. He has 38 college
offers, including LSU, Alabama and USC.
The No. 50 recruit in the state can move defenders back. He has offers from South Alabama and Nichols State.
OL —Clay Ancelet, Ascension Episcopal (Lafayette) | 6-4 | 257 | Sr.A three-star tackle has offers from Air Force, McNeese State and Yale.
A
three-sport athlete with offers in football and
basketball, Coleman is dynamic receiver. Known for his
dunks on the hardwood, Coleman averaged 32.7 yards per his 35 catches in 2019, with 22 going for touchdowns. Has 39
college offers.
Led
the state with 10 field goals last season in 10 attempts with a long of
45 yards. He also made 61 of 64 extra points and averaged 43.1 yards
per punt.
Maason Smith (94), Terrebonne
Photo by Kenneth P. Steib
One
of the toughest players to block in the country also checks in as the
top-rated player in Louisiana. Had a breakout junior season with 82
tackles, 24 for loss including 10 sacks. Has 30 offers, including Alabama, Georgia and LSU.
DL — Tygee Hill, Edna Karr (New Orleans) | 6-2 | 260 | Jr. The 4-star defensive lineman helped lead the Cougars to their fourth consecutive state title in 2019. He is the top-rated defensive tackle in Louisiana from the Class of 2022.
DL — Saivion Jones, St. James | 6-5 | 240 | Sr. The
LSU commit and three-sport standout helped his team to a 15-0 season and state 3A
championships as a junior. He racked up 90
tackles, 29 for loss, including 13 sacks.
DL — Barryn Sorrell, Holy Cross (New Orleans) | 6-3 | 250 | Sr. The Northwestern commit has excellent speed, Sorrell played both sides of the ball as a
junior. His versatility helped him land 17 offers, but he chose
Northwestern over Baylor, Indiana, Boston College, Vanderbilt and
Missouri, among others.
LB — Andrew Jones, John Ehret (Marrero) | 6-0 | 200 | Sr. The Memphis commit can really motor and has a nose for the ball, as proven by 137 tackles as a
junior, a whopping 42 behind the line of scrimmage. He hits very hard.
He picked Memphis over 21 other schools.
LB — Jackie Marshall, East St. John (Reserve) | 6-2 | 230 | Sr. Blessed
with excellent speed and athleticism, Marshall has earned 19 offers but
committed to Baylor on July 4. He's ranked the 15th top senior prospect in the state.
LB — Kolbe Fields, Archbishop Rummel (Metairie) | 6-1 | 205 | Sr. The Oklahoma State commit had
105 tackles, 10 for losses last season while forcing two fumbles. Great
instincts, good ball skills and athletic enough to play in space.
LB — Kolbe Cage, Holy Names (New Orleans) | 6-0 | 205 | Sr. The
Arizona commit played several positions on defense while helping his
team to a Louisiana Division I playoff berth. He committed to the
Wildcats on May 5.
DB — Sage Ryan, Lafayette Christian Academy (Lafayette) | 5-11 | 193 | Sr. The
cousin of three-time Super Bowl champion Kevin Faulk, Ryan has led his
team to a combined 26-1 record and two titles the last two seasons. Ranked the No. 1 safety in the country and No. 40
player overall. He has 18 offers.
DB — Kaine Williams, John Ehret (Marrero) | 6-2 | 205 | Sr. The Alabama commit is ranked
the No. 6 safety in the nation, Williams has 123 tackles in two seasons
with 10 pass breakups and four forced fumbles. He had six interceptions
as a sophomore. He has 25 college offers.
DB — Jardin Gilbert, University Lab (Baton Rouge) | 6-1 | 175 | S | UndecidedAlso
a basketball standout, Gilbert helped his team to a 9-5 football record
last season. Also a superb wide
receiver, Gilbert shows excellent ball skills and isn't afraid to
tackle. He has 24 offers, but Alabama appears to be the leader.
DB — Jah'von Grigsby, Scotlandville (Baton Rouge) | 6-0 | 185 | S | UndecidedHad
66 tackles, recovered four fumbles, forced another and added a pick 6
last season for his 8-4 squad. Also a strong 200-meter track athlete and
long jumper, He has 16 college offers.
The
Memphis commit was not only a two-sport athlete, but he earned first
team All-District as both a receiver and defensive back last season. He
has 24 college offers.
Ranked the top punter in the country, Todd has already secured a scholarship to defending national champion LSU.
Mantrell Johnson, De La Salle
Photo by Parker Waters
The
nephew of Super Bowl winning quarterbacks Peyton and Eli Manning, Arch
is considered better than both at this stage after completing 66 percent
of his passes for 2,438 yards and 34 touchdowns (six interceptions) as a
freshman.
The 2022 LSU commit takes over under center for Caleb Holstein and expect him to be one of the top quarterbacks in the country. He is the top-rated signal-caller in Louisiana from the Class of 2022 and is the No. 3 pro-style quarterback overall.
RB — Iverson Celestine, Fontainebleau (Mandeville) | 5-10 | 198 | RB | UndecidedIn
two seasons, he has piled up 2,733 rushing yards and 27 touchdowns. On
his short list of college choices, Colorado, Louisiana Tech, South
Alabama, Utah and Virginia are among his finalists.
The younger brother of Clemson's Travis Etienne accounted for nearly 2,500 total yards and 37 touchdowns as a sophomore.
A true breakaway threat, Johnson has 14 college offers, including Duke and Colorado, but picked Arizona on July 6.
WR — Malik Nabers, Comeaux (Lafayette) | 6-0 | 190 | Sr. Had
a huge junior season with 21 touchdown catches among his 58 receptions
for 1,223 yards. Superb in traffic and after the catch, Nabers is
extremely competitive. That has helped attract 31 college offers.
WR — Solomon Lewis, Lake Charles College Prep (Lake Charles) | 5-8 | 150 | Sr. Versatile
athlete makes up for his lack of size with sheer quickness and
toughness. Is dangerous as a deep threat or in catch-and-run situations.
He picked Louisiana Tech over Fresno State, Miami, Houston and Southern
University.
WR — Tyrese Johnson, KIPP Booker T. Washington (New Orleans) | 6-1 | 190 | Sr. With
Division I offers in football and basketball, Johnson features terrific
timing and leaping ability. He also has very strong hands and catches
the ball well in traffic. He has 18 offers, including Arizona, Colorado,
Florida State and Miami.
A standout football and baseball player, Porche has three college offers: Louisiana Tech, New Mexico State and Texas State.
Perhaps
the largest player in the state, Mandeville has five college offers:
Louisiana, New Mexico State, Northwestern State, South Alabama and
Southeastern Louisiana.
The athletic tackle has nine college offers, including Louisiana-Monroe, New Mexico State and UAB.
A first-team All-State 3A tackle as a junior, Jones helped the Wildcats to a 15-0 season.
Led the Tigers to an 11-3 record and state 1A championships. Selected first-team All-State.
Second team All-State 3A last season, the beefy and physical center helped the Wolves to a 10-1 record in 2019.
Voted
second-team All-State 3A last season, Francis led his team to an 8-4
record in 2019. Paved way for an offense that averaged 382 yards per
game.
AP — Jack Bech, St. Thomas More (Lafayette) | 6-1 | 203 | Sr. Had 91 catches for 1,668 yards last season, leading his team to
an 11-2 record and state D2 championship. Terrific body control and
excellent feet. Has 21 offers, but picked Vanderbilt over Arizona,
Houston and a number of Ivy League schools.
Has
accounted for a staggering 3,500 rushing yards and 63 touchdowns in two
seasons. Added 17 catches for 346 yards and two more TDs as a receiver
last season. He has nine college offers.
Keenan Landry, Jennings
Photo by Kenneth P. Steib
Had a breakout junior year with 89 tackles including 12 for loss,
10 of which were sacks. He's rated the No. 25 player overall in
Louisiana. He's earned 14 college offers, and appears to be leaning
toward Arizona State.
Rated
the No. 30th best senior overall in the state, Landry has an offer from
LSU, along with ones from Louisiana-Monroe, South Alabama and Tulane.
Ranked the 37th best senior in the state, Peterson had a huge junior season leading the Cavaliers to an 8-5 record and into the state D2 finals.
A huge force on the line and sack machine, Boykins will help a team that finished 9-3 last season and finished No. 20 in the state. He has six college offers including Kansas, Ole Miss, Texas A&M and Memphis.
Led his team to an 11-4 record in 2019 and a spot in the state 3A finals. An active and fleet linebacker who could play strong safety in college. Has five college offers.
LB —Thaos Figaro, Acadiana (Lafayette) | 6-2 | 225 | Sr. An
all-state selection after leading the Rams to a perfect season and 5A
state title. Finished his junior campaign with 82 tackles, 12 sacks, 21
tackles for loss and forced five fumbles for one of the top defenses in
the Bayou State.
Even undersized as a college linebacker, Bertholette has offers from Arizona State and Houston. He's ranked the 46th best senior in the state.
Had breakout junior season with 120 tackles, helping the Giants into the second round of the playoffs. Has 11 college offers, but appears to be leaning toward UAB.
DB — Tyrell Raby, Madison Prep Academy (Baton Rouge) | 5-11 | 173 | Sr. The Memphis-bound cornerback is the No. 18 senior recruit in the state and another
two-sport standout, Raby ran the 400-meters and high jumped at Madison
Prep. He has 21 offers, but picked Memphis over Arizona and Miami, among others.
Ranked the 36th best senior in the state, Ceasar is also a track star, having placed third in the 2019 state 400 4A finals (49.44). He's piled up 14 college offers but committed to the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns on July 8.
Committed to Memphis, Randall is another standout football-track athlete. With sprinter speed and good length, Randall has 14 college offers but picked Memphis over Arizona, Houston and Indiana, among others.
Starred both ways as both a cornerback and wide receiver, helping his team to an 8-3 record in 2019. Among his 11 college offers are Colorado, Indiana, SMU and Purdue.
Ranked the 53rd top athlete in the nation and No. 21 recruit overall in the state, Langlios is a sprinter (10.97 100 meters) and long jumper in track and field. On the gridiron, he has 17 offers, including Arizona, Colorado and Houston.
AP — Casey Cain, Easton (New Orleans) | 6-2 | 175 | Sr. Blessed
with great speed, Texas was attracted to the versatile athlete who can
play receiver, defensive back or return kicks. A three-sport standout —
he also plays basketball and runs track — Cain picked the Longhorns over
12 other schools.
