LAFAYETTE – For the third-straight year, Louisiana Football boasted one of the top recruiting classes in the Sun Belt Conference after putting the finishing touches on its 2021 group with the addition of 12 signees, head coach Billy Napier announced on Wednesday.The class is comprised of 23 student-athletes from six different states, with 13 of the signees coming from Louisiana. Eight position groups are represented in the class. Below is a breakdown of the exciting signing class, with members from the early signing period (*) and the February 3 signing day (**):
Clinton Anokwuru**
OLB | 6’3” | 224 | Kansas | Richmond, Texas
Spent his true freshman season at Kansas…Rated a three-star recruit by Rivals.com, 247Sports.com and ESPN.com out of high school…Recorded 43 tackles, 13.5 tackles-for-loss and 3.0 sacks in 2019…Added four recovered fumbles and one forced fumble during senior season.
Key’Savalyn Barnes*
CB | 5’11” | 188 | Logansport High School | Logansport, La.
Rated as the No. 44 overall recruit in Louisiana, according to 247Sports.com…Registered 42 total tackles with 3.0 tackles-for-loss on defense and 505 rushing yards with eight touchdowns as a junior…Had an additional 13 catches for 177 yards and two touchdowns during his junior season…Tallied four interceptions in 2018, including 38 total tackles over 10 games for a state semifinal-round playoff team…Labeled a three-time all-state athlete of the week, three-time all-district member and three-time all-parish member…Also plays basketball and runs track at Logansport.
Jathan Caldwell**
TE | 6’2” | 214 | Dickinson High School | Dickinson, Texas
Listed as the 76th-best tight end in the country and a three-star recruit by 247Sports.com…As a senior, he hauled in five passes for 320 yards and six touchdowns for the Gators…Caught 18 passes for 357 yards and four scores during his junior season...Chose Louisiana over Arkansas State, Tulane, Liberty, Colorado State and Houston, among others.
Cejae Ceasar*
S | 6’1” | 187 | Iowa High School | Iowa, La.
Rated as the No. 33 overall recruit in Louisiana by 247Sports.com…Invited to the 2020 World Bowl National Combine at the NFL Pro Bowl which was held last January…Participant in the 2020 National Combine at the All-American Bowl…Named an all-state member twice in high school career…Also a three-time all-district defensive back…Placed third in the 400-meter dash at the 2019 Class 3A State Championship with a time of 49.44 seconds…Chose Louisiana over Kansas State, ULM, Arkansas State, South Alabama, Tulane, New Mexico State and Air Force.
Jalen Clark**
S | 6’1” | 190 | Alabama Christian Academy | New Orleans, La.
Labeled as the No. 122 overall player in the state of Alabama by 247Sports.com…Started at quarterback in high school, but comes to Louisiana as a safety…Named the Montgomery Advertiser All-Metro quarterback and Player of the Year…Threw for 2,956 yards with 34 touchdowns and just eight interceptions in high school career…Also rushed for 2,280 yards with 37 touchdowns in high school, 25 of which came during senior season…Played the majority of high school ball at quarterback, but tallied 49 total tackles with two picks and one fumble recovery at Alabama Christian Academy…Chose Louisiana over Tulane, South Alabama, Troy and Toledo.
T.J. Fiailoa**
OL | 6’4” | 302 | ULM | Lawton, Okla.
A transfer from ULM, Fiailoa started at right guard for the Warhawks for the last three seasons…Appeared in 38 games during his ULM career…Earned Third Team All-Sun Belt Conference honors during the 2018 season…Ranked among the nation’s Top 90 offensive guards by 247Sports.com out of high school…Rated among Oklahoma’s Top 20 prep prospects by 247Sports.com…Earned All-State honors as a senior from The Daily Oklahoman…Named District 5A-1 Lineman of the Year…Played a key role on the Highlanders’ 2014 state championship team.
Kendre’ Gant*
ILB | 6’2.5” | 205 | Independence CC | Port St. Joe, Fla.
Redshirted at FIU in 2019 before transferring to Independence CC…Rated as the No. 3 outside linebacker and No. 49 overall player coming out of the JUCO ranks by 247Sports.com…Added 62 tackles, two interceptions and three forced fumbles during senior season at Port St. Joe High School…Collected 47 passes for 960 yards and 12 touchdowns during senior year…Rated as a 3-star prospect by 247Sports and held offers from FAU, Louisville, Southern Miss and UCF coming out of high school.
Cameron “Cam” George**
OLB | 6’1” | 236 | Acadiana High School | Lafayette, La.
Rated as the No. 65 overall prospect in Louisiana by 247Sports.com…Named the LHSAA Class 5A Defensive Most Valuable Player after his senior season…Tallied 47 total tackles, 14.0 tackles-for-loss, 7.0 sacks and three fumbles for Acadiana High School in 2019…High school went 15-0 and won the Class 5A Championship in 2019…Earned a first team all-district spot, second team All-Acadiana nod and was an all-state honorable mention performer after the 2019 season…Chose Louisiana over Army, Air Force, Navy, South Alabama, ULM, Georgia State, Coastal Carolina, Florida Atlantic, Ohio, UTSA and Western Kentucky.
Hunter Herring*
QB | 6’4.25” | 201 | Ouachita Christian High School | West Monroe, La.
Tabbed as the No. 50 overall player in the state and the No. 47 dual quarterback in the country by 247Sports.com…Threw for 2,769 yards with 34 touchdowns during his career at Ouachita Christian High School…Also ran for 2,181 yards and 48 scores, highlighted by back-to-back 20+ rushing touchdown seasons to end high school career…Led high school to the Class 1A-Division IV Championship title, earning MVP honors in that game…Named the Class 1A-Division IV Offensive Player of the Year…first team all-state member and
District IV MVP…Chose Louisiana over South Alabama and ULM.
George Jackson**
OL | 6’4” | 325 | Stephenson High School | Stone Mountain, Ga.
Listed as the No. 92 offensive tackle in the country and No. 91 recruit in Georgia according to the 247Sports.com Composite rankings...Did not allow a single sack during his high school career…Named Atlanta Journal Constitution Class 4A All-State…Invited to participate in the Florida vs. Georgia All-Star game…Had previously been committed to Florida…Also held offers from Auburn, South Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia Tech, Purdue and Arkansas State.
Montrell Johnson**
RB | 5’11” | 200 | De La Salle High School | New Orleans, La.
Rated as the 48th-best running back in the country according to 247Sports.com…Helped lead De La Salle to its second appearance in the State Championship game as a senior, rushing for 182 yards and four scores in the game against St. Thomas More…Was a Sports Illustrated All-American candidate prior to his senior season…Chose Louisiana over programs such as Arizona, Louisiana Tech, Tulane, Arkansas State, Colorado, Duke, Kansas, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Virginia and more.
Lance Legendre**
QB | 6’1” | 215 | Maryland | New Orleans, La.
Appeared in six games for Maryland over the last two seasons, earning one start…In 2020, he completed 11 of his 14 pass attempts for 91 yards…Earned his first career start versus Rutgers on Dec. 12…Saw action in three games as a true freshman in 2019, went 1-for-3 for seven yards through the air while rushing for 104 yards on 13 carries…Listed as a consensus four-star recruit among all recruiting outlets out of high school…Top ranked quarterback in Louisiana & eighth-ranked in the country...Member of the ESPN300.
Tyrone Lewis, Jr.*
S | 5’11” | 185 | Kansas State | Hammond High School | Hammond, La.
Spent two seasons at Kansas State before transferring to Louisiana…Rated as the No. 52 safety in the Class of 2019 by ESPN, while the recruiting website also tagged him as the No. 26 overall player in the state of Louisiana…Tallied 57 tackles and five interceptions as a senior in high school after posting 42 tackles and nine picks as a junior…Earned an all-state honorable mention from the LSWA as a senior in high school…Held offers from Arkansas, Kentucky, Tennessee and Utah before signing with Kansas State out of high school.
Mackey Maillho*
OL | 6’7.25” | 353 | Mandeville High School | Covington, La.
Ranked as the No. 57 overall prospect in Louisiana and No. 130 offensive guard nationally by ESPN, as well as the No. 64 overall recruit according to the 247Sports.com Composite rankings…Labeled a MaxPreps 2020 Preseason All-State selection…Took part in last June’s Edge Assassins Elite 50 Showcase…Chose Louisiana over Tulane, South Alabama and New Mexico State.
Zy McDonald*
QB | 5’10 | 183 | Ridgeland High School | Ridgeland, Miss.
Rated at the No. 20 overall player in the state of Mississippi and the No. 38 pro-style quarterback in the country by 247Sports.com…Passed for more than 10,000 yards with 100 career passing touchdowns to only 28 interceptions during high school career…Compiled a 61.0 completion percentage while average 246.6 passing yards per game at Ridgeland High School…Owned a 123.3 quarterback rating during senior season, including a 99-yard touchdown pass…Rushed for 1,631 yards and 24 touchdowns while in high school, 899 of those and eight scores came during the 2020 season…Named the Class 5A All-State Offensive MVP in 2020…Bank Plus Blitz 16 Player of the Year in 2020…Three-time all-state member during high school…Picked to play in the 2020 Bernard Blackwell Classic, a Mississippi state-wide all-star game…The nephew of New Orleans Saints Hall of Fame running back Deuce McAllister…Chose Louisiana over Georgia State, Army and Navy.
K.C. Ossai**
ILB | 6’1.25” | 223 | Oak Ridge High School | Conroe, Texas
Currently ranked as a three-star recruit and the No. 52 inside linebacker prospect by 247Sports.com Composite rankings …A two-sport athlete in high school, throwing discus along with his football career…During his senior season, recorded 93 tackles, 10 tackles-for-loss, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery…As a junior in 2019, he was named Second Team All-District in Texas 15-6A…Selected for the Texas Top 100 Showcase prior to his senior season…Chose Louisiana over Arizona, Army, Air Force, UTSA and Nevada.
Ja’Marian “JP” Peterson**
OLB| 6’1.5” | 235 | De La Salle High School | New Orleans, La.
Ranked as the No. 36 overall recruit in the state and the No. 68 defensive end nationally by 247Sports.com…Played a key role in leading De La Salle to the State Championship game against St. Thomas More as a senior…Chose Louisiana over nine Power 5 programs, including Arizona, Mississippi State, Ole Miss and Purdue, among others…Held more than 30 total scholarship offers.
John Stephens, Jr.*
WR | 6’5” | 226 | TCU | Logansport High School | Logansport, La.
Spent three seasons at TCU before transferring to Louisiana…Hauled in 14 passes for 214 yards during time at TCU, with the majority of the stats accumulated during sophomore season…Appeared in all 12 games for TCU during the 2019 season and had a career-high three catches against No. 15 Texas and Texas Tech…After a stellar career at Logansport High School, was ranked as the No. 1 athlete in Louisiana and the No. 61 overall athlete in the country by 247Sports.com…Rated by ESPN as the No. 19 overall player in Louisiana…Tallied 1,001 receiving yards and 17 touchdowns as a senior…Also added 64 tackles and 12.0 tackles-for-loss during senior year.
Dre’lyn Washington*
RB | 5’9” | 210 | Hemphill High School | Hemphill, Texas
Labeled as the No. 58 running back by ESPN and the No. 114 running back in the country by 247Sports.com Composite rankings…Rushed for 5,390 yards and 68 touchdowns in high school career…Carried the ball 169 times for 1,959 yards and 28 touchdowns in 2019…Earned a second team all-state selection last season…Earned first team all-district honors during sophomore, junior and senior seasons…Broke Hemphill High School’s career rushing yards record…Ran track in high school and timed at 11.13 seconds in the 100-meter dash…Chose Louisiana over Arkansas State.
Cameron “Cam” Whitfield*
OLB | 6’1.5” | 245 | Dawson High School | Houston, Texas
Earned the No. 120 strong-side defensive end ranking in the country and the No. 276 overall player rating in the state of Texas by 247Sports.com…Had an impressive high school career posting 123 total tackles, 31.0 tackles-for-loss and 12.0 sacks…Junior campaign was highlighted by 79 tackles and 23.0 tackles-for-loss…Named the 23-6A District Defensive MVP and earned a first team all-district spot in 2019…Chose Louisiana over Arizona, Washington State, Houston, Southern Miss and Memphis, among others.
Kendrell Williams**
RB | 5’10” | 191 | Carencro High School | Carencro, La.
Tabbed as the No. 34 overall player in the state of Louisiana and No. 51 recruit nationally at running back by 247Sports.com…Rushed for 1,935 yards and 25 touchdowns on 22 carries as a junior… LSWA Class 4A All-State selection as a junior…Named a 2019 Daily Advertiser All-Acadiana football selection…Was a state champion wrestler at 170-pounds as a sophomore and a state runner-up at 182 pounds as a junior…Also took home a state crown running the 400 meters as a sophomore…Chose Louisiana over Louisiana Tech, Texas State, Utah State and Army.
Robert “Rob” Williams*
WR | 6’1” | 170 | Trinity Christian High School | Humble, Texas
Graded as the best overall recruit in the class by 247Sports.com…Rated as the No. 70 receiver in the entire country and No. 68 overall player in the state of Texas by 247Sports.com…Hauled in 30 passes for 864 yards and 13 touchdowns on 28.8 yards per reception during 2019...Also a track team sprinter at 200 and 400 meters, long jumper and triple jumper…Chose Louisiana over Houston, Memphis, Louisiana Tech, Wyoming, ULM and UTSA.
Terrence Williams**
ATH | 6’0.25” | 214 | Many High School | Many, La.
A three-star recruit who is listed as the No. 32 overall prospect in the state of Louisiana by 247Sports.com…Had a huge senior season for Many, rushing for 1,179 yards and 19 touchdowns…Was a 2A All-State selection and was named the Shreveport Times All-Area Athlete of the Year…Chose the Ragin’ Cajuns over Louisiana Tech, ULM, South Alabama, Texas State, Utah State and more.
With continued excitement surrounding the program entering Coach Napier’s fourth season, now is the time to commit to the #cULture. To learn more about how your gift will immediately provide necessary resources to allow the Ragin’ Cajuns football team to compete for and win championships, visit the team’s GeauxForward page. [give.louisiana.edu]
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- www.RaginCajuns.com[ragincajuns.com] -
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