2022 Rankings: Closer look at Louisiana’s top rising senior QBs

An exceptional crop of 2023 quarterbacks has been among the most highly anticipated groups at any position to come through Louisiana in recent years. While 2022 doesn't possess the same depth, a trio of FBS targets have piqued notable college interest and even some professional comparisons. And a few other potential sleepers could prove steals if they land in good fits at the next level and continue to develop. Here's a deeper look at the top five rising senior prospects at the position heading into their final high school summer. <strong>No. 3 — [player_tooltip player_id="127700" first="Walker" last="Howard"] — 6-1, 185 QB — St. Thomas More</strong> The son of former LSU quarterback Jamie Howard has been on Louisiana and regional coaches’ and reporters’ radars from an early age thanks to that pedigree and some intriguing early camp performances before eventually committing to the Tigers last year over other offers from Alabama, Texas A&amp;M, USC, Arkansas, Michigan State and Arizona State among others. For all that hype, the younger Howard didn’t take over the St. Thomas More offense as the varsity starter until this fall. And he did not disappoint. The strong-armed, athletic passer completed 190 of his 288 passes (66.0 percent) for 3,049 yards (16.0 yards per completion and 10.6 yards per attempt) and 35 touchdowns to just four interceptions, including a Division II state championship victory in which he connected on 18 of 26 passes (69.2 percent) for 381 yards and four scores. <iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/IFk_qZO_RAk" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> <strong>No. 34 — [player_tooltip player_id="127701" first="Landry" last="Lyddy"] — 6-0, 190 QB — Calvary Baptist</strong> Lyddy had built a little hype of his own, including some solid performances on the 7-on-7 circuit, before his first season as his high school’s varsity starter this fall. And, like Howard, he may have exceeded even high expectations by completing 166 of 252 passes (65.9 percent) for state bests of 3,566 yards and 43 touchdowns to just four interceptions, including a record-setting 464-yard Division IV state championship performance. The quietly ultra-competitive Lyddy possesses good arm strength to make throws all over the field, even better accuracy and an exceptional understanding of the game that garnered high praise from former NFL quarterbacks such as Billy Joe Tolliver and Sean Salisbury and well-known trainer Quincy Avery as one of the nation’s top pure passers and an eventual pro. <iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/f8PVk8WSppo" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> <strong>No. 42 — [player_tooltip player_id="127757" first="Zeon" last="Chriss"] — 6-2, 200 QB — Madison Prep</strong> The flashes Chriss had shown from his opportunities to lead his Chargers' offense as early as freshman year caught the attention of some programs such as Tulane, Houston, Baylor, Memphis, Louisville, Harvard and Yale. The multisport standout had always shown the arm strength to sling the ball all over the field and the athleticism and speed to escape pressure and potentially break long, winding runs — and, in the gym, to put together consistent clips of highlight-reel dunks. And, in the biggest game of his career this December, he put all those aspects together in an impressively efficient MVP performance to lead Madison Prep to a dominant 50-0 state championship victory. Chriss completed nine of his 16 passes 56.3 percent for 202 yards (22.4 yards per completion, 12.6 yards per attempt) and three touchdowns and rushed 20 times for 121 yards and another score. Most impressive was his ability to take what Union Parish gave him on third downs, make the right decision and help convert 10 of those 14 opportunities, including the first seven. Louisiana (Lafayette), Tulane, ULM, Southern, McNeese State, Air Force, Army, Memphis San Diego State, Arkansas State, Appalachian StateMiami (Ohio) and South Alabama have all been among the programs to extend offers since then. <iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/F3haN8j23e8" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> <strong>No. 97 — [player_tooltip player_id="127758" first="Garrett" last="Mmahat"] — 6-2, 180 QB — Brother Martin</strong> The Crusaders’ passer, still awaiting his first Division I scholarship offer, hasn’t garnered as much recruiting or media attention as the trio ahead of him in this year’s rankings or several members of the star-studded 2023 group. But he could prove to be a steal for whichever program ends up landing him. Even a couple Power Five coaches have shared praise for the rising senior, including comparisons to former Archbishop Rummel quarterback Chase Fourcade, who went on to be a four-year starter at Nicholls State and break every major program passing record. Mmahat has been a constant leader for Brother Martin since seeing playing time last his freshman season, then taking the reins as a sophomore. He has a strong enough arm to make throws downfield, makes good decisions, takes care of the football and is athletic enough to make plays with his legs — whether running for yardage or buying time to make throws on the run. The first-team all-district performer completed 97 of 155 passes (62.6 percent) this fall for 1,805 yards and 16 touchdowns to just three interceptions <iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/md75GlFZmFs" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="136461" first="Christian" last="Arceneaux"] — 6-5, 215 QB — South Terrebonne</strong> The big athlete with the big arm broke school passing records this fall with 1,584 yards and 17 touchdowns in just eight games in the COVID-shortened season. Louisiana College, a Division III program, is the only college to extend a scholarship offer thus far, but Arceneaux possesses some interesting tools with which to work. The younger brother of two former Nicholls State offensive linemen has the best frame in the class, the aforementioned strong arm to go with it — with a highlight reel of one 50-yard strike downfield after another — and the mobility at his size of a dual-sport athlete. <iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/bnyJC6sGjGw" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>