2022 Rankings: Offensive Line helps headline deep Louisiana class

Coaches at LSU and other Louisiana programs have looked forward to the 2022 recruiting class in no small part due to its big men up front. Can’t-miss tackle prospect [player_tooltip player_id="136546" first="Will" last="Campbell"] leads a special group of offensive linemen both in top-end talent and depth that should help set the table for in-state schools’ success in the coming years. Campbell and Catholic High standout [player_tooltip player_id="136547" first="Emery" last="Jones"] each earned top-10 spots in these rankings, with another top-25 prospect in LSU commitment [player_tooltip player_id="136548" first="Bo" last="Bordelon"], five total top-50 prospects and 15 in the top 100. Additionally, two or three highly ranked defensive tackles — most notably Lafayette Christian star [player_tooltip player_id="136581" first="Fitzgerald" last="West"] Jr. — could project favorably on the other side of the ball as well. By contrast, Louisiana Tech signee [player_tooltip player_id="63568" first="Kenneth" last="Bannister"] led the 2021 offensive line group at No. 20 in the rankings heading into this past season, with two total top-50 prospects, seven in the top 100 and 18 in the total 200. Here is a bit more information on the leaders of this year’s pack. <strong>No. 2 — [player_tooltip player_id="136546" first="Will" last="Campbell"] — 6-6, 290 OL — Neville</strong> The clear headliner of Louisiana’s offensive line crop is firmly in the top tier of prospects in the class, with athlete [player_tooltip player_id="136477" first="Jacoby" last="Mathews"] and quarterback [player_tooltip player_id="127700" first="Walker" last="Howard"], for whom cases could be made for a No. 1 overall ranking. Campbell has kept impressively trim and nimble with that long 6-foot-6 frame and looks like a cornerstone left tackle for a long time at the next level and the one after. <iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7usb1JRIgYI" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> <strong>No. 8 — [player_tooltip player_id="136547" first="Emery" last="Jones"] — 6-4, 295 OL — Catholic (Baton Rouge)</strong> Catholic High coaches identified "EJ" early as an impressive young prospect with high-level potential. He worked his way into playing time as a sophomore and took over as the full-time left tackle as a junior, where he helped pave the way for a run-heavy offense’s journey to a state championship and proved among the best friends for a freshman quarterback when the senior starter suffered a late-season ankle injury. Jones had appeared more likely to project as a guard in college, but has developed into a blocker who looks like an increasingly viable option outside. LSU and Florida State have been among the leaders of a long list of scholarship offers that also includes Alabama, Florida, Texas A&amp;M, Auburn, Arkansas, Virginia and Vanderbilt. <iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/tU1bdw_CD0k" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> <strong>No. 23 — [player_tooltip player_id="136548" first="Bo" last="Bordelon"] — 6-5, 250 OL — Newman</strong> The son of former All-SEC LSU offensive lineman Ben Bordelon has played on both sides of ball during his high school career at E.D. White in Thibodaux as an underclassman and then Newman this past season after the move to New Orleans. The younger Bordelon is another prospect who has kept in leaner shape and positioned himself to add good weight this year while maintaining his mobility and some versatility to potentially play tackle or guard in college. <strong>No. 27 — [player_tooltip player_id="136549" first="Cam" last="East"] — 6-7, 280 OL — St. Augustine</strong> The big tackle prospect boasts an offer sheet to match his self-reported 86-inch (7 feet, 2 inches) wingspan. Georgia, Florida State, Arkansas, Texas Tech, Mississippi State, TCU, Memphis, Houston, Colorado, Tulane, Louisiana (Lafayette), ULM, Southern and UAB are among the current options. East shows the strength to physically dominate many opposing rushers and the speed and quickness in his step outside in pass protection or ability to reach the second level and open running lanes. <strong>No. 48 — [player_tooltip player_id="136550" first="Malachi" last="Preciado"] — 6-3, 285 OL — Warren Easton</strong> With Jones and Bordelon seeming to continue developing into college tackles, Preciado could end up the top-ranked interior lineman in this class. The Eagles’ center is a thick, physical mauler, but with good speed for his size to get downfield, find would-be tacklers in space and free ball-carriers for extra yardage. Navy, Purdue, Utah State, Southern Miss, South Alabama, ULM, Marshall, Columbia, Harvard, Southern, Southeastern Louisiana, Nicholls State, McNeese State, Austin Peay and Houston Baptist are among his offers thus far. <strong>No. 52 — [player_tooltip player_id="136551" first="Kaden" last="Moreau"] — 6-4, 270 OL — Pineville</strong> One of the more recently rising stars of Louisiana’s 2022 class has picked up offers from Northwestern State, Southeastern Louisiana, Nicholls State and Illinois State and has appeared close to breaking into the FBS and even Power Five levels with Oklahoma State, Baylor, Louisville, Louisiana Tech and Louisiana (Lafayette) among others closely monitoring his progress. Moreau is an athletic lineman with a nasty competitive streak and the potential to play inside or out. And he’s bulked up noticeably this spring, even up 10 pounds in the last month alone, heading into spring practice. <iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/CY_84NJXAqM" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> <strong>No. 59 — [player_tooltip player_id="136552" first="Jayson" last="Montgomery-Scott"] — 6-4, 310 OL — Brother Martin</strong> The New Orleans Catholic League standout has fairly quickly compiled a list of offers that includes Florida State, Air Force, Southern Miss, Western Kentucky and McNeese State. Montgomery-Scott has played primarily at left guard for his Crusaders, who put together an impressive undefeated run before falling shy in the Division I semifinals, shows good balance and quickness for one of the state's heaviest prospects as he stays low to maximize his leverage in blocks and his pulls to free running lanes to the right. <strong>No. 69 — [player_tooltip player_id="136553" first="Sameij" last="Scott"] — 6-3, 275 OL — Lutcher</strong> Scott plays with a nastiness and physicality that — in addition to providing a memorable bit of humor — makes his labeling his junior highlight reel "NSFW" actually feel somewhat warranted. Whether plowing straight ahead, kicking outside or showing the quickness to pull across, Lutcher's big right tackle absolutely blows up one defender after another until the opposing player is either in the dirt or otherwise definitively out of the play. ULM, Nicholls State, Southeastern Louisiana, Houston Baptist and Louisiana College are all among his offers thus far. <strong>No. 77 — [player_tooltip player_id="136554" first="Ashanti" last="Cole"] Jr. — 6-4, 300 OL — Red River</strong> Just a few days ago, Red River quarterback Zintayvious "Tre" Smith shared a clip of his Red River teammate with the message "Bet the house on my brother any day" and calling Cole the best offensive lineman in the state. That claim is a bold one in a class that includes stars such as Campbell and Jones, but the Bulldogs' big, physical and tenacious left tackle may be one of the more underrated. And while Cole isn't as fast or quick as many of his peers on this list, he possesses enough mobility and athleticism to be an impactful post presence for his school's basketball team and could make some notable strides once he gets to work with a college strength and conditioning and offensive line coaches. ULM and South Alabama are his first two offers. <strong>No. 78 — [player_tooltip player_id="136555" first="Kaleb" last="Proctor"] — 6-3, 260 OL — Oak Grove</strong> The 10th offensive lineman in the new 2022 class rankings — just ahead of Lake Charles College Prep teammates [player_tooltip player_id="136556" first="Reginald" last="Burks"] and [player_tooltip player_id="136557" first="Jalyn" last="Easton"], Many’s [player_tooltip player_id="136794" first="JaKorey" last="Jones"], Peabody’s [player_tooltip player_id="136558" first="Greg" last="Knox"] and Opelousas’ [player_tooltip player_id="136781" first="Trent" last="Murphy"] — is an interesting prospect to project and one worth monitoring closing this summer on the camp circuit. Proctor plays both ways for the two-time defending Class 1A champs and moves well enough to actually do so as a linebacker on the defensive side for a program that has produced huge defensive tackles Kenean Caldwell, Bert Hale and Bryson Baker. Southeastern Louisiana and Georgia State recently became his first offers, but he may have the opportunity to really prove himself and open some eyes in June and July.