Louisiana’s most notable summer commitments

The nearly 15-month NCAA dead period ended with a bang of a hectic June in Louisiana. Only a few of the state’s top prospects had shared commitments prior to the reopening of visits and camps. But, finally able to make in-person contact with coaches from around the country, dozens made announcements in June and July. Here are several of the top commitments through those two months. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="127859" first="Le’Veon" last="Moss"] — 5-11, 200 RB — Istrouma (2022)</strong> Arguably Louisiana’s top running back surprised many home-state fans during the first weekend of open campus visits and camps when he announced a commitment to <strong>Alabama</strong> during a trip to Tuscaloosa. Hometown LSU will continue to pursue the nearby star, but the Crimson Tide clearly positioned themselves well right off the bat. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="136633" first="Ronald" last="Lewis"] II — 6-2, 175 DB — Warren Easton (2022)</strong> The Eagles’ ballhawk, nicknamed "Champ" after Champ Bailey, saw his recruitment explode in mid-January into a nice list of options before deciding on <strong>Colorado</strong> in early June. The Buffaloes get a versatile defensive back, who should make huge leaps once he hits the college strength and conditioning program. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="127860" first="Dylan" last="Sampson"] — 5-10, 180 RB — Dutchtown (2022)</strong> The speedy Griffins running back fell in love with <strong>Tennessee</strong>’s campus and plan for him during a visit to Knoxville and is now poised to become a nice pull out of Louisiana — and a rare one for a Volunteers program that hadn’t signed a player from the state since 2018. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="136628" first="Rayshawn" last="Pleasant"] — 6-0, 180 DB — West Monroe (2022)</strong> <strong>Louisiana Tech</strong> added another steal to its 2022 class in early June, about a month after quarterback [player_tooltip player_id="127701" first="Landry" last="Lyddy"], when West Monroe’s underrated cornerback announced plans to stay close to home. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="128661" first="O’Ryan" last="James"] — 6-2, 190 WR — A.J. Ellender (2022)</strong> <strong>Louisiana Tech</strong> continued an impressive run with the south Louisiana pass-catcher choosing the in-state Bulldogs over several other options, including a couple Power Five programs. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="136580" first="Enyce" last="Sledge"] — 6-4, 300 DL — Neville (2022)</strong> The big multisport athlete from Monroe gained major traction on the recruiting trail throughout the spring after a breakout junior campaign and found a nice fit at <strong>Baylor</strong>, where former LSU defensive coordinator Dave Aranda is leading the Bears. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="128245" first="Landon" last="Ibieta"] — 6-0, 190 WR — Mandeville (2022)</strong> <strong>Miami</strong> made another rare dip back into Louisiana for yet another underrated prospect whose recruitment exploded this spring, as the Mandeville receiver chose the Hurricanes over Louisiana Tech, Tulane, Vanderbilt and others. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="136609" first="Roman" last="Pitre"] — 6-3, 220 LB — University Lab (2022)</strong> In 2021, Scotlandville safety [player_tooltip player_id="63572" first="Jah’Von" last="Grigsby"] became the first Purdue signee out of Louisiana since Dutchtown quarterback Jared Sparks in 2016. But the Boilermakers have clearly prioritized the talent in The Boot in 2022 with the versatile U-High defender marking the first of three commitments from the state in the span of about a week. <strong>Aeneus Lemay — 5-10, 175 ATH — West Feliciana (2022)</strong> The only FCS representative on this list chose <strong>McNeese State</strong> over Louisiana Tech, Louisiana (Lafayette), Tulane, Arkansas State and other FBS options around the reason. "Neno" has a chance to be an explosive offensive weapon for coach Frank Wilson III and the Cowboys rather than focus on a transition to cornerback elsewhere. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="138485" first="Eli" last="Holstein"] — 6-3, 215 QB — Zachary (2023)</strong> The only rising junior on this list became the first domino to fall in Louisiana’s impressive 2023 quarterback class when he committed to <strong>Texas A&amp;M</strong> in late June. The Broncos’ star had hoped to sew up his recruiting process this summer to better focus on a state championship mission this fall and chose the Aggies over LSU, Alabama, Ohio State and a long list of other Power Five schools. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="136549" first="Cam" last="East"] — 6-7, 280 OL — St. Augustine (2022)</strong> One of the state’s top offensive lineman chose Mississippi State in late June. The Bulldogs have had more history recruiting south Louisiana than Baylor, Purdue, Tennessee and others, and the big tackle from New Orleans should be another good one. <strong>Zavion Thomas — 5-11, 190 ATH — John Ehret (2022)</strong> The Patriots’ speedster repeatedly put the recruiting world on notice with one 4.3-second 40-yard dash after another, starting with LSU at the beginning of June. Thomas committed to <strong>Louisville</strong> at the end of the month. But the Cardinals will have their work cut out fending off strong July pushed from Florida State and Mississippi State, among others. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="136508" first="Curtis" last="Deville"] — 6-0, 180 WR — Iowa (2022)</strong> The underrated two-way athlete, who projects at wide receiver, began garnered interest from all over the country, including some from home-state LSU, but chose to join <strong>Purdue</strong>’s push in Louisiana with a commitment to the Boilermakers. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="136550" first="Malachi" last="Preciado"] — 6-3, 285 OL — Warren Easton (2022)</strong> Another of Louisiana’s strong 2022 offensive line class is planning to head out of state for college, as the Eagles’ center has pledged to <strong>Purdue</strong>, as well, over Louisiana Tech and Ivy League offers. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="127757" first="Zeon" last="Chriss"] — 6-2, 200 QB — Madison Prep (2022)</strong> The Chargers’ dual-threat and multisport star saw his star rise this spring after arguably the best game of his high school career in the Class 3A championship. Chriss enjoyed offers from all over the country and a productive trip to UCLA that put him on the Bruins’ roster, but decided in early July to stay closer to home and commit to <strong>Louisiana (Lafayette)</strong>. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="136484" first="Jaylin" last="Lucas"] — 5-9, 160 ATH — Terrebonne (2022)</strong> Louisville hoped to secure another speedy athlete out of south Louisiana, but the younger brother of Florida State athlete Ja’Khi Douglas instead decided to stay closer to home with a commitment to <strong>Tulane</strong> over the Cardinals or Seminoles. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="136581" first="Fitzgerald" last="West"] Jr. — 6-2, 300 DL/OL — Lafayette Christian (2022)</strong> The big athlete had been on recruiting radars since freshman year after starting on the Knights’ defensive line for the program’s first state championship run, but really saw his momentum take off this year as he began embracing the other side of the ball. <strong>LSU</strong> and Alabama were among the slew of offers that arrived in June, leading up to a July 10 commitment to the Tigers. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="136630" first="Jordan" last="Allen"] — 6-0, 180 DB — Lafayette Christian (2022)</strong> A week after West’s decision, his teammate announced a pledge to <strong>Penn State</strong> over Louisville after a recruitment that had also prominently included Georgia and Miami at earlier stages. For all the rare programs to see dip into Louisiana in 2022, the Nittany Lions are likely the most surprising thus far. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="136482" first="Herman" last="Brister"] III — 6-3, 200 ATH — Southern Lab (2022)</strong> The versatile Kittens standout fell in love with a <strong>Navy</strong> opportunity he felt represented the best fit between Power Five program Mississippi State, a slew of Ivy League options, Army and Air Force, Memphis, Tulane and many others. <strong>Tre’Vonte Citizen — 6-0, 210 RB — Lake Charles College Prep (2022)</strong> LSU picked up its first running back commitment for the class in late July when the thick-build Lake Charles standout with great balance and hands and 4.5-second 40-yard speed chose the Tigers. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="136632" first="Brylan" last="Green"] — 5-9, 165 DB — Lafayette Christian (2022)</strong> The multisport athlete, a speedy and opportunistic defensive back on the football field and outfielder in baseball, followed his teammates’ lead with a Lafayette Christian commitment announcement for a third straight Saturday in July. The opportunity to play both sports weighed heavily for Green, who picked Liberty over home-state Tulane and Power-Five Washington State. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="136635" first="Ja’dais" last="Richard"] — 6-1, 185 DB — West Monroe (2022)</strong> July 30 brought a pair of interesting commitment announcements from Louisiana. The first came from the north, where Richard shared plans to continue a pipeline to TCU. The Horned Frogs had also recruiting teammate Pleasant, which makes for an interesting dynamic to watch for the current Louisiana Tech commitment. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="136547" first="Emery" last="Jones"] — 6-4, 295 OL — Catholic (Baton Rouge) (2022)</strong> One of the nation’s top offensive lineman made a longtime LSU lean a verbal commitment to wind down the month, as Jones joined Neville’s [player_tooltip player_id="136546" first="Will" last="Campbell"], Newman’s [player_tooltip player_id="136548" first="Bo" last="Bordelon"] and the aforementioned West in the Tigers’ current haul at the position group.