5 CenLa area players PRZLA hopes to catch as spring opens

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The LHSAA's official window for spring football opened Monday with a few schools around the state already taking the field and the vast majority kicking off their sessions in the next two weeks.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Prep Redzone Louisiana has already started making some rounds, but won't be able to catch everyone. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We'll start over the next few days by pointing out and highlighting five players from each area we'd like to see — with priority given to rising upperclassmen and for prospects we'd be seeing for the first time, the first time in an extended stretch or the first time since some notable development.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>And a series will begin next week highlighting six or more student-athletes from each school visited with a mix of returning veterans, breakout candidates and underclassmen to know for years to come.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='710079' first='Xavier' last='Ford'] — 5-11, 190 RB — Leesville (2025)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The hyper-productive back is already etching himself into the record books of a Wampus Cats program with a long-standing tradition of great running backs and into the thick of an impressive 2025 crop of running backs around Louisiana — but one that Prep Redzone Louisiana hasn't had a chance yet to catch in person.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='675895' first='Eli' last='Head'] — 6-5, 270 OL — Caldwell Parish (2024)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Columbia, La., isn't known for being an annual recruiting stop and often gets overlooked at the high school level because of location in the transitional outskirts between CenLa and Northeast Louisiana. But the big offensive lineman looks like the next Spartans standout who will have the opportunity to represent the area on Saturdays. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='457340' first='Desmen' last='Jefferson'] — 5-10, 165 ATH — Ferriday (2026)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Jefferson had a productive, breakout, all-district freshman season for the Trojans, a program with a proud football tradition that includes both recent state championships and recent SEC signees. He's already in Prep Redzone Louisiana's top 50 for the rising sophomore class and is a young prospect worth monitoring to potentially climb that list as we get to see more.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='139506' first='Jaylin' last='Johnson'] — 6-2, 165 ATH — Alexandria (2024)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The multisport standout is one of the most athletically gifted young prospects in the area, if not the state, and garnered an early Mississippi State offer more than two years ago for his seemingly high-ceiling potential. The process has appeared quiet since then, and getting a better sense of not only his development but also his mindset on football, basketball, both or otherwise would be helpful in gauging his positioning in the class. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='291084' first='Kyle' last='Johnson'] — 6-0, 170 ATH — Bunkie (2025)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>An early Prep Redzone Louisiana favorite from his freshman film in 2021, [player_tooltip player_id='291084' first='Kyle' last='Johnson'] is a notable sleeper in the 2025 class with a recent ULM offer to kick off his recruiting process. We had a chance to see him some in person on the 7-on-7 circuit, but would be a great still largely under-the-radar prospect to see more in pads this spring.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->