Louisiana commitments round-up first half of July

Melvin Hills III

Jerit Roser July 19, 2023 @ 11:07 PM

<p>The rush of late-June commitments left a relatively slow start to July on that front.</p>   <p>The majority of prospects who haven't yet made their college announcements appear poised to wait until later this month or early next if they plan to make a decision prior to their senior seasons.</p>   <p>But the pledges that did come in the first two weeks of July packed some solid pound-for-pound notability in a variety of directions.</p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-embed-handler wp-block-embed-embed-handler wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://www.youtube.com/embed/fdW5BWiC2rE </div></figure>   <p></p>   <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='139485' first='Raiyen' last='Oatis'] | 5-11, 165 DB | Donaldsonville —> Southeastern Louisiana</strong></p>   <p>The Lions landed a likely steal in-state when the Donaldsonville star announced his commitment July 5. Oatis has been a dynamic three-phase standout for his Tigers throughout his high school career and an intriguing college defensive back prospect, but suffered a setback this past fall with a knee injury. Southeastern Louisiana extended an offer this spring and expressed continued confidence in his recovery and potential.</p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-embed-handler wp-block-embed-embed-handler wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://www.youtube.com/embed/2IYq2ORDnq0 </div></figure>   <p></p>   <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='421523' first='Christian' last='Pritchett'] | 6-3, 175 DB | St. Augustine —> Georgia Tech</strong></p>   <p>The rangy, smart ballhawk of a safety was one of the bigger stock-risers in the latest Prep Redzone Louisiana rankings update. And he became a big recruiting victory for a fellow New Orleans native on July 10 when he shared his pledge to Georgia Tech, with recruiting efforts led by assistant Ricky Brumfield. Pritchett joined Edna Karr linebacker [player_tooltip player_id='421613' first='Tah'j' last='Butler'] and Holy Cross wide receiver [player_tooltip player_id='421518' first='Koby' last='Young'] in Atlanta-bound college plans.</p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-embed-handler wp-block-embed-embed-handler wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://www.youtube.com/embed/Xz0DO142lAc </div></figure>   <p></p>   <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='285654' first='Melvin' last='Hills III'] | 6-4, 265 DL | Lafayette Christian —> Texas</strong></p>   <p>The highest-ranked prospect on this list, the Knights' standout defensive lineman, became the latest Louisiana student-athlete to commit to neighboring Texas on July 12, his mother's birthday. Hills joins the nice efforts by coach Steve Sarkisian and company, including former Parkway and LSU quarterback Brandon Harris, that were headlined last cycle by Newman quarterback Arch Manning, but hit closer to home for Hills with Westgate safety Derek Williams Jr.</p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-embed-handler wp-block-embed-embed-handler wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://www.youtube.com/embed/OItD1v7OFfo </div></figure>   <p></p>   <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='421609' first='Shaun' last='Nicholas'] | 6-2, 190 WR | West Jefferson —> Troy</strong></p>   <p>Another pair of recruiters with strong New Orleans ties landed a tall, three-level receiver when Nicholas committed July 14 to Troy where coach Jon Sumrall, a former Tulane assistant, and assistant Brock Hays, a longtime Louisiana high school and college coach, have been active in Louisiana throughout this spring and summer.</p>

The rush of late-June commitments left a relatively slow start to July on that front.