St. James Wildcats | Offseason 3-2-1 Spotlight

St. James takes a talented, but young and new-look roster into 2024 after the graduation of a decorated senior class that wrapped up its career as Division-III Non-Select state runners-up.   The Wildcats' promising 2027 class has garnered its share of Prep Redzone Louisiana coverage since last spring as they wrapped up their eighth-grade year and elevated to high school. And the 2028 group following appears to have some playmakers potentially poised to make early impacts as underclassmen as well.   St. James is among the first stops of Prep Redzone Louisiana's series of "Offseason 3-2-1" spotlights looking at three key returning standouts, two notable breakout candidates and one underclassman to know sooner than later.     3 WELL-KNOWN RETURNERS   Kani King-Young — 5-9, 190 RB — St. James (2026)   and [player_tooltip player_id='1598058' first='Cameron' last='LeBlanc'] — 5-8, 200 RB — St. James (2025)   The Wildcats will have to replace 99.8% of their passing yards and 69.9% of their receiving yards from this past season, so the stability and consistency of the ground game will be critical as new starters find their stride. Kani-Young rushed 86 times for a team-high 868 yards and seven touchdowns as a sophomore, and LeBlanc rushed 129 times for 669 yards and 11 scores. And don't overlook a the potential impact of rising sophomores [player_tooltip player_id='914038' first='Kendrick' last='Joseph'] Jr. and [player_tooltip player_id='934581' first='Derrick' last='Pittman Jr.'], a pair of versatile athletes who have been familiar names on Prep Redzone Louisiana and have the ability to make impacts as running backs, receivers or defensive backs.   [player_tooltip player_id='401966' first='Jakias' last='Villanueva'] — 5-6, 140 WR/ATH — St. James (2026)   The rising junior caught 49 passes this past fall for 709 yards and five touchdowns to account for the bulk of the receiving production that St. James returns in 2024. Kani-Young's six catches for 50 yards are the next-highest total for a returning player. And, with his 44 yards rushing and 384 returning kickoffs, Villanueva's 1,137 all-purpose yards were second this past season to only Southern-signed, all-state standout Kobe Brown.   [player_tooltip player_id='914096' first='Garry' last='White'] — 6-1, 175 DB — St. James (2025)   and [player_tooltip player_id='1220962' first='Jarrell' last='Williams'] — 6-1, 195 DB — St. James (2025)   St. James will have to replace much of their defensive lineup as well, including four of their top five tacklers. But a pair of rising senior defensive backs, White at corner and Williams at safety, and a pair of rising senior linebackers, Gerald Jones and [player_tooltip player_id='914127' first='Chaidyn' last='Parker'], should be leaders on the unit. Williams and White snatched seven and five interceptions, respectively, as juniors and were both among the team's eight leading tacklers.     2 BREAKOUT CANDIDATES   [player_tooltip player_id='742755' first='Peyton' last='Clement'] — 5-11, 150 QB — St. James (2027)   and Ja'Juan Jackson — 6-1, 205 QB — St. James (2028)   One of the biggest storylines for the Wildcats will be a new signal-caller working to fill big shoes left by the graduation of Brayden Williams. The successors to the offense appear to be a pair of underclassmen in rising sophomore Clement, the relative veteran who took a few snaps behind Williams in three games as a freshman, and incoming freshman Ja'Juan Jackson, who officially begins high school this fall but has spent time around the program.   [player_tooltip player_id='934578' first='Jye' last='Blain'] — 5-11, 165 DB — St. James (2027)   The young safety had a strong freshman season in the St. James lineup, earning and living up to the trust and confidence of his coaches and older teammates with 50 tackles — sixth-most on the team and second-most among non-seniors — and an interception. With that season and a busy spring of work under his belt, Blain should be poised to open some more eyes this summer on the college camp circuit and into the fall as one of the Wildcats' more productive returning defensive playmakers.     1 UNDERCLASSMAN TO KNOW   [player_tooltip player_id='1372172' first='Kamon' last='Mitchell'] — 5-8, 145 WR/DB — St. James (2028)   As mentioned above, the Wildcats have a talented young 2028 group preparing for its freshman year, and Mitchell is among the likeliest to play a big role early in his career as a pass-catcher with good size and speed for his age and particularly impressive ball skills, including his ability to go up strong and make highlight-reel high-point catches in the air.

St. James takes a talented, but young and new-look roster into 2024 after the graduation of a decorated senior class that wrapped up its career as Division-III Non-Select state runners-up.