Tulane, ULM help highlight LA’s early-July offensive commitments

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Commitments have continued to roll in fast and furiously across Louisiana as July hits its midway mark and the upcoming season draws near. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here's a look at some of the offensive standouts who helped headline the college decision during the first half of this month, including pledges to home-state Tulane and ULM among the highlights. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='924621' first='Brayden' last='Allen'] — 6-2, 180 WR — Lafayette Christian —&gt; Tulane</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The big name on the Louisiana recruiting ledger on the offensive side of the ball early in July and another big in-state win for the Green Wave, the Knights' top pass-catcher earned all-state honors as a junior with nearly 1,200 yards and 10 touchdowns and is anticipated for another highly productive season (if not even more so) as a senior. He pairs with West Monroe star [player_tooltip player_id='1601945' first='Trez' last='Davis'] in Tulane's commitment class to give coach Jon Sumrall and company a pair of high-level in-state receivers now Uptown-bound.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='401958' first='Frederic' last='Downing Jr']. — 6-4, 290 OL/DL — Hahnville —&gt; Southeastern Louisiana</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Lions have had success recruiting the Tigers through the years and looked back into St. Charles Parish for another 2026 commitment, the second of the summer in the programs' pipeline, in the big two-way lineman, who has been highly ranked in Prep Redzone Louisiana's class rankings throughout their high school career. Downing hit the radar initially as an underclassman defensive tackle, but appears more likely to project as an interior offensive lineman at the next level.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Koby Farria — 6-2, 180 QB — Holy Cross —&gt; Southeastern Louisiana</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Another nice July recruiting win for Southeastern Louisiana as the Lions potentially got in on the intriguing rising senior quarterback a bit ahead of the game. Farria has shown some promising flashes behind the scenes from early on in his high school career, but waited behind older players as an underclassman and then sat his junior year as he transferred to Holy Cross. But this spring, he looked poised to potentially turn that patience into production in his final high school season, and the Lions were able to make their move ahead of that schedule. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1736838' first='Patrick' last='Gales'] — 5-9, 175 RB — Brusly —&gt; Nicholls State</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Panthers' running back is one of the fastest football players in the state, who wrapped up his outdoor track season in May with 10.56-second 100-meter and 21.44-second 200-meter dashes and earned a "fastest man" distinction at a Nicholls State camp with a 4.3-second 40-yard dash. The Colonels initially made their move on the explosive home run hitter with an offer in March, continue to build the relationship throughout the offseason and landed a commitment this weekend. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1736546' first='Van' last='Martinez'] — 6-3, 240 OL — Neville —&gt; ULM</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Credit to the Warhawks for landing a nice commitment from the in-town perennial power. The Tigers' standout in the trenches has played and been effective at both offensive tackle spots for the program with a strong, long-standing track record at producing high-level linemen. Martinez is a powerful athlete with a violent initial punch and a bit of a nastiness to his play that would make predecessors such as Will Campbell and Zalance Heard proud. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='710974' first='Jarvis' last='Washington'] Jr. — 6-4, 185 WR — Dunham —&gt; South Alabama</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The top target of star 2027 quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='642719' first='Elijah' last='Haven'] on their Tigers' state runner-up squad this winter has developed from an intriguing underclassman as a tall, long frame to one of the state's biggest vertical threats with an all-state honorable-mention junior campaign that included 52 receptions for 977 yards and 10 scores — an average for 18.8 yards per catch and a touchdown every 5.2 touches. The Jaguars had been as steady as any college in his recruiting process and landed the commitment this month. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->