Top matchups to watch this season for LSU commits

LSU commits always garner circles on a lot of Louisiana high school football calendars for not only peers eager to face the future Tigers, but fans eager to go see the future Saturday stars on Friday nights.   Several of the purple-and-gold pledges around the state have already faced some notable challenges in the first three weeks of the young season, but plenty of great opportunities remain during the next month and a half to catch these talented prospects this regular season.   Here's a look at some top matchups to visit LSU commits.     [player_tooltip player_id='710991' first='Richard' last='Anderson'] — 6-4, 330 DL — Edna Karr   The Cougars' only regular-season loss in the past four years came against John Curtis in 2023, and the Patriots appear poised to springboard on a strong finish to last season to be among the state's best again in 2025. Anderson should be the best player on the field every time out, but the Catholic League gauntlet always presents challenges, particularly with well-coached teams in the trenches. Halloween night against John Curtis should be a big a test as any along the way.   [player_tooltip player_id='212343' first='Lamar' last='Brown'] — 6-4, 295 ATH/DL — University Lab   Fresh off tough three straight matchups against Class 5A competition, the Cubs have one more Class 5A game left in an Oct. 3 trip to St. Paul's and then a Halloween game against Madison Prep that will be circled for a variety of reasons. The Chargers stunned U-High last season to win District 6-3A, and this year's matchup should once again determine the league crown. And one of Madison Prep's biggest strengths is its size and physicality up front, which has tested well thus far against its own slate of Class 5A challenges.   [player_tooltip player_id='1237613' first='Kenny' last='Darby'] — 6-1, 175 WR — Airline   Airline boasted one of Louisiana's most explosive offenses in 2024 — scoring at least 35 points in every contest and at least 50 in seven of its 10 regular-season games. On Oct. 9, the Vikings will visit a Parkway program that "held" them to 45 points, their second-lowest output a year ago, and has typically been among the more physical teams in District 1-5A in recent years.   [player_tooltip player_id='401967' first='Jalan' last='Chapman'] — 6-4, 285 OL — Warren Easton   The Eagles have been off to a strong start to the new season, but the degree of difficulty ramps up the rest of the way in the always-tough Catholic League. Easily the biggest test, though, will come last in the season as Chapman and company have to face Edna Karr with Anderson, [player_tooltip player_id='1011625' first='Romeo' last='Brown'], [player_tooltip player_id='1610129' first='Juelz' last='Batiste'], [player_tooltip player_id='1601790' first='Kevin' last='Martin Jr.'] and company. The Cougars look to be not just the league's, but the state's top team to beat, and much of that status starts with the defensive front.   [player_tooltip player_id='1237615' first='Dezyrian' last='Ellis'] — 6-2, 175 DB/ATH — Franklin Parish   The Patriots host Ouachita Parish on Oct. 3 in a rematch of their only loss last regular season, and the Lions should be one of the top couple challenges — if not the top challenge — again this season. Ouachita has Class 5A numbers, size in the trenches and athleticism all over the field, including Texas-committed defensive lineman [player_tooltip player_id='401954' first='Dylan' last='Berymon'] and versatile speedster [player_tooltip player_id='1348505' first='Wydell' last='Clark'], safety [player_tooltip player_id='1348504' first='Orlando' last='Freemont'] and cornerback [player_tooltip player_id='1751896' first='Dylan' last='Johnson']. So the Lions are as well-stocked as any opponent on the Franklin Parish schedule for the tall task of trying to slow down Ellis.   [player_tooltip player_id='401932' first='Aiden' last='Hall'] — 6-2, 185 DB — Edna Karr   Prior to the aforementioned 2023 loss to John Curtis, the Cougars' previous regular-season loss came to St. Augustine in 2020. Edna Karr will face the Purple Knights on Oct. 3 this year, including the dynamic wide receiver duo of [player_tooltip player_id='1323402' first='Miguel' last='Whitley'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1356127' first='Ray'Quan' last='Williams'] on the outside and a deep corps overall. The matchup will arguably pit the state's top secondary against arguably its top receiving corps. If St. Augustine can protect against the Cougars' disruptive front, Hall and company will have to be disciplined in coverage to limit explosive plays downfield.   [player_tooltip player_id='212340' first='Jabari' last='Mack'] — 6-1, 195 WR/ATH — Destrehan   The Wildcats opened the season Sept. 5 against Catholic (Baton Rouge), which manages annually to bring one of state's top defenses, and the future LSU wide receiver actually managed to have one of the top highlights of Week 1 on the other side of the ball as he intercepted a pass near the end zone and returned it for a score on the other end of the field. Another notable test will come Oct. 3 against Terrebonne, which beat Destrehan in 2024. The Tigers have a stacked offensive line and running back room to potentially score some points and make the game a battle again this year and a few defensive backs that will be eager to try to slow down Mack, though that may prove a tall task.   [player_tooltip player_id='740981' first='Brysten' last='Martinez'] — 6-6, 290 OL/TE — East Ascension   East Ascension has a pair of back-to-back road games in mid-October that would earn the slight end in this exercise. Following the short trip to St. Amant for one of the state's best rivalry games, the Spartans will travel to less-familiar territory to visit Teurlings Catholic, an undefeated Class 4A teams allowing just 15.3 points per contest. Martinez and company will have to lock back in following an always-emotional matchup and avoid let-down against a Rebels group typically good up front.   [player_tooltip player_id='920606' first='Darryus' last='McKinley'] — 6-3, 275 EDGE/DL — Acadiana   The Wreckin' Rams have struggled out of the gate with three tough nondistrict matchups and now should have the opportunity to get right against their most manageable stretch of schedule before their toughest district games back-load the regular season. Picking just one remaining game, we'll lean toward Nov. 7 against Carencro as an improved Golden Bears team has shown enough balance on offense to keep opposing defenses guessing a bit more and will require McKinley and company to be stout against the run, but also disciplined against some of what they can do in the passing game and moving around versatile weapons.   [player_tooltip player_id='1673797' first='Isaiah' last='Washington'] — 6-2, 175 DB/ATH — Haynesville   The Golden Tornado are absolutely rolling through their competition thus far this season by a combined 134-20 margin thus far — against opponents who provided three of their four closest games in 2024. The new entry to the schedule is D'Arbonne Woods Charter on Oct. 31, a road trip for Haynesville to a solid Class 2A opponent that has started a third straight season 3-0 and looks likely on its way to a fifth straight winning record.

LSU commits always garner circles on a lot of Louisiana high school football calendars for not only peers eager to face the future Tigers, but fans eager to go see the future Saturday stars on Friday nights.