Blue-chip 2025 RB Byron Louis on early contenders
Down in south Florida, folks have been talking about Byron Louis since his middle school days. There has been a buzz for the class of 2025 running back, who got varsity snaps as a freshman and turned it up a notch as a sophomore in 2022 in scoring 11 touchdowns for Plantation (Fla.) American Heritage.
Going into his junior campaign, he is expected to be the lead back for the Patriots, after the departure of Miami freshman and All-American Mark Fletcher. Still, Louis flashed as a balanced back at under 200 pounds, making big plays late in the season. College coaches continue to take notice, and the early four-star is beyond his first two dozen scholarship offers.
Among the programs already on board, the rising-junior admits a few have his attention.
"Obviously you would want to say the crib, The U," Louis told Rivals. "Also schools outside the state like Georgia, Alabama, Ohio State, Oklahoma, USC maybe -- you never know.
"I want to start building a relationship with these coaches."
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The blue-chipper is not the most well-traveled recruit in his class, but he has seen a few campuses. He took an unofficial visit to Ohio State in March.
"Ohio State, where do I start? It's just different up there," Louis said. "It's almost the college version of American Heritage in how they operate. They move like a machine -- one team, one sound, one goal, really. The culture there is different. As soon as you walk into the facility, you know they're about business. They've got a history behind it, too."
Miami is of course where the four-star is most familiar. The new staff in town has already hosted him on multiple occasions.
"They're really recruiting home," he said. "Everybody you've played against in high school, they're dudes. Absolute dudes. You're only going to play with the best because you already play against the best, being from down here. So going to the crib and being able to compete with them and everybody around the whole country, and put on for your city and your town, that's just big.
"Another thing I love about Miami is that it's almost Heritage U, too. We got (Devonte) Brown, Mark (Fletcher), Damari (Brown), DP (Daryl Porter), James (Williams), the list goes on. All it does is show that it can be a second home for me, too."
When Rivals saw Louis at work this spring, he was sporting Georgia gear. The defending champs have their own history at AHS (including Sony Michel, with Louis above) and could get Louis on campus in the coming weeks.
"All of their running backs play, their whole backfield plays," he said. "It don't matter if you're a freshman...they're all going to get a chance to play and show what they can do at the highest level. What I love about UGA is yes, you're playing at a high level, but your body isn't going to be ran through. As a running back, you only can take so many hits."
Alabama is likely to get a visit from Louis soon, too.
"The guys from here love it at Alabama," he said. "Only the best go there and only the best come here, so we like the idea of competing with the best every day. All them say the transition to Alabama is about work ethic and the main thing. You just stick to that."
Louis admits he is still curious about additional scholarships that may come in, listing Oregon, Michigan and Texas as a few he would like to have before all is said and done. Otherwise, learning more about top options and visits will be the next items to focus on ahead of a college decision.
"I'll figure it out with stability," he said. "Coaches come and go, but I feel like the best are going to stay where they're at. I take into consideration how they use the running backs. I know I can run the ball, but I can also catch the ball out of the backfield with ease.
"I feel like I need to be versatile to go play on Sundays."