Simmons Road Show: More takeaways from Louisiana
Southeast recruiting analyst Chad Simmons has been on the road much of September and his most recent stop was Louisiana. After spending a few days in the Boot State, he published these takeaways, but there are more. His trip didn’t stop there, as he continued to scour the state to check on the top talent and here are some of his takeaways.
MORE: Prospects on the rise in the Southeast | State of Louisiana prospect rankings | Farrell's Three-Point Stance | Can UGA lure Webb out of Alabama?
... There is a Clemson commit, Georgia commit and Texas A&M commit at University Lab in Baton Rouge and that trio is strong to their schools. Bryton Constantin is committed to Clemson and he does not plan to visit another school. Makiya Tongue (Georgia) and Christian Harris (Texas A&M) say the same. The coaches in Clemson, Athens and College Station have to love that. Not too many guys like this (all four-star prospects) shut it down the way they have. They are different dudes on and off the field.
… More is coming out of Jennings (La.). Travis Etienne is a star running back out of Clemson. He is a sophomore and considered one of the top backs in the ACC. He chose Clemson over LSU, Texas A&M and many others, and although there has not been too many like him come out of Jennings the last 20 years — there is more on the way. Another Etienne, in fact. Freshman running back Trevor Etienne is already pushing 200 pounds and some around the area say he is faster than his older brother. He is out with an injury early this season, but expect to hear more about him down the road. Their top prospect right now is 2021 defensive tackle Keanan Landry. The 6-foot-2, 310 pound sophomore has already picked up offers from LSU, Texas A&M and Tulane. He is hearing from Alabama, Florida, Miami and Tennessee among others. This duo will continue to bring coaches out I-10 towards Houston
… Jacobian Guillory is a grown man and it is easy to see why schools like him. He is a 6-2, 320-pound monster on the defensive line. I got to watch him practice and he gets after it. He is strong, he is wide, he is tough to move and he moves well for his size. He is the early No. 1 prospect in Louisiana and he is more than just a space-eater. Alabama, LSU, Mississippi State and Texas A&M are his biggest offers at this time. Florida is another school showing a lot of interest. Guillory is a force in the middle and someone schools will be able to build around on the next level.
… LSU commit Donte Starks is a very active and passionate linebacker at John Ehret. He was playing at Biloxi in Mississippi this time a year ago (where he was good), but he is back to where his high school career began and he was impressive. I saw him play against Destrehan and he was all over the field. He was a strong tackler, he was quick to the ball and he was playing with a lot of energy. Starks stayed around the ball and he played sideline to sideline. Based on what he had to say about his commitment to LSU, Ed Orgeron and the Tigers likely have nothing to worry about here.
… When fans talk top recruits in Northeast Louisiana, usually the prospects come out of Neville or West Monroe, but Oak Grove, a school north of those two, have a pair of linemen you need to know. Kenean Caldwell is a 2020 defensive lineman that has offers from Colorado, Mississippi State, Ole Miss and Texas A&M, among others. He is not the only big man to know there. Calzarian Hale is a 6-3, 305-pound junior lineman that plays both ways. He transferred into the program in the off-season and by the end of the year, he will be on many radars. He grew up an LSU fan, like many in the Boot State, and he is awaiting his first offer.
… Do not sleep on Tyrion Davis. The running back out of Southern Lab has been committed to LSU since June 2017, so many stopped tracking him early. Do not forget about him. Davis is a passionate football player who leaves it all on the field. He is a four-star back that is productive. I saw him play against University Lab, one of the top schools in the state, and he did all he could to keep his team in the game. What impressed me as much as anything was his attitude. He is a strong runner and he ran hard until the final whistle blew.
… Out of the top 15 prospects in Louisiana, 10 are committed. One to keep an eye on is Jordan Clark. The No. 14 prospect in the state could be next. The four-star cornerback out of University Lab has visits coming up the next few weeks and a decision could come later this fall. Arizona State, California, Louisville and Vanderbilt are the main schools still in the discussion, so a commitment to one of those could come sooner than later. He has already visited Arizona State this season.
… John Emery is the real deal and he showed his ability to run with power, run with patience and receive the ball out of the backfield against a tough John Ehret team. He finished with 123 yards rushing and 57 yards receiving. He also had a nice kickoff return. Georgia running backs coach Dell McGee was on the sideline and he had to like what he saw. Emery looks like an SEC back and he could be the next great one to run between the hedges. Alabama, Florida, LSU and others are still recruiting Emery, but he says he is solid to the Dawgs.
… New LSU commit Jaquelin Roy is a force on the defensive line. There is so much talent at University Lab. The 2019 class is loaded, but there is more to come. Roy is a 2020 defensive tackle, he was impressive against Southern Lab and he is now an LSU commit. He committed to the Tigers on Monday, in somewhat surprising news, and he could potentially be one of their top signees in the 2020 class.
… New names will continue to emerge and one to know is Jarmone Sutherland. He is a 5-11, 175-pound junior receiver out of Newman. I saw him play against East Jefferson and he scored three of his team’s touchdowns. Two of those were for 50 and 53 yards. Sutherland is hearing from Texas State and Tulane, but he has not received an offer yet. That will change. He is a talented wideout who plays big. He is strong, he showed a burst when he gets the ball and he was open much of the night. He is also used on special teams as a return man and you can expect his recruitment to pick up in the coming months. He grew up a fan of Notre Dame and LSU.
… Ja'khi Douglas is one of the top playmakers in Louisiana and he was busy over the summer. The four-star junior out of Terrebone spent time at Alabama, Florida, LSU, Memphis, Mississippi State and UCLA. As schools saw him live, they offered. Alabama, Florida, LSU and Mississippi State offered the 2020 star athlete after he camped at their schools in June and July. Douglas grew up an LSU fan and he is still high on the Tigers, but they have company. There is not leader at this time, but Douglas named Alabama, Florida, LSU, Mississippi State, TCU and Virginia as schools of interest at this time. The four-star is in no rush to make his decision. He plans to take a lot more visits over the next six to nine months and find the right fit for him. The school he feels likes him for him, not just the player he is, will be a big factor in his decision.
… UNLV could be getting a steal in Travis Mumphrey. On July 5, Mumphrey flipped his commitment from New Mexico to UNLV and he could be a future star in Las Vegas. I saw the quarterback out of John Ehret as a freshman against Landry-Walker, then I saw him last week, as a senior, and he shined against Destrehan. In a 37-35 win, Mumphrey threw for 352 yards and three touchdowns. He rushed for two more and made key play after key play. He has really improved his mechanics, he was much more consistent as a passer and he played big in a big game. It would be no surprise to see other schools come calling later this fall to see how solid Mumphrey is to the Rebels.
… Two more new names to know are Jahein Spencer and Kain Williams. Spencer is a 2019 athlete out of Madison Prep in Baton Rouge and he is committed to UAB to play basketball. He is starting to make noise on the football field this fall though. The 6-4, 220-pound senior hasn’t played football since his freshman year, but he is one to keep an eye on moving forward.
Williams is a long (6-2, 175 pounds) safety and the sophomore is likely to start drawing major interest this season. Florida State, LSU and Ohio State are schools of interest to him.