After an official visit to the University of Virginia on the weekend of April 5th, Ja’Darius “Bud” Clark decided to shut down his recruitment & give the Cavalier program his commitment. The 4-star prospect according to 247 sports committed to Virginia over LSU, Ole Miss, TCU, UL, & a few others on Tuesday. A source close to Clark stated that his decision came down to TCU & Virginia. ​

Clark, a hybrid defensive back from Alexandria High School will be asked to play some corner & safety when he gets to Charlottesville. And at 6-1, 170 pounds Clark has the ideal length to play early & make an immediate impact. Clark’s ability to be able to play man to man outside & as a nickel corner will bold well for him on the next level for sure. Ultimately, Clark will be best suited as a safety but this kid’s versatility has to have head coach Bronco Mendenhall excited to have him apart of this class. 

The University of Virginia land their third prospect from Louisiana in two years. U-High 3-star running back Mike Hollins & Plaquemine 4-star wide receiver Dontayvion Wicks both signed with the Cavaliers for the 2019 class. And not to mention, Edna Karr 4-star cornerback Devin Bush came very close to signing with the Cavaliers before opting to sign with Arkansas in last year’s class as well. The Virginia coaching staff have done good work recruiting Louisiana and a big part of that is because of special teams coordinator Ricky Brumfield (New Orleans native) & regional scout Jordan Arcement (Houma native).

Expect Clark’s commitment to stir up some things in the boot, & it shouldn’t be a surprise if a few other kids want to go see what’s cooking up there in Charlottesville going forward.

The West St. John ATH Trenton Grow is somebody to keep a close eye on going forward. Grow has been a bit undervalued on the recruiting trail for some reason, but he is as good as they come in Louisiana for the 2020 class. 

At 6-2, Grow uses his length very well to go up & high point the ball. His production was down some compared to his sophomore campaign, but you can clearly see on his film that he has big time ability. 

The soon to be senior currently hold offers from Kansas, Navy, Air Force, ULM, Southern Miss, UAB, Tulane, South Alabama, Northwestern St, Nicholls State, & Prarie View A&M. Grow has Virginia, Colorado, Southeastern, & LA Tech keeping tabs on him & will be stopping by during spring practices in May. ​

I expect Trenton Grow to have a big senior year, so don’t be surprised if he becomes a must get for schools, before signing day.

Douglas took an unofficial visit to Florida State over the weekend to see what the Seminole program had to offer. 

The #2 ranked receiver & the #6 overall player in Louisiana according to 247 sports has been on unofficial visits to Texas A&M, Auburn & Alabama over the last month. But Douglas emphasized how impressed he was with Florida State & their coaching staff during his visit this past weekend. “I really enjoyed my experience at Florida State & how much love I got from everybody there,” Douglas said. “Coach Dugans had been telling me how much the coaching staff wanted to get me on campus, so I can see how bad they want me. As soon as I stepped on campus right away I felt the excitement from everybody.”​

Florida State's new offensive coordinator Kendal Briles could be a key component in the Seminoles landing Douglas, because of his offensive scheme. “I really like the type of offense Coach Briles run & I could see myself doing good under him,” Douglas said. “I've been following him, since he was at Baylor & Houston. We kind of already had a relationship, because of when he offered me last summer at the Houston camp. He showed me exactly how they plan on using me if I were to come & that was big to me. I think Coach Taggart & Coach Briles are going to do well together & get Florida State back to how they use to be.”

With so many programs in the mix to get Douglas, it’s evident that Florida State left a big impression on him that could make things interesting leading up to his commitment date. Even though the 4-star prospect elected to visit Florida State for their spring game instead of LSU, which was on the same day, he still remains high on the Tigers. “I’ve been to LSU a bunch of times,” Douglas said. “I wanted to experience the atmosphere at Florida State for the first time to see if it could be a place I see myself playing. I really like LSU, but I’m just trying to weigh all my options right now. I talk to Coach McMahon & Coach O almost every week, so they know how I feel about their program. 

Louisville & Penn St offered Douglas on last week putting him at 28 total offers. Louisville is making a strong push to get Douglas on campus & they plan to visit him the first week of spring practices in May. “Me & my family are trying to really check out everybody at this point,” Douglas said. “Just trying to find a program that’s the best fit for me & my skill set. I’m looking at how much each school throw the ball, seeing if they use small shifty receivers like me, & how much experience my position coach has with getting receivers to the NFL.” 
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Douglas still plans to be an early enrollee, so he can have an opportunity to play a lot as a true freshman. His commitment date is not set, but the talented Terrebonne prospect hopes to be committed by the start of the season. “My family and I will take some more visits this spring & summer so we can start figuring out the best fit for me,” Douglas said. “Virginia, Miami, Louisville, Mississippi St, & Florida are the schools me and my family want to visit soon. I want to be committed by the start of my senior year, but I’m not sure if it will play out like that so we’ll see.”

When you talk about the best quarterbacks in Louisiana for the 2020 class, many mention T.J Finley (LSU commit) & Caleb Holstein, but you might want to get familiar with Edna Karr quarterback Leonard Kelly. He is coming off a 15-0 season capped off with a state championship & he finished the year with 2,817 yards passing, 38 touchdowns, 5 interceptions, & a 75.4 % completion rate. 

The Edna Karr signal caller doesn’t get nearly the recognition he deserves, but when you watch this kid perform on Friday nights you can clearly see he is an elite quarterback. Kelly’s mechanics, footwork in the pocket, accuracy & arm strength puts him in an elite category. The knock on Kelly is his height where he is listed at 5-11, 185 pounds. Kelly is a true dual threat quarterback that can make any throw on the route tree with very good velocity. His feet work & pocket presence is very impressive on film to go with his live arm, but with all of that Kelly is a hell of a leader on & off the field. ​

​A quarterback that comes to mind right off the back when you watch Kelly play is Russell Wilson. His ability to extend plays with his legs while keeping his eyes down field to make a big play is something this kid thrives at. If you're not a believer, just ask Warren Easton when it was 4th & 13 in the fourth quarter of the state championship how Kelly threw a dart to his receiver for a touchdown on the run escaping an all out blitz. That touchdown would be the go ahead score to give Edna Karr the win & repeat as state champions for the third year in a row. 

Kelly was one of the top quarterback performers at the Elite 11 Nike camp & at the Rivals camp this past month. A lot of schools have taken notice of Kelly’s performance this past season & on the camp circuit so far. Tulane, Houston, LA Tech, Southeastern, & Southern are all the schools that are showing heavy interest in Kelly at the moment. These schools are expected to drop by for spring practices to further evaluate Kelly going forward.

The two sport athlete from Thibodaux High School was courted by the Nicholls State coaching staff on campus Tuesday & before he left he received his first football offer. “It’s really a blessing,” Lacy said. “Coach Rebowe & coach Christophel had a long talk with me letting me know how much they believe in me. That really meant a lot to me because they didn’t just talk to me about football, it was more about life & me growing as a person. I really like what they are doing with the program & it’s definitely somewhere I could see myself playing.”

Lacy is coming off his first year playing football since his eighth grade year, but the talented two sport athlete showed that he has the tools to be special going forward. At 6-3 210 pounds, Lacy is very athletic with some pretty good speed for his size. The soon to be senior played wide receiver & defensive back this past season, but Nicholls State & other colleges are recruiting him as a receiver. 

Lacy really put his name on the map last summer when he dominated at LSU, ULL, & Nicholls State camps. The coaching staffs were extremely impressed with his hands & his ability to high point the ball against some of the best defensive backs in the state. “Last year I was trying to rush the process & get offers at every camp I went to instead of trying to develop as a wide receiver,” Lacy said. “I’m still learning because I took so many years off just focusing on basketball. I still love basketball, but football is where my future is at.” 
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When you watch Lacy’s film it won’t wow you, but he shows glimpses that he can definitely end up being a hidden jewel when it’s all said & done. “Our starting quarterback tore his ACL after the fourth game last season & that changed things for our team on offense,” Lacy said. “I know what I’m capable of, I just have to work hard and keep putting it all together.”
Lacy possesses the measurables to go with a unique skill set that college coaches look for all the time. And it’s no doubt that he will have a bevy of college coaches coming by to see how he is progressing during the spring practices. “I’m not focusing on coaches coming see me this spring,” Lacy said. “My main focus is making sure my grades are good & just trying to become a better receiver. I can’t let my talent go to waste, so I have to make sure I’m not getting distracted by the wrong things that could stop me from reaching my goals.” 

Baylor, Houston, ULL, LA Tech, Southeastern, Northwestern State, Morgan State, Alcorn State, Southern, & Austin Peay are all the schools that are showing interest & recruiting Lacy heavy at the moment. 

Lacy is set to take an unofficial visit to ULL this weekend, and don’t be surprised if head coach Billy Napier offers the talented two sport athlete before he leaves off campus.

Ahmonte Watkins will be looked at as one of the top athletes, if not the top athlete in Louisiana for the 2021 class soon enough & a few power five programs have taken notice. The 5-10 175 pound stud picked up his first offer from the University of Virginia in late January & now Colorado has extended an offer. Mel Tucker & his staff have invaded the boot in recent weeks offering some big time prospects trying to make their mark quickly.

Watkins has had a lot of success on the track for Riverside Academy as of late winning track MVP in his last meet by running a time of 10.3 in the 100 meter & a 21.5 in the 200 meter. His speed is what separates him from many of the running backs in Louisiana regardless of class.

The soon to be junior has been getting the attention of some major programs like LSU, Michigan, Notre Dame, Mississippi St, & many more. No doubt that Watkins will become a household name sooner than later & he should start to see several big time programs extend an offer going forward into the summer.