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June 27, 2018
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June 27, 2018
A Terrebonne High School junior literally has his pick of the liter when it comes to where he will play his college football in the future.
Rising junior Jakhi Douglas has exploded in recent weeks at camps around the country and he’s now one of the most highly recruited players in all of Louisiana and even throughout the Southeast for the Class of 2020.
Just this past week alone, Douglas picked up offers from Alabama and LSU – adding to his ever-growing list which already consists of Houston, Kansas, Louisiana Tech, Louisiana-Lafayette, Memphis, Mississippi State, Missouri, SMU and Southern Miss, Tennessee and Texas Tech, among others.
The LSU offer came after Douglas shined at an LSU camp this past week, making several big plays as a receiver. On social media, he posted a photo of himself in an LSU shirt with Tigers’ coach Ed Orgeron. The two are making an L with their fingers – a trademark snapshot for Orgeron with recruits.
Douglas has said very little publicly about his recruitment, but it appears that the Tigers have caught his eye. After getting the LSU offer, he retweeted several videos of prospects announcing their commitments to LSU.
“After a great day at camp and a good talk with (LSU Coach Ed Orgeron), I’m extremely blessed to say I have earned an offer to the Louisiana State University,” Douglas tweeted on Friday. He ended his tweet with Geaux Tigers.
Douglas’ climb up the recruiting ladder has come fast and furious.
The prospect plays quarterback, running back and receiver for Terrebonne. After transferring from Ellender Memorial early last season, he exploded in his sophomore year, dominating games with his elusiveness and ability to make plays in the open field.
Teamed with fellow athlete Keshawn James and flanked with playmakers all over the field and big, stout offensive and defensive lines, Terrebonne turned heads last season and made the playoffs, despite tremendous youth.
This year, with the majority of their team back, the Tigers are expected to be one of the top teams in the state in Class 5A.
“Jakhi is really a weapon,” Tigers coach Gary Hill said during an interview last season at the peak of Terrebonne’s rise. “He is a kid who makes special things happen for us on the football field. It’s like a firework. You don’t know when, but you know there’s a good chance it will explode and be something pretty. He gives that to us.”
And he’s just getting started.
Douglas still has two seasons of eligibility with the Tigers and he’s still fairly new to the recruiting cycle.
Scouts’ first instincts were to rank Douglas lower than other comparable playmakers in the Class of 2020 because of his size. Douglas is 5-foot, 10-inches and weighs 170 pounds. He’s currently a 3-star prospect on 247 Sports’ database.
But as Douglas competes around the country, his star is continuing to grow.
That’s because he makes up for his lack of height with quickness, route running and good, old-fashioned speed.
At the LSU camp, Douglas took the top off the defense several times and made big plays down the field.
The explosiveness and versatility are what colleges like most about the prospect. He will enter the next level with the ability to play several positions, which could make things awfully difficult for opposing defenses to scheme against.
LEGENDRE MAKES HIS CHOICE
While Douglas’ recruiting profile continues to grow, another local prospect has made up his mind about the future. He’s going to be a Ragin’ Cajun.
E.D. White quarterback Brandon Legendre announced this week that he’s committing to the University of Louisiana-Lafayette – a huge get for the Ragin’ Cajuns in the recruiting class of 2019.
Legendre is a quarterback in high school, but will be a slot receiver at the next level. He stands 5-feet, 10-inches and weighs 180 pounds.
He is a 3-star prospect, according to 247 Sports and he chose the Ragin’ Cajuns over offers from Arizona State, Kansas, Kentucky, Notre Dame, SMU, TCU, Central Florida, Tulane, West Virginia and Vanderbilt, among a long list of others.
Legendre announced his commitment on Twitter and said that he is 100 percent committed to ULL.
They’re getting one heck of a football player.
Legendre was a huge difference maker for E.D. White last season, accounting for more than 30 touchdowns, while helping lead the team to the District 7-4A Championship.
Legendre has breakaway speed and is tough to catch in the open field.
At camps, he’s shown the ability to catch passes in the middle of the field, while making defenders miss – a skillset which will likely be valuable to ULL early in his collegiate career.
Legendre is a senior this season. He said he made his decision early so that he could give his full focus to the Cardinals.
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