Local standouts making their mark in college ranks

Silly season so unfair to athletes
December 5, 2017
Colonels head into final exams with momentum
December 5, 2017
Silly season so unfair to athletes
December 5, 2017
Colonels head into final exams with momentum
December 5, 2017

With Championship Saturday now done, the college football season is pretty much on a two-week hiatus before the bowl season begins.

Several local products were a major part of the madness that was the 2017 season.


The past college football season afforded several familiar faces the opportunity to shine and showcase their talents to fans across the country.

The solid showing should show college recruiters that the boys from the Bayou Area have what it takes to compete at a high level against top-flight competition.

DAVONTAVEAN MARTIN


Ellender Memorial High School standout graduate Davontavean Martin didn’t take long to make his mark at the next level.

The tall, lanky wide receiver played throughout his true freshman season with Washington State University, helping lead the Cougars 9-3 record in the Pac 12.

Martin caught 24 passes for 315 yards with four touchdowns on the season.


He started the year slow, catching just six passes in the Cougars’ first seven games.

But he finished with a bang, catching 18 passes in the final five games, including a 3-catch, 67-yard and two touchdown showing against Arizona and a 5-catch, 70-yard showing against Washington to close the season.

Martin’s play made waves around the West Coast and earned the praise of Washington State football coach Mike Leach, who said bluntly that the team made a mistake not featuring Martin more prominently earlier in the season.


“We have a lot of guys that want to play football,” Leach told pool reporters during the season. “But Tay Martin really needs football if you go back to where he’s from and what he’s been through. … He’s evolved. He’s really becoming a terrific player. He’s a great young man.”

Martin’s freshman season is not over. The Cougars were one of the highest-ranked teams in the Pac 12. They will be playing in a prestigious bowl game.

AMIK ROBERTSON


While Martin was catching passes and making plays, a Thibodaux High School graduate was defending receivers and establishing himself as one of the top young defensive backs in America.

As a true freshman, Amik Robertson was as dynamic as they come for Louisiana Tech – one of the better defensive backs in the country.

Robertson recorded 58 tackles for the Bulldogs this season, including 6.5 tackles for a loss.


He had an unbelievable nose for the football this season, as well, recording 10 pass deflections and four interceptions – the most on the Bulldogs’ team.

Earlier in the season, Bulldogs coach Skip Holtz said he was proud of the freshman, saying that Robertson was ready to play at a high level from the second he got on campus.

“I love his attitude,” Holtz said. “I love the way he loves the game.”


Louisiana Tech finished the season 6-6. They, too, are bowl eligible, which should give Robertson one last chance to shine in his freshman season.

On social media, Robertson said recently that he’s blessed to have had such a big freshman season, but quickly added that he’s not satisfied an wants to continue to push for more success in the future.

PEYTON GUIDRY


South Lafourche graduate Peyton Guidry played his best football late in the season against Southland Conference rivals.

Guidry, a senior linebacker for Northwestern State, started the season consistently, posting at least four tackles in six of the first seven games to start the season.

But then, he exploded.


In the final four games of the year, Guidry morphed into an absolute monster – a tackling machine which powered the Demons’ defense.

In the final four games of the season, Guidry recorded 52 total tackles, including 8.5 tackles for a loss. He finished the season as the Demons’ leading tackler with 86 stops, 2.5 sacks, 2 interceptions and 2 forced fumbles.

BAILEY GRANIER


Guidry’s high school teammate, Vanderbilt offensive lineman Bailey Granier, is starting to find his place on the Commodores’ depth chart.

Playing for the SEC Eastern Division team, Granier started two games at right tackle for Vanderbilt, while also playing several snaps in some of the team’s other games.

In addition to the late-season spot starts, Granier was a member of Vanderbilt’s conversion units.


A redshirt junior, Granier has another season of eligibility and figures to factor heavily into the Commodores’ plans next fall.

NICHOLLS LOCALS

Of course, a slew of local players play for Nicholls and several standouts made an impact for the Colonels’ magical season.


In the backfield, E.D. White graduate Jeremy Rounds rushed 34 times for 172 yards and two touchdowns, while Thibodaux graduate Donnell Adair carried 30 times for 102 yards and a score.

On the edges, E.D. White graduate Stephen LeBouef also made an impact, catching 7 passes for 51 yards and a score, while also serving as a quality blocker for the Colonels. •

Local standouts


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