Douglas makes collegiate commitment

One of the best senior football players in the state has made his decision for the future.

Terrebonne High School standout Jakhi Douglas announced yesterday afternoon that he had committed to Florida State University — one of the dozens of schools who offered him throughout his recruiting process.

Douglas, a 5-foot, 9-inch, 187-pound receiver, is a 4-star recruit on 247sports.com — the No. 8 player in Louisiana for the 2020 recruiting class.

He announced his decision on social media on Independence Day. 

“First, I would like to start off by thanking God for the talent that he blessed me with,” Douglas said in a Twitter post. “I want to thank my parents and the rest of my family for their many sacrifices. … I want to thank all of the Universities that recruited me and believe in my talents. … With that being said, for the next 4 years, I will be taking my talent to Florida State University. #GoNoles.”

For Douglas, the decision to commit to Florida State is big news around national recruiting services.

Last summer, Douglas soared up recruiting boards around the country after posting several impressive showings at camps around the Southeast.

Douglas started making waves at Terrebonne in 2017 as a sophomore.

Playing a hybrid quarterback/running back/wide receiver position, Douglas completed 62-of-100 passes for 12 touchdowns as a sophomore, rushing 70 times for 598 yards and 5 scores.

Last season, Douglas continued to shine, completing 77-of-127 passes for 8 touchdowns. As a runner, he carried 149 times for 685 yards and 11 scores. As a receiver, Douglas caught 12 passes for 251 yards and 4 touchdowns — all while helping lead Terrebonne to an 11-2 season and a berth in the Class 5A State Quarterfinals.

“The thing that makes Jakhi who he is, is his work ethic,” Terrebonne football coach Gary Hill said. “He’s an exceptional talent. I think everyone knows that. But he’s also a hard worker and a great teammate. Jakhi is one of the hardest workers on our team and I think he is a good example to the other guys because they can look up to Jakhi, see the successes he’s having and realize that if they do those same things, the same things can happen to them.”

For Douglas, the decision to commit in early-July is strategic.

Now, it’s time for business and trying to make it to the Dome.

Douglas has said several times throughout the offseason that he believes Terrebonne has a chance to have another strong season in 2019 — despite losing a talented batch of seniors off last year’s team.

Douglas returns in the backfield and will continue to be a Jack of all trades for the team — playing multiple positions. Hill said in addition to the skill positions, there’s also a chance that Douglas will be a kick and punt returner in 2019 and there will also be opportunities for him to play defense in a pinch, as well.

“Whatever we need him to do to win ballgames, he’s going to be willing to do,” Douglas said. “That’s what I think is one of the best parts about coaching him is that willingness to always put the team first.”

During his recruitment, Douglas accumulated a who’s who of offers from powerhouse schools around the country — a list which included LSU, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi State, Michigan, Miami, Tennessee and several others.

Many speculated throughout his recruitment that Douglas would end up in the SEC and for a time, it appeared that the University of Florida was one of his leaders.

But at the end of the day, it was the ACC’s Florida State who secured his verbal pledge and got his commitment.

If that pledge holds, Douglas could sign with the Seminoles as soon as this winter in the Early Signing Day period. But other schools are going to continue to recruit the Terrebonne High School standout throughout the season, which leaves open the possibility that he may de-commit later and end up signing with another school before the final National Signing Day in Feb. 2020. 

But for now, our area’s best is a Seminole and he said his only focus right now is on taking the Tigers to the bright lights in 2019.

“We have a clear goal — we want to make it to the Dome,” Douglas said earlier this summer. “Right now, that’s what we’re putting in the work for — to try and make it to the State Championship Game. We think we have what it takes. But we just have to keep working and coming together. We know we can do it.”

Jakhi DouglasDENO THERIOT | DENO THERIOT PHOTOGRAPHY

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