Houma native ponders NFL move

A former Vandebilt Catholic High School star is thinking long and hard about expediting his path to the NFL.

University of Louisiana-Lafayette coach Mark Hudspeth confirmed to a pool of reporters this week that Ragin’ Cajuns junior and Vandebilt graduate Elijah McGuire has sent his information to the NFL Draft advisory board – a committee of scouts and NFL experts who grade players and inform them of where they may be drafted should they head to the NFL.

McGuire has drawn the attention of professional scouts after three-straight dominant seasons at the collegiate level with the Ragin’ Cajuns.

The former Terrier won Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year in 2014 after rushing for 1,264 yards and 14 touchdowns as a sophomore. He followed that up with 1,047 more rushing yards and 13 scores this season for a UL-Lafayette team that was ravished by injuries and won just four games.

Attempts to reach McGuire at press-time were not successful, and the Ragin’ Cajuns media relations office wouldn’t honor a request to speak to the Houma native because of final exams at the university this past week.

“Elijah McGuire is testing the waters…,” Hudspeth said. “He is going to do that and see where he falls.”

McGuire’s path to the NFL spotlight comes after one of the best prep football careers in recent memory.

A 5-foot, 11-inch, 207-pound halfback, McGuire landed with the Ragin’ Cajuns for the 2013 season after being one of the most overlooked prospects in the state of Louisiana in 2012.

In his senior season with the Terriers, McGuire was one of the top quarterbacks in Louisiana – a dual threat touchdown-scoring machine that led Vandebilt to both a district championship and then the Class 4A State Quarterfinals.

McGuire rushed for more than 2,000 yards in that season, while also making plays with his arm on occasion. He was a frequent front-page story – one of the most dominant prep football players in the past several decades.

“There wasn’t anything he couldn’t do,” then-Vandebilt coach Brad Villavaso said in 2013 when asked how to replace McGuire after his graduation.

McGuire signed with UL-Lafayette after being recruited by several smaller schools around the Southeast.

He made an immediate impact with the Cajuns in his first season in 2013, winning Sun Belt Conference Freshman of the Year after rushing 103 times for 863 yards and eight scores.

McGuire followed that up with the aforementioned 1,264-yard season, which also featured 45 catches for 468 yards and two scores.

After that season, The Times did a feature story on McGuire in which a short Q&A was posed to the local tailback.

One of the questions McGuire was asked was whether he’d consider leaving school early to chase a career in the NFL. His answer, at that time, was “probably not.”

“It’s my dream to play in the NFL,” McGuire said in that Dec. 2014 interview. “But we have some unfinished business here. I love it here. I love my teammates, and I love the situation I’m in. It’s my plan to play my eligibility here and then see what God has for me later.”

But Hudspeth’s comments this past week lead one to believe that the running back may have somewhat reversed course.

The Ragin’ Cajuns head coach said he met with McGuire last Tuesday – a meeting that the coach said was productive.

At that time, Hudspeth said McGuire informed the coach of his plans to submit himself to the advisory board, while also indicating that he’d consider leaving depending on the advice he’s given.

McGuire was solid again in 2015, but his statistics weren’t as good as someone expected after the monstrous 2014 campaign he accumulated. A lot of that could be attributed to a nagging shoulder injury McGuire had throughout the year and also a plethora of injuries along the Ragin’ Cajuns offensive line.

The Ragin Cajuns also fell behind in several games, which limited running opportunities and caused the team to post just a 4-8 season, snapping the Ragin’ Cajuns’ lengthy streak of New Orleans Bowl wins.

Hudspeth told reporters that all of the above-mentioned things were brought up in his meeting with McGuire, adding that the local halfback would be “100 percent committed” to UL-Lafayette if he chooses to return to school.

Hudspeth said McGuire expressed disappointment in how 2015 played out and hunger for redemption in 2016.

That is, of course, if he’s not in the pros.

“He wants to help his teammates win a championship and be a leader of this team,” Hudspeth said. “But I told him, ‘I want what’s best for you’”.

Most scouting services have McGuire listed in the Top 10 halfbacks for the 2017 NFL Draft. No recruiting services have McGuire ranked yet for 2016 – perhaps because they don’t expect him to go pro.

The deadline for underclassmen to enter the NFL Draft is Jan. 18.

LSU STANDOUTS ALSO COULD MAKE MOVE

As per the norm, the LSU football team also has several standout players who could make the move to the NFL Draft.

According to draft experts, as many as a half-dozen players could turn pro, depending on how projections pan out.

Among the NFL hopefuls are receiver Travin Dural, cornerback Tre’Davious White, linebacker Kendell Beckwith and offensive linemen Jerald Hawkins and Ethan Pocic. •