Colonels beef up in ‘12 class

Nicholls State football coach Charlie Stubbs apparently chose quality over quantity in his 2012 football recruiting class.

The Colonels unveiled their 14-player class on National Signing Day last Wednesday before a packed Century Club inside John L. Guidry Stadium.

Although small in number, the coach said the players Nicholls hauled in are some of the most talented to come through the program in recent years.

“I know for sure, I don’t just believe it, I know it n this is the best quality we’ve had of players,” Stubbs said. “We signed just 14 today, but they can play this game.”

The Colonels’ class is split evenly among offense and defense with seven signees for each unit.

Defensively, Nicholls made an obvious push to be better in the trenches.

The Colonels took three defensive linemen in this class who will all serve as added beef along a previously thin unit.

“We needed depth there,” Stubbs said. “I think last year one of the biggest things we saw when we had that rash of injuries was that we just didn’t have the overall team depth like we wanted to.”

To make that a reality, Stubbs started local, inking Central Lafourche standout Jared Breaux.

An athletic 270-pound lineman with experience on both the inside and outside of the line, Stubbs said he is “very excited” about what the former Trojan can bring to the table for the Colonels.

As a senior, Breaux was named First Team All-District, recording 115 tackles and nine sacks.

“He’s an excellent football player,” Stubbs said. “We’re super excited to have him with us. He plays with a real motor.

“We feel like he’ll play an inside position in our defensive front. He’s very athletic.”

Joining Breaux as defensive line commitments are Cisco Junior College defensive tackle Lorenza Young and Catholic-New Iberia lineman Andrew Hebert.

Hebert caught Stubbs’ eye after a dominant high school career in which he was All-State in both football and power lifting and also posted a sparkling 4.0 GPA.

Young accumulated 64 tackles last year as a junior college sophomore. Stubbs said the 275-pounder could see the field early.

“He was by-far the best defensive lineman on their team and he played all of the positions up front,” Stubbs said. “They moved him around wherever they needed him to play each game.”

In addition to beef, the Colonels also added depth at linebacker, inking three in the 2012 class n Southern Lab’s Kameryon Brown, Pearl River Community College’s Chris Bermond and John Curtis Christian Academy’s Chris Lorden.

While Stubbs sang the praises of each member of the trio, Lorden just may be the best catch of the crop.

A multi-year starter at John Curtis, the 230-pounder recorded 18 sacks, 68 tackles and 15 tackles for a loss as a senior.

In addition to lofty play, Stubbs said Lorden will provide the team with the knowledge of how to win championships, as he played for arguably the state’s top prep program.

“He brings a lot,” Stubbs said. “He’s a classic example. He comes from a program that’s highly structured, comes from a program that’s highly successful. He’s played in big games and he knows what it takes to win championships and work toward it.

“I really believe he brings more than just his playing ability. He brings leadership to our team.”

Offensively, the Colonels also focused heavily on linemen, hauling in three “dirt bags” to spike the team’s depth n exactly what Stubbs wanted.

“I want nice kids, kind of, but I need some nastiness on our team a little bit more,” Stubbs said. “We want our O-line to be a little bit like dirt bags, right? They have to be able to get in there and get after it.”

Arguably the biggest “dirt bag” of the bunch is Estacado High School lineman Brandon Holmes.

An athletic, 280-pound lineman, Holmes showed an affinity for getting extra action during plays in the highlights shown by the Colonels’ staff.

“He’s always looking for extra things to do,” Stubbs said with a laugh while watching Holmes push a cornerback to the turf following a play. “He’s voted most likely to start a fight our first practice.”

Also joining the Colonels up front is a little local flavor as South Lafourche offensive tackle Gary Bruce will be a Colonel.

The former Tarpon impressed Stubbs with his work ethic and ability to play multiple positions. Bruce was named the Tarpons’ outstanding offensive lineman three times.

“He’s a very athletic lineman,” Stubbs said. “We’re super excited about him.”

With more linemen signed, the team then turned its attention to playmakers to amp up its passing game.

Wide receivers Von Breaux and Erik Buchanan each stand well above 6-feet and will give the Colonels future targets in the passing game.

Joining them is pocket-passing quarterback Christopher “Dash” Duncan, who tossed for close to 5,000 yards and more than 50 touchdowns in the past two seasons at St. Michael the Archangel in Baton Rouge.

Stubbs said Duncan is being mentored by former Central Lafourche and LSU standout Tommy Hodson, who is giving the prospect rave reviews.

That’s good news to Stubbs, who said he has a clear goal for the 2012 season, which was exhibited in the type of players signed in this class.

“I want to be able to throw the ball more effectively than we have been,” Stubbs said. “And we got some good players here already. But bringing in more will spark some good competition and will make us a better team.”

With signing day out of the way, Stubbs said the team will now take care of its own.

The coach said because of the light 2012 class, he will have leftover scholarship money to reward players who are currently outperforming their partial scholarships.

“I want to reward some of the young men already in our program,” Stubbs said. “If I see a young man that’s not just playing great football, but is making great contributions to the university and all of that, I will take some of our [available] funds and elevate them.”

The coach said that he also anticipates getting faxed National Letters of Intent from additional prospects throughout the next few days.

He said the team feels good about a handful of transfers who are strongly considering Nicholls.

“Even right now, there could be faxed copies of their [LOI] on our fax machine right now,” Stubbs said. “But by NCAA rules, since I didn’t receive them by now, they can’t be in the presentation. In the next few days, you can expect to hear some announcements on that. But if the I’s aren’t dotted, you can’t do it.”

Regardless of how many that might be, Stubbs said he’s excited, stating he believes the Colonels’ future is bright.

“We’ve laid the foundation,” he said. “Now we want to see those results in the win column.”

Below is the Colonels’ 2012 recruiting class:

Chris Bermond, linebacker, 6’0, 230, Pearl River Community College

Anthony McLean, cornerback, 5’11, 185, Coahoma Community College

Jared Breaux, defensive line, 6’2, 270, Central Lafourche High School

Andrew Hebert, defensive line, 6’2, 260, Catholic-New Iberia High School

Lorenza Young, defensive tackle, 6’2, 275, Cisco Junior College

Kameryon Brown, linebacker, 6’0, 215, Southern Laboratory School

Chris Lorden, linebacker, 6’2, 230, John Curtis Christian Academy

Joe Bonner, offensive line, 6’5, 335, Copiah-Lincoln Community College

Gary Bruce, offensive line, 6’3, 270, South Lafourche High School

Brandon Holmes, offensive line, 6’3, 280, Estacado High School

Michael Henry, halfback, 6’2, 215, Episcopal High School

Von Breaux, wide receiver, 6’3, 185, Northside High School

Erik Buchanan, wide receiver, 6’3, 205, Itawamba Community College

Christopher “Dash” Duncan, quarterback, 6’4, 200, St. Michael the Archangel

Nicholls State football coach Charlie Stubbs addresses supporters at Nicholls’ National Signing Day ceremony. The Colonels believe they scored well in the 2012 recruiting class. CASEY GISCLAIR