Nicholls signs 22 to football team, 2 from Tri-parish area

Nicholls State first-year football coach Charlie Stubbs and his staff have spent the past two weeks on the road visiting every Louisiana high school they could in hopes of luring a few last minute recruits to Thibodaux.

“We’ve used all 24 hours every day,” Stubbs said. “We could not get everywhere, but I got to many high schools in the immediate area.”

Stubbs showed the fruits of his staff’s labors on Wednesday when he unveiled his team’s 2010 football recruiting class in front of a crowd of Colonels supporters at the Hampton Inn Hotel in Thibodaux.

“One thing we wanted to do is recruit true student athletes, not just guys who can play and do things with the football,” Stubbs said. “I also wanted motivated and high-energy type guys. I wanted guys that as I met these young men would come in and sit on the edge of their chairs and look me in the eyes … I’m very pleased with these young men.”

The Colonels signed 17 players on National Signing Day to add to the five commitments they had received in the early signing period.

In addition to the current signees, Stubbs said he and his staff were selective about who to recruit. And as a result, Stubbs said the team still has scholarships to offer in the future.

“I didn’t want to be in front of you today and just be presenting to you 30 names, just so people could say, ‘Oh yeah, Coach Stubbs brought in 30 guys’,” he said. “I wanted to make sure they were the right guys.”

There will be a lot of local flavor in the class as 12 of the 22 signees are from Louisiana.

“The first thing I noticed when I started watching the video of the student athletes presented to me was … the very good coaching that is getting done in this state,” he said. “I also noticed some very good athletes right here in this area. I’m always going to take advantage of that.”

The class will feature two prospects that played high school football in the Tri-parish area – South Lafourche’s Mark Mayberry and Rafe Plaisance.

Mayberry was a first-team All-District selection his senior season at South Lafourche as a blocking tight end.

The 6-foot-2-inch tight end said former Colonels’ coach Jay Thomas initially recruited him, but Stubbs sealed the deal.

“It’s a new coach and a new beginning, so I’m just excited about being a part of the program,” he said. “I know we’re bringing in a lot of local guys, so it will be fun to turn it around.”

Like Mayberry, Plaisance was a first-team All-District selection in his senior season. Plaisance recorded 63 pancake blocks in his senior season and said he is projected to move from offensive tackle to offensive guard in college.

Plaisance said he’s envisioned playing collegiate football since he was a small child.

“It’s a dream,” Plaisance said. “It’s finally come true. I’ve been working for this my whole life. Every football player dreams of making it to that next level.”

South Lafourche coach Terry Farmer said he is proud of his two players and said he hopes to build a pipeline from Galliano to Thibodaux during his tenure with the Tarpons.

“It’s a real good school,” he said. “With the new coach coming in, there’s a change up there. I’ll be honest, I hope we can start to send one or two a year there.”

Outside Mayberry and Plaisance, a few other players in the Colonels’ class have Tri-parish ties.

Quarterback Beaux Hebert signed with the Colonels out of Greater Atlanta Christian High School in Norcross, Georgia.

Hebert is the son of former Saints quarterback and Cut Off native Bobby Hebert.

In his senior season, Hebert had 18 touchdown passes and threw for more than 1,800 yards.

“He’s got all the tools,” Stubbs said. “It’s just my job to get it all out of him.”

The Colonels also signed John Curtis defensive back Jordan Hanberry, who is the son of Cut Off attorney and Larose native Joel Hanberry.

Hanberry’s family opted to enroll him at private school, John Curtis, instead of South Lafourche and he excelled with the Patriots, winning First-Team All-State in his senior season.

Stubbs said Hanberry’s intelligence on the field made him attractive to the Colonels.

Hanberry made a 30 on the ACT test.

“He’s a little bit undersized, but he is a football player,” he said. “He’s always where he’s supposed to be. He makes plays. He’s one that I know the defensive coaches will like, because he won’t make mistakes.”

With the signing class complete, Stubbs and the Colonels will now look ahead to spring practice.

The Colonels’ first-year coach reiterated that although the 2010 class will feature the first batch of players he recruited to the program, no one on the roster will receive favoritism.

“Every kid that’s in our program right now, they’re not getting discounted,” Stubbs said. “Those young men will be given every chance to sign … Not one of these kids in this signing class has been told that they will get anything other than an opportunity to compete.”

Elsewhere in the Tri-Parish area:

The rest of the Tri-parish area was free of surprises as players signed with the programs they were previously committed to.

Thibodaux standout Trovon Reed stuck to his commitment to Auburn and signed his national letter of intent at a private ceremony at Thibodaux High School.

Various recruiting outlets questioned Reed’s commitment, but he stayed true to his pledge to the Tigers, spurning a last-minute push by LSU.

H.L. Bourgeois defensive tackle also stayed true to his word and signed his national letter of intent with Florida State on Signing Day after committing to the program last September.

Central Lafourche also is sending a trio to the next level as defensive back Brandon Smith signed with Texas Tech and quarterback Cobie Savoie and halfback Byron Thomas signed to play for Division II’s Arkansas Tech.

Smith committed to play for the Red Raiders in May and Texas Tech’s new coaching staff stuck to their scholarship offer following former coach Mike Leach’s dismissal.

List of Colonels’ 2010 football signees:

QB: Beaux Hebert, 6’3, 177, Greater Atlanta Christian, Norcross, Georgia

QB: Landry Klann, 6’2, 200, McCollum High School, San Antonio, Texas

QB: Justin Rosborough, 6’2, 180, Ft. Bend Hightower High School, Missouri, Texas

OL: Rafe Plaisance, 6’3, 300, South LaFourche High School, Galliano, Louisiana

TE: Nick Scelfo, 6’3, 225, St. Michael the Archangel High School, Baton Rouge, Louisiana

TE: Josh Dudley, 6’3, 205, Jesuit High School, New Orleans, Louisiana

TE: Mark Mayberry, 6’2, 235, South LaFourche High School, Galliano, Louisiana

RB: Marcus Washington, 6’0, 205, Foley High School, Lillian, Alabama

RB: Stephen Richmond, 5’9, 176, DeRidder High School, DeRidder, Louisiana

WR: Calvin Davison Jr., 5’9, 170, Blount High School, Prichard, Alabama

LB: Myles O’Brien, 6’3, 210, Archbishop Rummel High School, Metairie, Louisiana

LB: Warren Lennix Jr., 6’1, 210, Destrehan High School, New Sarpy, Louisiana

DB: Toren Joseph, 6’1, 185, St. Augustine High School, New Orleans, Louisiana

DB: Jordan Hanberry, 5’10, 185, John Curtis High School, River Ridge, Louisiana

DB: Brian Lewis, 5’10, 180, Edna Karr High School, New Orleans, Louisiana

DB: Johnathan Smith, 6’1, 180, Edna Karr High School, New Orleans, Louisiana

DB: Siegan Vergenal, 6’0, 185, Westgate High School, New Iberia, Louisiana

Mid-year signees:

WR: Floyd Chism, 6’1, 170, Daingerfield High School, Lone Star, Texas

WR: Kenyad Blair, 6’2, 205, Northeast Oklahoma Junior College, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

DT: Gavin Whitfield, 6’3, 280, Georgia Military College, Warren Robins, Georgia

DT: Michael Billingsley, 6’4, 283, Northeast Oklahoma Junior College, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

K: Andrew Dolan, 6’1, 180, McGill Toolen High School, Mobile Alabama