NEW ORLEANS RECRUITING

Latest Recruiting News, Lists, Analysis and Updates

2009 TULANE COMMITMENTS

Pos.//Name, School//Hgt.//Wgt.

RB//Stephen Barnett, The Bolles School, Jacksonville, Fla.//6-0//185

RB//Payten Jason, Jesuit//6-0//190

WR//Wilson Van Hooser, Trinity Presbyterian, Montgomery, Ala.//5-11//175

OG//Zack Morgan, Moss Bluff-Sam Houston//6-3//290

OT//Hunter Howden, Lumberton, Texas//6-5//285

OL//Mike Curtis, John Curtis//6-6//270

DL//Shane Delery, Jesuit//6-4//250

LB//Cody Ledford, North Florida Christian, Tallahassee, Fla.//5-11//205

DB//Ryan Travis, Plaquemine//5-11//170

ATH//D.J. Banks, West Monroe//5-10//180

                Tulane secured a sorely-needed victory on the field Saturday against Louisiana-Monroe and a signature recruit off of it.

                Curtis lineman Mike Henry attended the Green Wave’s 24-10 victory against UL-M in the Superdome and verbally committed to Coach Bob Toledo afterwards in the winning team’s jubilant locker room.

                “(Toledo) was excited,’’ Henry said. “He told I made his day even better.’’

                Henry, 6-foot-6, 270 pounds, is in his third year as a starting defensive tackle for Curtis’ perennial state champions, but he projects as an offensive lineman with the Wave. He runs the 40 in 4.95 seconds and bench presses 340 pounds in addition to possessing enough athleticism to start at center on the Curtis basketball team.

                “I haven’t played (offensive line), but I told (Tulane’s coaches) that I will make the transition,’’ Henry said via telephone during a break from a celebratory dinner with he and his girlfriend’s family at a St. Charles Avenue steakhouse. “I’m just going to try to make the team better, help make them a winning team and try to go to bowl games.’’

                 Henry is Tulane’s 10^th commitment for 2009 and the first member of The Times Picayune Preseason Top 25 Blue Chip List for this year to commit to the Wave. He also is Tulane’s fifth in-state commitment and the third Metro area player, joining running back Peyton Jason and defensive end Shane Delery of Jesuit.

                “I thought Tulane played well,’’ Henry said of the UL-M victory. “It looks like Bob Toledo is rebuilding the team and I just want to help in the rebuilding. The defense played really well and the offensive line played well, too. I like the coaches and I want to help the coaches and Coach Toledo make it a better program, a winning program. And I want to get a good education.’’

Interestingly, Henry’s two official offers to this point were from Tulane and UL-M, although he has attracted recruiting interest from LSU, Alabama, Arkansas, Tennessee and Florida.

”Mike is a good athlete,’’ Curtis Coach J.T. Curtis said. “He has good feet. He runs well. He is a guy that has the potential to play on either side of the ball. He has great range, he has good feet, long arms. That’s why I think (Tulane coaches) feel like he’ll be a good offensive lineman.’’

Henry projects as a full qualifier and plans to study medicine with an eye toward possibly practicing sports medicine.

“I have family that went to Tulane,’’ Henry said. “My grandfather graduated from there. All of my family likes Tulane. I have been going to Tulane football and basketball games since I was a kid. I started going when I was maybe six and I’m 17 now.’’

Pos.//Name, School//Hgt.//Wgt.//Commitment

RB//Montrell Conner, Monroe-Ouachita//6-2//215//Miss. State commit

RB//Tyrone Duplessis, O. Perry Walker//5-8//185

RB//Michael Ford, Leesville//5-11//200//LSU commit

RB//Eddie Lacy, Dutchtown//6-0//225//

RB//Alex Singleton, East St. John//6-0//230//Tulsa commit

RB//DeAnte’ Triplett, Ehret//5-10//215

WR//Kenny Bell, Rayville//6-1//170//LSU commit

WR//Morris Claiborne, Shreveport-Fair Park//6-0//180

WR//Abrecus Martinez, Rayville//6-3//185

WR//Rueben Randle, Bastrop//6-3//200

OG//Carneal Ainsworth, Baton Rouge-Parkview Baptist//6-5//285//LSU commit

OT//Chris Faulk, Northshore//6-6//315//LSU commit

OT//Mike Henry, John Curtis//6-5//270

OT//Patrick Lewis, East St. John//6-1//305//Texas A&M commit

DE//Deon Simon, Baton Rouge-Glen Oaks//6-4//285//Central Florida commit

DT//Chris Davenport, Mansfield//6-3//310//LSU commit

DT//Josh Downs, Bastrop//6-1//270//LSU commit

DT//Darrington Sentimore, Destrehan//6-3//260

LB//Lamin Barrow, Ehret//6-2//220

LB//Tahj Jones, Sulphur//6-2//195

LB//Barkevious Mingo, West Monroe//6-5//190

LB//Jonathan Stewart, Shreveport-Byrd//6-4//220//Texas A&M commit

CB//Janzen Jackson, Lake Charles-Barbe//6-1//185//LSU commit

ATH//Ricky Johnson, Carencro//6-1//185//Arkansas commit

LSU FOOTBALL COMMITMENTS

POS.//NAME, SCHOOL//HGT.//WGT.

QB//Russell Shepard, Cypress Ridge, Houston//6-2//185

QB//Chris Garrett, Tupelo, Miss.//6-5//230

RB//Drayton Calhoun, Tucker, Ga.//5-11//180

RB//Michael Ford, Leesville//5-11//200

RB//Dexter Pratt, Navasota, Texas//6-2//225

WR//Kenny Bell, Rayville//6-1//170

WR//Rantavious Wooten, Belle Glade, Fla., Glades Central//5-10//160

OL//Carneal Ainsworth, Parkview Baptist, Baton Rouge//6-4//285

OT//Chris Faulk, Northshore//6-6//315

OT//Stavion Lowe, Brownwood, Texas//6-6//295

OL//Josh Williford, Houston Academy, Dotha, Ala.//6-7//335

DE//Mike Brockers, Cesar Chavez, Houston//6-6//255

DT//Chris Davenport, Mansfield//6-3//320

DT//Josh Downs, Bastrop//6-2//255

LB//Willie Ferrell, FAMU Lab, Tallahassee, Fla.//6-2//230

LB//Kevin Minter, Peachtree Ridge, Suwanee, Ga.//6-0//230

DB//Janzen Jackson, Barbe//6-1//185

P//Derek Helton, Fort Scott, Kan., Community College//6-1//170

TULANE COMMITMENTS

Pos.//Name, School//Hgt.//Wgt.

RB//Stephen Barnett, The Bolles School, Jacksonville, Fla.//6-0//185

RB//Payten Jason, Jesuit//6-0//190

WR//Wilson Van Hooser, Trinity Presbyterian, Montgomery, Ala.//5-11//175

OG//Zack Morgan, Moss Bluff-Sam Houston//6-3//290

OT//Hunter Howden, Lumberton, Texas//6-5//285

DL//Shane Delery, Jesuit//6-4//250

LB//Cody Ledford, North Florida Christian, Tallahassee, Fla.//5-11//205

DB//Ryan Travis, Plaquemine//5-11//170

 ATH//D.J. Banks, West Monroe//5-10//180

LOUISIANA OUT-OF-STATE COMMITMENTS

Pos.//Name, School//Hgt.//Wgt.//College choice

RB//Ernest Celestie, Lake Charles-Barbe//5-11//170//Texas Tech commit

RB//Montrell Conner, Monroe-Ouachita//6-2//215//Miss. State commit

RB//Alex Singleton, East St. John//6-0//230//Tulsa commit

OL//Joey Fontana, Brother Martin//6-3//290//SMU commit

OL//Patrick Lewis, East St. John//6-1//305//Texas A&M commit

DE//DeQuinta Jones, Bastrop//6-2//265//Michigan commit

DE//Deon Simon, Baton Rouge-Glen Oaks//6-4//285//Central Florida commit

DT//Romelle Jones, East St. John//6-0//270//South Alabama commit

DT//Myron Walker, Rummel//5-10//265//Kentucky commit

LB//Bryson James, East St. John//6-2//205//South Alabama commit

LB//Michael Lamothe, New Iberia//6-3//215//Texas A&M commit

LB//Jonathan Stewart, Shreveport-Byrd//6-4//220//Texas A&M commit

LB//Jarvis Walker, Rummel//6-2//200//Kentucky commit

CB//Jerry Mitchell, Mandeville//6-2//195//Arkansas commit

CB//Deron Wilson, O. Perry Walker//5-9//175//USM commit

DB// Dalvin Harris, Ehret//6-1//210//South Alabama commit

ATH//Ricky Johnson, Carencro//6-1//185//Arkansas commit

Blue chip running back Tyrone Duplessis will miss Friday’s O. Perry Walker game against St. Augustine with a sprained knee.

Duplessis, 5-foot-8, 185 pounds, is not on crutches, but could miss as many three games, OPW Coach Skip LaMothe said. He injured the knee while being tackled on a kickoff return near the end of the third quarter in Sunday’s 34-6 victory against Clark.

“He kind of clashed knees together with a Clark player (on the return) and then the Clark player wrapped him up and tackled him,’’ LaMothe said. “The doctor said he could miss anywhere from one to two games. I’m saying it’s two to three weeks.’’

Duplessis is a member of The Times Picayune Preseason Top 25 Blue Chip List.

Senior Raheem Brown and sophomores Robert Kelley and Reginald Henry will operate in a three-man rotation during Duplessis’ absence.

“We’ll adjust,’’ LaMothe said. “We have talent.’’ 

Elsewhere, Dutchtown’s Eddie Lacy, the state’s top senior running back prospect, is expected to see his first action of the season tonight versus Broadmoor after missing nearly a month with a knee injury.

Lacy, 6-foot, 225 pounds, suffered a partial tear of a medial collateral ligament in an Aug. 22 scrimmage versus Zachary. Lacy was hurt when he took a direct hit on the knee after attempting to catch a screen pass.

A magnetic resonance imaging test revealed the ligament tear and a bone bruise, Dutchtown Coach Benny Saia said, while alleviating fears that the injury could be a more severe anterior cruciate ligament tear.

Lacy is a former Helen Cox player who transferred to Dutchtown after his family was displaced by Hurricane Katrina.

Lacy has scholarship offers from Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Tennessee, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Florida State, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Southern Mississippi, Louisiana Tech and others.

                Even with an official scholarship offer in hand from LSU, East St. John’s blue chip tailback Alex Singleton could not resist the allure of Golden Hurricane country in northeast Oklahoma.

                Singleton followed up an official visit to Tulsa this past weekend with a verbal commitment Wednesday night to play for Coach Todd Graham and the Golden Hurricane. Singleton also attended Tulsa’s summer football camp. He is Tulsa’s 16^th commitment for 2009 and also had an official offers from Mississippi State and Louisiana Tech.

                Tulsa, from Conference USA, had an open date this past weekend when Singleton visited, but the Hurricane is off to a 2-0 start with victories against Alabama-Birmingham (45-22) and North Texas (56-26).

“He went up to Tulsa this past weekend for his official visit and he fell in love with it, so he committed,’’ East St. John Coach Larry Dauterive said. “I don’t think LSU is going to stop recruiting him because they want him.’’

                Singleton and Dauterive visited LSU in August, watched the Tigers practice and then met afterward with Coach Les Miles, who then personally offered Singleton the opportunity to join LSU.

Singleton, 6-foot, 230 pounds, with 4.65 speed in the 40, could not be reached for comment, but Dauterive has said that his senior standout has continually expressed a strong desire to continue playing running back in college, the position for which Tulsa has recruited him. LSU is recruiting Singleton as a fullback.

Tulsa runs a spread offense directed by Gus Malzahn, the former Arkansas assistant, who now serves as the Hurricane’s assistant head coach and co-offensive coordinator. Malzahn recruited Singleton.

After attending Tulsa’s summer football camp, Singleton said the Hurricane program, “runs an offense that I like and they have everything I require in a school. Their education system is second to none.’’

Singleton is rated as the nation’s No. 11 fullback prospect by rivals.com and also is a member of The Times Picayune Preseason Top 25 Blue Chip List. He is the seventh member and second running back of the TP Blue Chip List and the 18^th Louisiana player overall to commit to an out-of-state school.

Monroe-Ouachita running back Montrell Conner earlier committed to Mississippi State.

Singleton has the necessary core grade-point-average, Dauterive said, and is expected to earn the necessary test score to be a full qualifier.

                Singleton earned All-State honors as a junior after rushing for 1,507 yards and 22 touchdowns in eight games as a running back. He began the 2007 season as a weakside linebacker. In his first start, Singleton rushed for 305 yards and four touchdowns against Carencro and out-ran LSU commit and defensive back Janzen Jackson on one scoring run, Dauterive said.

“I wouldn’t trade him for anybody,’’ Dauterive said. “He’s a guy that moves the chains for you. He runs a 4.6, but he also runs a 4.6 with all of his football equipment on. He’s really strong. You could strike a match on his chest. (Hahnville Coach Lou) Valdin calls him Godzilla. He’s just a man. He was our bell cow for the last eight games. We put the whole offense on his back and he was the key to our six wins. He’s a tough rascal.’’

Singleton has bench pressed 330 pounds, squatted 500, power cleaned 290 and has a vertical jump of 29 inches.

AP Photo / Rick HavnerMatt Forte and the Bears are off to a solid start.

The Tulane Green Wave has suffered back-to-back narrow losses to ranked opponents, but Tulane fans can still smile about one thing: Matt Forte.

The former Tulane star, now a rookie running back with the Chicago Bears, has powered his way to an impressive start with 215 yards (and a touchdown) in two weeks, good for fourth in the NFL amongst all runners.

His fast start has not gone unnoticed.

   Mitchell, 6-foot-2, 195 pounds with 4.5 speed in the 40, became the 14^th commitment for the Razorbacks of Coach Bobby Petrino for 2009, doing so with a simple voice mail message left for Arkansas assistant Willy Robinson on Monday night. Mitchell received a congratulatory response from Robinson on Tuesday. 

    Mitchell could not be reached for comment Wednesday night as he and the Skippers were playing West Jefferson at Mandeville in the season opener for both teams. The game was moved up from Friday to avoid any potential conflict with Hurricane Ike.

   Mitchell informed Arkansas’ coaches of his commitment following an unofficial visit to the Razorbacks’ campus last week while Metro area schools were closed due to the strike of Hurricane Gustav. He is considering making an official visit to Fayetteville on the weekend of Sept. 20 when the Razorbacks play host to Alabama.

   Mitchell recorded 38 tackles and intercepted four passes as a junior while helping Mandeville advance to the Class 5A state quarterfinals.

   Mitchell is the second Louisiana player to commit to Arkansas for 2009 and the 17^th overall to choose an out-of-state college. Carencro quarterback Ricky Johnson, who projects as a wide receiver in college, committed to the Hogs on Sept. 2. Destrehan safety Jerico Nelson and Abbeville linebacker Jelani Smith were members of Petrino’s first signing class in February.