12 Clarion Herald Elite Teamers get scholarships

By Ron Brocato, Sports, Clarion Herald

The University of Georgia may have fallen short of winning a national football championship by losing to Alabama in overtime, but the Bulldogs won the recruiting war for 2018 by signing a majority of the nation’s top high school talent.

Georgia received signed scholarship contracts from seven five-star and 15 four-star high school seniors during Wednesday’s National Signing Day.

But the fruits of Georgia’s recruiting labor could have yielded one more plum if the  Bulldogs’ football philosophy wouldn’t have taken a hard stance on Archbishop Rummel’s Aaron Brulé.

The senior linebacker/defensive back committed early to Georgia. The Bulldog football staff wanted him to graduate from high school in mid-year and enroll at Georgia to begin his weight training and indoctrination into the campus culture.

The problem was that Rummel does not graduate seniors early. And Brulé wanted to graduate with his friends. At that point, Georgia coaches, who were so high on Brulé, began giving him the cold shoulder. Eventually, the scholarship offer was rescinded.

What was Georgia’s loss is Mississippi State’s gain. Brulé, who is now an integral member of the Raiders’ basketball team, signed with the Bulldogs on Feb. 7 in a ceremony with teammate Ja’Marr Chase, who chose LSU.

Brulé and Chase are two of 12 honorees on the Clarion Herald’s 2017 Elite Football Team to take their talents to the next level.

St. Augustine and De La Salle had four signees on National Signing Day. In all, 19 seniors who played football for schools in the Archdiocese of New Orleans signed scholarships.

Seven other players also received college scholarship offers were:

• Zach Breaux, Brother Martin offensive lineman, UL-Monroe;
• Kyree Curington, Holy Cross defensive back, Idaho;
• Josh Gillard, Holy Cross  linebacker, South Alabama;
• Bless Harris, St. Augustine offensive lineman, Lamar;
• Garland LaFrance, St. Augustine running back, Western Kentucky;
• Lloyd Nash, St. Charles Catholic defensive back, Nicholls State;
• Kym Wimberly, Holy Cross wide receiver, Harvard.

 

LINEBACKER
Aaron Brulé
Abp. Rummel, 6-1, 205
Mississippi State




 

 

 

TIGHT END
Seth Caillouet
Abp. Hannan, 6-4, 218
Texas State

 

 

 

DEFENSIVE LINEMAN
Dante Carter
St. Augustine, 6-0, 315
Southeastern Louisiana

 

 

 

WIDE RECEIVER
Ja’Marr Chase
Abp. Rummel, 6-1, 200
LSU

 

 

 

QUARTERBACK
Julien Gums
De La Salle, 5-9, 216
Nicholls State

 

 

 

OFFENSIVE LINEMAN
Christian Hoz
Abp. Hannan, 6-5, 313
Arkansas State

 

 

 

DEFENSIVE LINEMAN
Jamiran James
De La Salle, 6-1, 280
Tulane

 

 

 

OFFENSIVE LINEMAN
Jeremiah James
De La Salle, 6-1, 310
Nicholls State

 

 

 

OFFENSIVE LINEMAN
Robert McDonald
St. Charles Cath., 6-2, 220
Louisiana College

 

 

 

LINEBACKER
Juan Monjarres
St. Augustine, 6-3, 225
Tulane

 

 

 

DEFENSIVE BACK
Lance Robinson
De La Salle, 5-11, 180
Kansas State

 

 

 

 

DEFENSIVE BACK
Donniel Ward-Magee
St. Augustine, 6-1, 165
Southeastern Louisiana