Around the college football world, National Signing Day brought with it new faces from every corner of the United States. High school players from all over the country found themselves new homes and, for some in the state of Louisiana, they didn’t have far to go after the Tulane Green Wave was finished with their 2016 class.
Six of Tulane’s 22 new football prospects resided in the Bayou State before head coach Willie Fritz and the Wave got their hands on them.
Hailing from Baton Rouge, defensive back Tre Jackson will make his college appearance for the Green Wave. The 5-10, 180 lb. freshman was ranked as a four-star recruit and 22nd overall in the state of Louisiana by ESPN. He aided in his school’s (Baton Rouge’s University Laboratory) 10-2 record a year ago. Jackson will be a solid addition to Tulane’s secondary, which struggled greatly last season.
Also from Baton Rouge is 6-3 defensive lineman Deion Rainey. Rainey was an all-state and all-district athlete three times in his high school career. He was an all-around athlete in high school, lettering in football, track, and basketball. Like Jackson, Rainey will add depth to the defense, specifically a defensive line that failed to pressure opposing quarterbacks for the majority of the year in 2015.
Also new to the D-line is lineman Jonathan Wilson from Port Sulphur, LA. During his senior season at South Plaquemines High School, Wilson tallied up 32 tackles (8.0 for a loss), four sacks, and three forced fumbles. If that kind of productivity can find its way into his game at collegiate level, then Wilson has the potential to be a special player for Tulane’s defense for years to come.
Sticking with the theme of defense, the Green Wave landed their next recruit, defensive back Eric Lewis, from LaPlace. 247sports.com rated Lewis a three-star prospect. The 185 lb. DB returned 17 of his interceptions for touchdowns during his high school career at St. Charles Catholic High School. Again, numbers that, if maintained, could be big for coach Fritz and The Wave in the future.
Tulane’s final two recruits from Louisiana both come from Baton Rouge’s Scotlandville HS. Defensive lineman De’Andre Williams (6-4, 260 lbs.) and receiver Chris Johnson (6-2, 185 lbs.) will both be sporting the green and white come fall. Both players helped their team largely. Williams, who also played tight end in high school, put up staggering defensive numbers: 54 tackles and 13.5 sacks defined his senior year. As for Johnson, his 672 receiving yards and eight touchdowns a season ago speak for themselves.
While Tulane used its 2016 recruiting class to strengthen the team as a whole, it used its in-state prospects to buff a defense that reeled last season. Only time will tell if coach Fritz and Tulane’s staff made the right moves this winter, and, as usually is the case, unsung heroes will rise to the task while others will fall away.
However, the Wave have a real chance to see familiar faces in uniform next fall after this week’s signings.
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