Nine St. Charles Parish athletes signed on the dotted line last week on the first day of the early collegiate signing window.
Five Destrehan football players made their next stop official: wide receiver Jabari Mack (LSU), defensive back Damien Richard II (Louisiana Tech), quarterback Jackson Fields (Incarnate Word), offensive lineman Earl Collins (Alabama A&M) and defensive lineman Braylon Montero (Arkansas-Monticello).
Meanwhile, at Hahnville, two football players inked scholarships: offensive lineman Frederic Downing and wide receiver Bennett Naquin – the two will remain teammates as they head to Southeastern. Two spring sports stars also made things official in baseball and softball, respectively. Pitcher Javonte Gray will head to LSU-Eunice to continue his baseball career while catcher Addison Walton will move to Bishop State’s softball diamond.
Destrehan’s signing class was part of a core that produced a state semifinal run in 2024 and 29 wins over the past three seasons.
Mack committed to LSU in March. Following LSU’s much-publicized parting of ways with former head coach Brian Kelly and recent hiring of Ole Miss’ Lane Kiffin as Kelly’s successor, Mack reiterated that commitment late last month via social media, writing “I’m still 100 percent committed to Tiger Nation.”
He followed through on those words last Wednesday.
“For me, it was just about loyalty. LSU is an outstanding program no matter who’s coaching it … I’m really confident in that tradition that LSU has,” Mack said.
Mack did it all for Destrehan as a wide receiver – and more. He played Wildcat quarterback and lined up in the backfield, his versatility and ability to run both around and through would-be tacklers giving the Wildcats a true matchup problem for opposing defenses. He also proved a gifted return man for Destrehan, and he was a playmaker when deployed on defense – a game-winning tackle in 2024 capping a thriller against Capt. Shreve at Wildcat Stadium among his highlights on that side of the ball.
He joins an LSU program that’s seen some incredible talent among its ranks in recent seasons – Odell Beckham Jr., Jarvis Landry, Ja’Marr Chase, Malik Nabers, Brian Thomas Jr. – and, of course, former Destrehan star Justin Jefferson among the names who have starred not just in college but in the NFL.
“Just looking up to a guy like Justin Jefferson and seeing him go to LSU and ball out … and really be the best, it’s like watching a movie and seeing everything unfold.
“Seeing what LSU produces … it’s really exciting to think I can be part of a group of guys like that. Today is really special because I’ve been with these guys (his Destrehan teammates) ever since the freshman locker room, and it’s amazing seeing us grow together,” Mack said.
At 6’5 and 330 pounds, Collins was a force as part of a mauling Destrehan offensive line that largely dominated the opposition in the running game. He’ll look to do much of the same with his new offensive line teammates at Alabama A&M.
“The coaching staff, the hospitality everyone shows up there … it’s like a family over there,” Collins said. “When I went up there – I’m not even on the team yet, and the players just embraced me.”
Collins said playing with the Destrehan offensive line was a special experience.
“Every day at practice, our coach tells us to play for the man next to us,” said Collins. “Our line’s got a great bond. We fight for our brother every snap.”
A video of a throw from Fields to Mack from Destrehan’s spring game went viral before their senior year ever began. The On3recruits video on X.com showed Fields breaking the pocket and rolling right against Karr. He threw a deep pass that Mack caught in stride, beating a talented group of Cougar defenders for the long touchdown.
Nearly nine million viewers saw the clip in the immediate aftermath of the game and Fields’ recruitment began to gain steam. In the end, he made the call to head to San Antonio, signing with Incarnate Word. He ended his time at DHS with an overall record of 27-6 as a starter.
Richard heads to Louisiana Tech after his own standout career at Destrehan, making an impact on both sides of the ball as a cornerback and a running back. Nicknamed Deuce, he brought plenty of speed to the Wildcats program – speed that’s renowned, as Richard hails from a family of talented track stars, and he’ll show those skills off again this spring.
He’ll bring that speed to Ruston where he’ll attend Louisiana Tech, which plans to play Richard at defensive back.
Like Collins on the offensive line, Montero helped anchor a Destrehan defensive line that controlled the line of scrimmage all season long. At 6’0 and 280 pounds, he played both the run and the pass adeptly for a Destrehan team that allowed seven points or less three times this season. He heads to Arkansas-Monticello to add to their defensive line mix.
At Hahnville, Naquin and Downing are headed to Southeastern together. They shared another experience prior to the prep season – each went through a position change, decisions that proved quite fruitful as they each cemented that they are headed to play college football after graduation.
“I think it says a lot to the character of those kids,” Hahnville head football coach Greg Boyne said. “When they were each approached about doing something different, they willingly did that … I think C.J. (Calvin Smith) had a good experience with Southeastern, Jacob Jeffrey had a good experience as a walk-on, and Bennett and Frederic both definitely noticed.”
Naquin, in fact, said Smith was his host when he went on his official visit to Southeastern. He added that heading to Hammond with Downing was exciting.
“It felt really good because I know how hard we’ve worked over the past four years, and finally seeing all of that pay off, everything we did behind the scenes, we get to see the fruits of our labor. It felt really good to have that moment with someone who I know worked just as hard as I did,” Naquin said.
Naquin blossomed into a go-to receiver for Hahnville in his very first season as a full-time wide receiver. He began his time at Hahnville as a quarterback, and fans still saw him line up there as a senior as a runner and a change of pace. But he made explosive plays all season for the Tigers and helped unlock a potent downfield passing attack.
Downing made a seamless transition to the offensive line after starting his career at HHS as a defensive lineman. He’d line up there when needed throughout 2025, but coaches saw “a natural” from the spring onward along a Hahnville offensive line that set the table for one of Louisiana’s highest scoring teams.
SLU head coach Chris Scelfo commented on each via Southeastern’s Lionsports.net website.
On Downing: “Frederic is a big, physical young man that fits the mold of what we’re looking on the offensive line. I think his natural position is inside, but he has the athleticism to pop out to tackle. We’re going to start him on the offensive line, but he has the ability to play defensive tackle if that’s where he fits best.”
On Naquin: “Bennett is a guy who can play on both sides of the ball. We’re going to start him off at wide receiver. He’s a multi-sport athlete and a great leader for his team at Hahnville. We’re looking forward to him joining our program.”
Gray is a towering presence on the pitcher’s mound at 6’6. The senior right-hander has been a key part of a Hahnville baseball program that has won 46 games over the past two years and has lost just one district game in that span. Armed with a fastball that approaches 90 mph, the Tigers are excited to see what he will bring in his senior season – as is LSU-Eunice to what he can bring the Bengals.
The Lady Tigers’ talented catcher, Walton took a visit to Bishop State in July and officially committed. As a junior, she earned honors as District 8-5A’s All-District catcher. She batted .288 as a junior and got on base at a .389 clip. She’s helped Hahnville produce 45 victories over her two seasons as a starter.
