Hahnville DT makes collegiate choice

One of the state’s top defensive prospects on the gridiron resides at Hahnville High School – and the soon-to-be senior left no mysteries as to where he’s headed next.

Adonis Friloux announced recently that he has committed to play the University of Houston, making his intentions officially known through a Twitter post.

Friloux, a 6-foot-2, 268 pound defensive tackle, offered gratitude to numerous people for helping to guide him in his journey so far.

“First, I would like to thank God for blessing me with the athletic ability to play the game that I love … to thank all the colleges that have recruited me and gave me a chance to play for their program … to thank all my coaches from the Hahnville Tigers that helped shape the foundation and fundamentals for the game that I love … I want to also thank my Mother and my Dad … my family, friends, trainers and the entire parish for their patience, sacrifices, support and unconditional love while I pursued my dreams of playing football,” Friloux wrote.

“With that being said, I am extremely excited to announce my commitment to the University of Houston. Go Coogs.”

Friloux chose Houston over several other Division I offers, including Ole Miss, Tulane, Colorado State, ULL, ULM and Nicholls State, according to Rivals.com. He also has drawn interest from LSU and Texas, among other notables.

In his junior year, Friloux tallied 60 solo tackles and 47 assists, 13.5 sacks and made 18 tackles for loss. He forced four fumbles, recovered three and intercepted a pass.

In short, he proved to be a massive disruptor along the line of scrimmage, and attracted the attention of a wide number of Division I schools.

“I think he’s one of the top 3 defensive linemen in our state,” said Hahnville head coach Nick Saltaformaggio. “It’s a shame he’s not one whole inch taller, whatever difference that makes, that one inch, keeping Power 5 (conferences) away from him. Because when you line him up against guys one, two, three, four and five inches taller, he just wears them out. He has great, great punch … unbelievable strength and 20 to 30 yard quickness … there’s not one weakness in his game.”

Friloux joins a Houston program that just this past April saw star defensive tackle Ed Oliver drafted ninth overall in the NFL Draft after three years with the Cougars. Oliver started as a true freshman and made 22 tackles for loss in his debut season, going on to finish his run with 53 tackles for loss and 192 total tackles in his career.

Saltaformaggio said Friloux certainly took notice of that.

“I can see why he chose Houston … they had a guy up there who they compare Adonis favorably to, who was a top 10 pick in the NFL Draft,” Saltaformaggio said. “They’re going to play him in a position he can excel, at 3-tech. And Adonis is a bright kid who knows the game … he realizes going to Houston gives him the opportunity to play in premier bowl games. They did a great job of recruiting, when it came down to it.”