2022 Rankings: Offensive Line helps headline deep Louisiana class
In this article:
Coaches at LSU and other Louisiana programs have looked forward to the 2022 recruiting class in no small part due to its big men up front. Can’t-miss tackle prospect Will Campbell Will Campbell 6'6" | 290 lbs | OL Neville…
Access all of Prep Redzone
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingCoaches at LSU and other Louisiana programs have looked forward to the 2022 recruiting class in no small part due to its big men up front.
Can’t-miss tackle prospect Will Campbell Will Campbell 6'6" | 290 lbs | OL Neville | 2022 State LA leads a special group of offensive linemen both in top-end talent and depth that should help set the table for in-state schools’ success in the coming years.
Campbell and Catholic High standout Emery Jones Emery Jones 6'4" | 295 lbs | OL Catholic (Baton Rouge) | 2022 State LA each earned top-10 spots in these rankings, with another top-25 prospect in LSU commitment Bo Bordelon Bo Bordelon 6'5" | 250 lbs | OL Newman | 2022 State LA , five total top-50 prospects and 15 in the top 100.
Additionally, two or three highly ranked defensive tackles — most notably Lafayette Christian star Fitzgerald West Fitzgerald West 6'2" | 300 lbs | OL Lafayette Christian | 2022 State LA Jr. — could project favorably on the other side of the ball as well.
By contrast, Louisiana Tech signee Kenneth Bannister Kenneth Bannister 6'4" | 285 lbs | OL Edna Karr | 2021 State LA led the 2021 offensive line group at No. 20 in the rankings heading into this past season, with two total top-50 prospects, seven in the top 100 and 18 in the total 200.
Here is a bit more information on the leaders of this year’s pack.
No. 2 — Will Campbell Will Campbell 6'6" | 290 lbs | OL Neville | 2022 State LA — 6-6, 290 OL — Neville
The clear headliner of Louisiana’s offensive line crop is firmly in the top tier of prospects in the class, with athlete Jacoby Mathews Jacoby Mathews 6'2" | 215 lbs | ATH Ponchatoula | 2022 State LA and quarterback Walker Howard Walker Howard 6'1" | 185 lbs | QB St. Thomas More | 2022 State LA , for whom cases could be made for a No. 1 overall ranking. Campbell has kept impressively trim and nimble with that long 6-foot-6 frame and looks like a cornerstone left tackle for a long time at the next level and the one after.
No. 8 — Emery Jones Emery Jones 6'4" | 295 lbs | OL Catholic (Baton Rouge) | 2022 State LA — 6-4, 295 OL — Catholic (Baton Rouge)
Catholic High coaches identified “EJ” early as an impressive young prospect with high-level potential. He worked his way into playing time as a sophomore and took over as the full-time left tackle as a junior, where he helped pave the way for a run-heavy offense’s journey to a state championship and proved among the best friends for a freshman quarterback when the senior starter suffered a late-season ankle injury. Jones had appeared more likely to project as a guard in college, but has developed into a blocker who looks like an increasingly viable option outside. LSU and Florida State have been among the leaders of a long list of scholarship offers that also includes Alabama, Florida, Texas A&M, Auburn, Arkansas, Virginia and Vanderbilt.
No. 23 — Bo Bordelon Bo Bordelon 6'5" | 250 lbs | OL Newman | 2022 State LA — 6-5, 250 OL — Newman
The son of former All-SEC LSU offensive lineman Ben Bordelon has played on both sides of ball during his high school career at E.D. White in Thibodaux as an underclassman and then Newman this past season after the move to New Orleans. The younger Bordelon is another prospect who has kept in leaner shape and positioned himself to add good weight this year while maintaining his mobility and some versatility to potentially play tackle or guard in college.
No. 27 — Cam East Cam East 6'7" | 280 lbs | OL St. Augustine | 2022 State LA — 6-7, 280 OL — St. Augustine
The big tackle prospect boasts an offer sheet to match his self-reported 86-inch (7 feet, 2 inches) wingspan. Georgia, Florida State, Arkansas, Texas Tech, Mississippi State, TCU, Memphis, Houston, Colorado, Tulane, Louisiana (Lafayette), ULM, Southern and UAB are among the current options. East shows the strength to physically dominate many opposing rushers and the speed and quickness in his step outside in pass protection or ability to reach the second level and open running lanes.
No. 48 — Malachi Preciado Malachi Preciado 6'3" | 285 lbs | OL Warren Easton | 2022 State LA — 6-3, 285 OL — Warren Easton
With Jones and Bordelon seeming to continue developing into college tackles, Preciado could end up the top-ranked interior lineman in this class. The Eagles’ center is a thick, physical mauler, but with good speed for his size to get downfield, find would-be tacklers in space and free ball-carriers for extra yardage. Navy, Purdue, Utah State, Southern Miss, South Alabama, ULM, Marshall, Columbia, Harvard, Southern, Southeastern Louisiana, Nicholls State, McNeese State, Austin Peay and Houston Baptist are among his offers thus far.
No. 52 — Kaden Moreau Kaden Moreau 6'4" | 270 lbs | OL Pineville | 2022 State LA — 6-4, 270 OL — Pineville
One of the more recently rising stars of Louisiana’s 2022 class has picked up offers from Northwestern State, Southeastern Louisiana, Nicholls State and Illinois State and has appeared close to breaking into the FBS and even Power Five levels with Oklahoma State, Baylor, Louisville, Louisiana Tech and Louisiana (Lafayette) among others closely monitoring his progress. Moreau is an athletic lineman with a nasty competitive streak and the potential to play inside or out. And he’s bulked up noticeably this spring, even up 10 pounds in the last month alone, heading into spring practice.
No. 59 — Jayson Montgomery-Scott Jayson Montgomery-Scott 6'4" | 310 lbs | OL Brother Martin | 2022 State LA — 6-4, 310 OL — Brother Martin
The New Orleans Catholic League standout has fairly quickly compiled a list of offers that includes Florida State, Air Force, Southern Miss, Western Kentucky and McNeese State. Montgomery-Scott has played primarily at left guard for his Crusaders, who put together an impressive undefeated run before falling shy in the Division I semifinals, shows good balance and quickness for one of the state’s heaviest prospects as he stays low to maximize his leverage in blocks and his pulls to free running lanes to the right.
No. 69 — Sameij Scott Sameij Scott 6'3" | 275 lbs | OL Lutcher | 2022 State LA — 6-3, 275 OL — Lutcher
Scott plays with a nastiness and physicality that — in addition to providing a memorable bit of humor — makes his labeling his junior highlight reel “NSFW” actually feel somewhat warranted. Whether plowing straight ahead, kicking outside or showing the quickness to pull across, Lutcher’s big right tackle absolutely blows up one defender after another until the opposing player is either in the dirt or otherwise definitively out of the play. ULM, Nicholls State, Southeastern Louisiana, Houston Baptist and Louisiana College are all among his offers thus far.
No. 77 — Ashanti Cole Ashanti Cole 6'4" | 300 lbs | OL Red River | 2022 State LA Jr. — 6-4, 300 OL — Red River
Just a few days ago, Red River quarterback Zintayvious “Tre” Smith shared a clip of his Red River teammate with the message “Bet the house on my brother any day” and calling Cole the best offensive lineman in the state. That claim is a bold one in a class that includes stars such as Campbell and Jones, but the Bulldogs’ big, physical and tenacious left tackle may be one of the more underrated. And while Cole isn’t as fast or quick as many of his peers on this list, he possesses enough mobility and athleticism to be an impactful post presence for his school’s basketball team and could make some notable strides once he gets to work with a college strength and conditioning and offensive line coaches. ULM and South Alabama are his first two offers.
No. 78 — Kaleb Proctor Kaleb Proctor 6'3" | 260 lbs | OL Oak Grove | 2022 State LA — 6-3, 260 OL — Oak Grove
The 10th offensive lineman in the new 2022 class rankings — just ahead of Lake Charles College Prep teammates Reginald Burks Reginald Burks 6'3" | 290 lbs | OL Lake Charles College Prep | 2022 State LA and Jalyn Easton Jalyn Easton 6'5" | 290 lbs | OL Lake Charles College Prep | 2022 State LA , Many’s JaKorey Jones JaKorey Jones 6'3" | 260 lbs | OL Many | 2022 State LA , Peabody’s Greg Knox Greg Knox 6'5" | 270 lbs | OL Peabody | 2022 State LA and Opelousas’ Trent Murphy Trent Murphy 6'4" | 260 lbs | OL Opelousas | 2022 State LA — is an interesting prospect to project and one worth monitoring closing this summer on the camp circuit. Proctor plays both ways for the two-time defending Class 1A champs and moves well enough to actually do so as a linebacker on the defensive side for a program that has produced huge defensive tackles Kenean Caldwell, Bert Hale and Bryson Baker. Southeastern Louisiana and Georgia State recently became his first offers, but he may have the opportunity to really prove himself and open some eyes in June and July.