GeauxPreps Kicks off Prospect Preview series with national recruiting analyst Sam Spiegelman
by: Vincent Cacioppo // GeauxPreps.com Managing Editor
As the anticipation builds for the upcoming Louisiana high school football season, GeauxPreps.com is excited to present an in-depth look at the state’s top prospects in collaboration with national recruiting analyst Sam Spiegelman. We will be previewing the elite talent poised to make waves on and off the field, offering exclusive insights and analysis on the elite student-athletes in the state of Louisiana. Stay tuned as we spotlight these rising stars and break down their potential impact leading up to the kickoff of the season.
Corey Adams – Edna Karr – Defensive End – 2025
Ole Miss made a strong surge for one of the best defensive ends in Louisiana in this 2025 cycle, which should come as no surprise given that the Rebels were the first to offer to Edna Karr standout after his spring game as a sophomore. Ole Miss DC Pete Golding, a Louisiana native, spearheaded the efforts with Adams and helped the Rebels beat out Mississippi State, TCU and also LSU for the three-star DE. Ole Miss started to separate from the pack in June after official visits to Oxford and to TCU.
Adams has always been a prospect dripping in potential. At 6-foot-4 and 250 pounds, the Ole Miss verbal boasts length and power to force the issue off the edge of the defensive front. Adams is pesky and consistently forces the issue off the edge. His length and active hands are part of what makes him such an intriguing player. He plays with power and can close quickly, and as a senior will have a chance to play a key role in one of Louisiana’s most fierce defenses from back to front.
Reshad Sterling – Lutcher – Defensive Line – 2025
Houston has been making a massive dent in The Boot during this 2025 cycle as Willie Fritz and co. have stuck to their roots and continued to assemble a roster with plenty of Louisiana talent. One of the big early gets for the Cougars was Lutcher’s Reshad Sterling, one of the most productive and feared defensive linemen in the state this year. After giving a spring commitment to Houston, LSU quickly followed suit and worked out Sterling on campus. Houston has since tightened its grip on one of the top DL from Louisiana.
Sterling has been uber-productive on the Lutcher defense the past few seasons. At 6-foot-3 and 230 pounds, Sterling fires off the ball and is electric in pursuit. Sterling has continued to grow into his frame and still plays low and battles well in the trenches. He boasts excellent hands and plays with a fantastic motor. He’s one of a handful of pass-rushers in this cycle we’re anxious to see play as a senior.
Jhase Thomas – Destrehan – Safety – 2025
LSU recently snagged a commitment from talented Destrehan safety Jhase Thomas after a heated recruitment that saw several twists and turns leading into his recent decision. Ole Miss was a team creating a ton of buzz around Thomas early in this recruitment before Texas Tech and Houston both took massive steps forward this spring. Since Blaker Baker and Jake Olsen arrived in Baton Rouge, they, too, showed a vested interest in Thomas after evaluating him in the Destrehan-Karr spring game and then offering the safety during prospect camp in June.
Thomas has had an interesting journey to get to where he is right now. Early on, Thomas saw action at wide receiver before making the transition over to defensive back. His father, Fred Thomas, played cornerback for the New Orleans Saints and helped the talented athlete with the switch to the defensive side of the ball. At 6-foot-3 and 180 pounds, Thomas quickly took to safety. His size and range back deep and his willingness to be physical and take direct paths to the football are a big part of his game. Thomas has continued to improve in coverage, including at free safety back deep and working in the slot.
Phillip Wright – Destrehan – Wide Receiver – 2025
College coaches around the country have made their way to St. Charles Parish to get a look at Phillip Wright III, one of the fastest players not only in The Boot, but across the country. As an underclassman, Destrehan HC Marcus Scott noted that Wright had Olympic-level speed, which is why so many colleges took their swing with the 6-foot-1, 180-pound wide receiver.
Wright recently committed to Michigan over LSU and Georgia. The talented WR also took official visits to Baylor and to Georgia Tech, which were also factors in his recruitment for a good portion of the off-season. The Wolverines love Wright’s combination of size and speed, and view the electric pass-catcher as a high-upside prospect to insert into their pro-style passing game.
All eyes will be on Wright as a senior. The Destrehan WR corps has been loaded with talent for the past few years and Wright headlines another deep and intriguing unit this fall along with Jabari Mack, Johnny Thiel and Greg Wilfred. Wright has the ability to take the top off opposing defenses and gives a speed component to be a playmaker vertically. The biggest challenge for the newly minted Michigan verbal will be consistency and uncovering ways to use Wright’s speed to spark the Destrehan offense and create mismatches across the field.
Jaylon Coleman – Vandebilt Catholic – Running Back – 2025
Florida State, Oregon and Tulane were a few of the programs making noise with versatile offensive weapon Jaylon Coleman for different parts of the off-season. SMU, Pitt and Missouri also got involved early on this spring. Coleman, who boasts electric speed and can be a difference-maker out of the backfield as a runner as well as a pass-catcher, committed to Liberty earlier this summer. The Flames have made a habit out of dipping into The Boot and finding speed and talent that’s flown a bit under the radar, and did so again with Coleman out of Vandebilt Catholic.
Coleman adds some major spice to the Vandebilt Catholic offense and should do more of the same at Liberty when he arrives on campus. At 5-foot-10 and 165 pounds, Coleman is a bolt of lightning that can break runs outside and be a force catching passes out of the backfield. A multi-sport athlete that has had momentum on the basketball court as well, Coleman is absolutely dynamic with the ball in his hands. He’s slippery with breakaway speed in the open field and excellent stop-start quickness. He’s a lightning bug waiting to break a run open, which will likely be a continued theme for the Liberty commit as a senior.
Special thanks to Sam for his collaboration on our prospect preview series. Sam’s expertise and insights are always fantastic, providing in-depth analysis and unique perspectives on upcoming talent in the state of Louisiana. Follow Sam on Instagram & X and stay tuned for part two of our series next month, where we’ll continue to spotlight more outstanding student-athletes.