Matching Pair: Miguel Whitley, Ray’Quan Williams fit perfectly at St. Augustine
by William Weathers // GeauxPreps.com Contributor
Wide receiver Miguel Whitley considered a different path in his career.
Whitley was a freshman when St. Augustine won three games during the regular season and wound up 4-8 overall the following season, prompting a change in the program’s leadership.
When word made its way around campus and filtered to the team’s locker room that the Knights had hired head coach Robert Valdez, Whitley believed it was a worst-case scenario for such a talented player who sought the ball at his position.
“When I found that out, I was ready to leave; I was ready to go,” Whitley said. “We had heard he was a head coach that just ran the ball. People put stuff in my head. We had a talk with my dad, and he let me know not to believe what other people were saying and to believe in him.”
Valdez, a former offensive lineman at both O.P. Walker and Southern, admits to being a run-first coach, a disciple of a physical brand of football that can dictate the success of your team at the line of scrimmage.
Valdez directed St. James to a Class 3A state championship in 2019 and West St. John to five state semifinal appearances in seven years. Part of his approach was to take advantage of the athletes he had at his disposal, creating matchup problems on the perimeter and downfield.
He was old school, but a quick study who recognized that his new stop at St. Augustine would have next-level players with the ability to spread the field and utilize their massive talents.
Whitley was one such player, along with friend and classmate Ray’Quan Williams, who have provided the Purple Knights with one of the state’s top pass-catching tandems that played integral roles in last year’s 11-win season that ended with the program’s first trip to the Superdome since 1979.
“When I first got the job, there were some people talking to Miguel about trying to leave because of the narrative that coach Valdez just wants to run the ball,” Valdez said. “I do want to run the ball a lot. People were saying that maybe as a receiver they may not want to play for me.
“Ray’Quan just wanted to work and wanted to play,” Valdez said. “I met with Miguel and his dad and let them know who I was, and they really bought in.”
St. Augustine had a 1,000-yard rusher in sophomore Khlil Lewis (1,067 yards, 9 TDs) last season, another running back in freshman Co’Hann Davis (572 yards, 9 TDs) and senior quarterback Vashaun Coulon (655 yards, 11 TDs)
The Purple Knights’ offense, though, was far from just a ground-and-pound attack. They averaged 450 yards a game through the air, triggered by Coulon, who had plenty of weapons on the outside to complement Valdez’s pride and joy.
Five receivers had more than 25 catches, 300 yards and four touchdowns – led by Whitley with 46 catches for 869 yards (18.9 per catch) and 14 TDs, and Williams adding 31 receptions for 647 yards (20.9 yards per catch) and 7 TDs.
Juniors Derrick Bennett (37-671, 5 TDs) and Verchaun Sims Jr. (25-335, 4 TDs) were also part of that group, while junior Christopher Dupuy (13-221, 4 TDs) and sophomore Lucas Jefferson (13-252, 4 TDs) were big parts of the team’s depth.
“That’s my guys and not just the seniors,” Whitley said. “We have a couple of young guys in the picture as well. There’s nothing you can really do to stop us. We had a good running back and quarterback. You’ve got to figure out a way.”
Whitley, an Ole Miss commitment, and Williams, a Tulane pledge, hadn’t regularly crossed paths before attending St. Augustine as eighth graders.
Whitley recalled their first meeting during a track meet hosted by the New Orleans Recreation Department when he ‘burned’ Williams in a 100-meter race.
Williams strongly disagreed with Whitley’s account, but it led to a friendship that further developed during their time in St. Augustine’s summer enrichment program.
“Our relationship’s been tight since then, and it’s carried over to the field and off the field,” Whitley said. “We could be at a pool, and we competed to see who could swim the fastest. Anything we did, we were competing, making each other better.”
Williams had established himself as a terrific athlete who first played football at Goretti Playground. He started as a three-year-old running back who switched to wide receiver by the time he was 11 and has remained there ever since.
“I took it seriously, I started working on my hands, my running,” Williams said. “I was really a track guy at first.”
Whitley carried a different tune to St. Augustine.
With more of a basketball background amongst his family, Whitley learned more about music until he arrived at St. Augustine and discovered football.
“I wanted to play football, and when I got the chance, I really fell in love with it,” he said. “It motivated me to make it and change generations.”
Whitley and Williams were part of the school’s junior varsity program as freshmen, with Williams, the team’s quarterback, throwing passes to Whitley.
“Our connection was locked in from there,” Williams said.
St. Augustine was 3-7 during the first seasons of the two friends in the program, progressing to 4-8 when the school sought a change and brought in Valdez, a veteran who had coached at five different schools for 19 seasons.
Valdez’s most recent assignment was at the collegiate level, serving as offensive coach to head coach Hue Jackson at Grambling State for two seasons when Jackson was terminated.
Valdez, who earned his master’s from Nicholls State, enjoyed success everywhere he coached, which included a perfect 15-0 season and a state title at St. James. He had also helped East St. John, McKinley and Scotlandville in Baton Rouge make strides.
One of Valdez’s hires at St. Augustine was bringing 23-year-old John-Paul Pierce from Grambling to run his offense.
“He’s an Air Raid guy,” Valdez said. “I’m a pound-you-in-the-mouth with the run game type of guy.”
Valdez believed his new system should include Whitley and Williams on the outside, providing Coulon with capable, explosive targets. They could also take the top off of defenses, providing the type of chunk plays the Purple Knights would need to keep pace in the talented Catholic League in New Orleans.
“They came to practice and performed and gave us a better effort than some of the older guys,” Valdez said. “I decided I was going to take a chance with those guys because they were coming in every day and busting their butts. Early on I could identify those guys who had a love for football. It was very easy. One would make a play, and the other would make plays. It’s been a real blessing to have.”
St. Augustine went 7-5 and reached the second round of the Division I select state playoffs in 2024.
It was clear the impact of the down-the-field passing game would have on the future of the program with Coulon moving into his senior season in ’25. Whitley and Williams had gained a valuable year of experience and developed a great rapport with Coulon.
They were both in the 6-foot range, 180-pound range, and could apply pressure on defenses, helping to open up the running game.
“Those guys’ skill sets were so good,” Valdez said. “They attacked the ball, had such a great catch radius, and could run and were physical. It changed me a little bit. They want to win, and therefore they stick their nose in the block game.
“The most refreshing thing is how they celebrate each other,” Valdez said. “They’re generally happy for each other. When one has success and scores, the other one’s down there celebrating with them. Most teams have one, but to have two that want the ball, and we want them to want the ball, because we know they’re going to make plays.”
St. Augustine began the ’25 season with four straight wins until running into league heavyweight Karr, the reigning Division I select state champion. The Knights dropped a 42-21 decision before rebounding with five straight wins to close the regular season with a 9-1 record.
The offense scored 40-plus points three times during that stretch, including a 55-28 verdict against John Curtis.
The disappointing news in the glow of the Week 10 victory was the loss of Williams, also a standout in special teams, with an ACL injury.
St. Augustine went over 50 points for the second straight game with a 55-42 regional win over powerhouse Acadiana, creating a familiar path to get to the Superdome.
The Purple Knights had to defeat District 9-5A opponents – Archbishop Rummel and John Curtis – to advance to the Superdome for the first time since a 13-7 win over Jesuit for the Class 4A state crown.
Coulon, who signed with Southern, compiled 299 total yards and four TDs in a 35-10 quarterfinal win over Brother Martin.
He also had the last say in his team’s dramatic 31-29 semifinal triumph against John Curtis, driving St. Augustine 70 yards in six plays – throwing a 4-yard touchdown to Bennett on the final play of the game.
There were three lead changes in the fourth quarter when Coulon, who passed for 257 yards and 2 TDs, found Bennett, who scored for the second time and finished with seven catches for 179 yards.
St. Augustine’s first experience in the Superdome in 46 years may have been forgettable, but the season was still memorable.
Karr (14-0) extended its win streak to 28 straight games and won consecutive Division I Select titles with a dominating 49-14 performance.
The Purple Knights suffered five turnovers, including the loss of a fumble that was returned for a touchdown, and didn’t score an offensive touchdown. Linebacker Chad Jones Jr. had a 90-yard interception return that made it 21-7 in the third quarter, and Bennett brought back a kickoff 88 yards for another score.
A potential pivotal moment in the game took place with St. Augustine trailing 28-14 and forcing a punt. The Knights reached midfield before having to punt the ball back to the Cougars, who ran off a stretch of 21 unanswered points.
“I saw he was for real,” Whitley said of Valdez. “We hadn’t been to the dome since 1978, and it took him two years for us to get there. That was big.”
St. Augustine finished 12-2 overall and with plenty of promise for the future because of players such as Whitley and Williams.
Junior Jaelle Noble, who saw action in all but one game in ’25 and passed for 40 yards and a touchdown, is the team’s projected starting quarterback.
The Knights will feature a wealth of experience and talent at the skill positions with Whitley and Williams, who are three-year starters, expected to help lead a 25-member senior class that will be key to the team’s leadership.
“I feel like a lot of the guys on the team look up to me, and I really lead by example by doing the right things in practice,” said Whitley, who also helps in the running game on reverses/end around and is the starting punter. “I’m going to have a bigger voice at practice. I just want to take the guys where we need to go.
“We’ve got to get better this year, work harder than we did last year,” Whitley said. “We’ve got to take the guys that haven’t been there and just really finish this year.”
St. Augustine has targeted Williams for a Week 2 return when the Knights travel to Destrehan. He’s already envisioning a greater role in the offense, turning intermediate throws into potentially bigger gains because of his speed.
“This year I’m working on the slants, hitches, and getting out of there to get more yards,” he said. “This is my last year. I want to work on being a leader for the team so we can get back to the dome. I was mad that I didn’t play. I was proud of them for making it.”
Valdez, 134-65 going into his 22nd year as a head coach, said it’s important his veteran receiver corps work toward making Noble feel comfortable during the early stages of the season.
“We tell the receivers that your catch radius has to be bigger,” he said. “If it was seven to eight feet, now it has to be 10 to12. Until he gets his feet wet and gets comfortable and settled in, it’s good to have those experienced receivers with so much game time under their belts because they’ll be able to help him out.”
Valdez had designs on both of his standout receivers getting the opportunity to play in college.
Their respective body types were one dead giveaway, while their playmaking ability and passion were another.
Williams added another element on special teams, returning both kickoffs and punts, to go with a knack for being able to play defensive back.
The red flag for college schools with Williams would be his capacity to rehabilitate his way back to 100% after tearing his ACL last November.
He was regarded as a three-star prospect, rated nationally by On3/Rivals as the No. 123 wide receiver and No. 27 player in Louisiana.
Williams opted to remain close to home, repaying the loyalty Tulane showed following his knee injury.
He enjoyed his official visit with Tulane, which began receiving several commitments on the second day of an official visit.
Following an outing at a bowling alley, Williams was also on board and plans to graduate in December and enroll for the spring semester at Tulane in January.
“They stayed with me when I got hurt,” he said. “Most of the other schools dropped off. They called me after the surgery and checked on me.”
Whitley, a four-star recruit, drew scholarship offers from such programs as LSU, Arkansas, Florida State, Miami, Ohio State, Ole Miss, Texas A&M, Tennessee, Texas, Texas Tech.
The nation’s No. 242 overall prospect, No. 34 wide receiver and the state’s ninth-best prospect, Whitley found everything he was looking for in an official visit to Ole Miss, where he committed on May 31.
“My recruiting’s not shut down,” Whitley said. “That’s still the destination for now.”
Ole Miss relied on its Louisiana roots with running backs coach Frank Wilson, a graduate of St. Augustine, and wide receivers coach Ladamian Washington, a native of Shreveport.
It didn’t hurt that the Rebels were able to introduce one of the school’s top players – two-time Pro Bowl receiver DK Metcalf of the Pittsburgh Steelers – to Whitley during his visit.
“It felt like the place for me to be,” said Whitley, who will also graduate at mid-term and enroll at Ole Miss in January. “The platform – the SEC – that’s a big SEC school that was just in the (NCAA) playoff last year. I wanted to be there. They’ve got a good offense, and that’s where I felt like I should play.”
Valdez knew in advance this day would come.
“I said these guys were going to be recruited pretty heavily,” Valdez said. “I felt we needed to take more chances, and defenses had to worry about covering them. We didn’t revolutionize football; we’ve just used our athletes. They understand what we’re trying to do to win.”