Vital Addition: USC commit Javon Vital has blended well with LC College Prep
by William Weathers // GeauxPreps.com Contributor
Lake Charles College Prep football coach Erick Franklin was accustomed to seeing Javon Vital in the summer.
Vital, a three-sport standout and all-state selection in two sports at Hamilton Christian, was always in search of heightened competition to improve his game. That often brought him to LCCP’s campus, where his first cousin Dylan Vital is the team’s quarterback and with several other relationships within the team, he was always made to feel welcomed.
“I’ve been knowing these guys for a long time,” Javon Vital said.
When Javon Vital had his world turned upside down last fall with his high school caught in the crosshairs of an investigation for alleged hazing-related instances, resulting in the dismissal of the school’s principal, a coach and a teacher. The 5-foot-9, 185-pound Vital was further shaken by the resignation of his head football and basketball coach Dexter Washington.
Washington had been more than just a coach to Vital. He’s also considered more of a father figure that had played a major role in Vital’s development from Class 1A phenomenon to Power Four Conference commitment with the University of Southern California.
Vital opted for a new start and transferred to Lake Charles College Prep, where he joined the basketball team for the second half of its 2025-26 season that ended in the regionals of the Division II select playoff bracket.
He turned his attention to the Trailblazers’ track team, where he was the Class 3A state runner-up in the 3A state long jump (21-8 ¾) and ran a leg on the team’s state runner-up 4×200 relay team.
The window for spring practice had narrowed when Vital arrived after the conclusion of track meet season, giving him the opportunity to work with LCCP quarterbacks coach Devionte Edmonson. He gained a better understanding of the team’s offense, signals and formations for the upcoming season.
It turned into a crash course that carried into summer workouts and has ramped up during fall practice, where Vital continued to meld his ability with a talented team.
“The kids all knew him,” Franklin said. “It wasn’t like a guy coming from another state. Most of these guys are related. Fitting in hasn’t been an issue. I tell all of the kids that it doesn’t matter who you are. If you don’t make plays, you’ll be by me on the sideline.”
LCCP returns nine of 11 starters on an offense that averaged 43 points a game without the services of Dylan Vital, who was injured in the first game of last season.
With Dylan Vital returning to 100% health, the Trailblazers’ offensive firepower also includes the return of Class 3A Offensive MVP Ayden Carter, who piled up more than 3,000 all-purpose yards and 38 touchdowns from the running back and wide receiver positions.
“It’s been amazing; they’ve welcomed me with open arms,” Javon Vital of his new home. “The coaches have told me I’ll be able to move around. Learning the system was easy. They told me if I wanted to play college football, you’ve got to learn everybody’s system.”
Washington, now the athletic director and assistant boys basketball coach at J.S. Clark in his hometown of Opelousas, recalled meeting Vital during one of his camps at Hamilton Christian.
“The crazy thing when I first met him, he was just a younger version of what he is now, a very fierce competitor who didn’t like to lose,” he said. “Today he can handle losing and adversity the same way he handles winning. I watched a young boy grow up to be a young man and much wiser.”
Vital provided Hamilton Christian, where he first attended in the seventh grade, with an infusion of athletic ability and leadership, helping to propel the school’s football program to greater heights during the 2023-24-25 seasons.
He was an electric player who was utilized at quarterback, running back, wide receiver, returner, and defensive back and amassed nearly 7,000 all-purpose yards (6,990) and 116 touchdowns.
With Hamilton Christian’s profile changing into a district contender and program worthy of making deep playoff runs, the Warriors won consecutive district championships in 2024 and ’25.
“Javon is the humblest kid I have ever had with that amount of talent,” Washington said. “Also, he’s the most competitive as well, but of course most of my athletes are very competitive. With Javon it’s a little different because he was with me every day, even when I didn’t want him to.”
The Lake Charles American Press named Vital its first team quarterback and Offensive MVP on its Small School All-Southwest Louisiana team in 2024. He rushed 171 times for 1,503 yards with 25 touchdowns and completed 81 of 136 passes for 1,239 yards and 18 TDs.
Moreover, Vital, who added 12 pass breakups, returned four punts and kickoffs for scores and accounted for 47 touchdowns and was the Class 1A All-State kick returner.
Vital’s impact continued on the basketball floor where Hamilton defeated Southern Lab (61-58) for its first Division IV select state championship. He was both the MVP of the state championship game (20 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists) and the Class 1A All-State team with averages of 15.5 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists and 4 steals.
Hamilton registered its first undefeated regular season in 2025, finishing 10-1 with a Division IV select state quarterfinal loss to Ascension Episcopal.
That was the time in the season when a cloud had engulfed the school, and KPLC-TV in Lake Charles reported the school’s principal, another school employee and assistant coach had all been arrested for accusations of concealing information regarding sexual assaults between students over the course of several months.
The fallout resulted in the principal’s dismissal and Washington, who had been placed on administrative leave 48 hours before the team’s state quarterfinal game, resigned the following day on Nov. 21 with his team in the quarterfinals for the second time in school history.
“When coach Dexter was put on leave, that was my cue to leave,” Vital said. “It’s life. Things happen. You have to move on and keep on.
“I enjoyed my time at Hamilton; we had fun,” Vital said. “We went 0-10 one year and came back and started winning. I enjoyed playing with my teammates that I grew up with. They were my brothers.”
Franklin heads into his 12th season with a team that was 9-3 overall last season, losing 31-28 in overtime to Vandebilt Catholic in the Division II select state quarterfinals.
LCCP graduated two starting offensive linemen, with Class 3A All-State selection Myles Joseph signing with Sam Houston State. The Trailblazers have an embarrassment of riches at the skill positions with the return of Dylan Vital and Carter in the starting backfield.
Carter, a 10.7 sprinter in the 100 and 4.42 in the 40, was the District 3-3A Co-Offensive MVP with 2,578 rushing yards. He was named the All-Southwest Louisiana Offensive MVP and will once again serve as a contributor in a lethal offense that’s getting a significant boost with Javon Vital’s massive skill set.
First-team All-Southwest Louisiana defensive lineman Kellen Ford, the District 3-3A Defensive MVP, returns after compiling 119 tackles, 12.5 sacks, and 3 forced fumbles.
“Everybody talks about his athletic ability,” Franklin said. “There are also intangibles such as just taking over teams. He got here and didn’t expect anything. He was going to be hungry and wanted to work. When you know of kids with that type of caliber, you don’t know what to expect. He’s just accepted everything and has gone to work.
“He’s a kid that doesn’t bring any baggage,” Franklin said. “He said he wanted to win one for the coaches. That’s just the type of kid he is. He’s always worried about everybody else but himself, and that makes a difference.”
Javon Vital didn’t want to upset the team’s chemistry with a selfish attitude. He’s listened, taken care of his assignments and tried to fit in and be a good teammate.
LCCP will conduct a scrimmage against itself after having its fall scrimmage cancelled. The Trailblazers travel to Alexandria Senior High’s jamboree to face Pineville and host their season opener Sept. 4 with East Feliciana. They are part of a district this season with Leesville, North Vermilion and Rayne.
Vital’s goals are the same as everyone else’s.
“I was taught to be humble,” he said. “I had to go in with my head down, grind, work and show them that I’m trying to win. I wasn’t coming in and trying to boss anyone around or tell people what to do. I’m trying to lead us to a state championship because we have a very competitive team.”
Despite his familiarity with some of the team, particularly with Dylan Vital, the decision for Javon Vital to attend LCCP wasn’t automatic.
“I wasn’t always going to Prep,” he said. “My mom was uncertain about me going there; she wanted me to go to Sam Houston. We had a sit-down and talk, and Prep was the best fit for me.”
Vital showed the ability for a seamless transition when he arrived at LCCP with more than half of the basketball season already gone. He was a rotational player until head coach Sean Andrus asked him to take over the team’s point guard position before district play.
“He asked me if I wanted to play and then let me on the team,” he said. “He wanted to see what the team was like, let me come and work out and see how I liked it. I went in and put in the work every day with the guys and got to know them, and I became the No. 1 point guard.
“There was no confusion at the beginning to say I was automatically starting,” Vital said. “He said they were going to let me come off the bench at first and let me work myself in. Then later on coach said he knew that I led the team at Hamilton and wanted the ball in my hands. He wanted me to lead the team.”
LCCP finished 22-7 and was upset by No. 12 seed Northside, the eventual Division II select state runner-up, 66-65 in the regional round.
Vital averaged 9.3 points, 5.4 rebounds and 4.3 assists.
It’s been more than four months since Vital settled any discussion about his future.
His highlight-reel career at Hamilton Christian set the foundation for college coaches who made the change in his address to LCCP.
Vital contradicted a theory that Class 1A players would struggle to get their due with Power Four Conference programs, especially in the world of the NCAA transfer portal.
Six months after announcing an original commitment date in October, Vital was ready to decide between LSU, USC and Ole Miss in April.
Vital was regarded by On3/Rivals as the No. 44 running back nationally and the No. 19 prospect in Louisiana. His lone official visit was to USC, where he offered his commitment, becoming the program’s 14th pledge at the time.
“I felt like that was home,” said Vital, who also had scholarship offers from UCLA and Kentucky. “I was locked in and not looking for nobody else. I shut my recruitment down and just went with it.”
Washington was taken aback by a phone conversation with Vital following an interview with a local television station following his commitment.
“The funniest thing is he tells me to go watch his interview to see how professional he had gotten,” Washington said. “I smiled and said my demands on you worked.”
Vital said his understanding of USC’s program and the Los Angeles area were enhanced by his future running backs coach Anthony Jones Jr.
“When I visited there, I could see myself playing for USC,” Vital said. “He (Jones) showed me Los Angeles is a great place to be. He recruited me like nobody else. He got my mom to fall in love with Los Angeles.
“I feel great about my decision; I felt I made the best decision for me,” Vital said. “I put myself in a great situation. Getting this out of the way, I don’t have to worry about coaches calling me to see where I’m going to go.”
USC’s vision on how best to utilize Vital’s talents is similar to that of LCCP.
“I don’t know where I’m going to be, but I’ll move around a lot,” said Vital, who will graduate in December and enroll at USC in January.
Vital presents numerous ways for LCCP to attack defenses. He’ll line up at quarterback, at running back and out wide. He’ll also play in the defensive secondary and remain a threat on special teams, Franklin said.
“If you’re an athlete and you’re a competitor,” Vital said, “then you can play anything, and you have the confidence. Wherever they need me on offense and defense, I fit in everywhere. Your senior year is supposed to be your best year. I’m going out with a bang. I need a state championship.”