Jeanerette’s path back to the Caesars Superdome starts with a roster built to punish defenses.
After a 47-6 loss to Haynesville High School in the LHSAA Non-Select Division IV semifinals, the Tigers walked away knowing another shot at a title had slipped by. They’ve been knocking on the door for a while now, and the dream of reaching the finals has been there since the school opened back in 1900s. Now head coach Clifford Paul and his team are aiming to turn that near-miss into a breakthrough in 2026.
“I think we have the potential to get there, the question is going to be how we handle the journey to get to that point,” Paul said. “Haynesville wanted it more than we did last season but I think our kids understand now the value of hard work and what it takes to get there.”
The biggest reason for optimism is the backfield. Jeanerette’s rushing attack took a hit early last season when three-star running back Devin Duhon went down in the opener against Patterson. That injury opened the door for freshman Destin Smith, and he made the most of it, rushing for more than 1,000 yards and leading the Tigers on the ground.
“It felt great for me to just come and show what I could do and show my talent off,” Smith said. “This year I’m trying to build off that and my main thing is improving on my speed and my catching. I’m trying to do anything to send my seniors out with a ring on their fingers.”
Now Smith gets help. With Duhon back healthy and junior quarterback Aaron Tillman in the mix, Jeanerette has the look of a three-headed backfield that can stress teams in a hurry. For Duhon, the comeback has carried extra weight after spending his junior year watching from the sideline.
“Not going to lie, it was a pain in the butt and just a learning experience for me to sit and watch because I’ve never done that before,” Duhon said. “Now that I’m back, all I’ve been doing is grinding and grinding and grinding. I’ve stayed in the weight room just trying to get ready for a big season this year.”
Up front, the Tigers have the kind of size that makes life miserable for opposing fronts. Their offensive line is built mostly with linemen no shorter than 6-foot-2, and the anchor of the group is Blair Lewis, a 6-foot-6, 320-pounder who is already drawing major attention. The Class of 2029 lineman picked up his first Division I offer from USC and later added one from LSU after his freshman season.
“It means a lot,” Lewis said on his recent offers. “It’s really showing me like all the hard work that I’m putting in is not being unnoticed and that I’m not working for nothing. As I’m getting all of these offers, it’s pushing me to keep going forward and I got to keep working.”
Jeanerette’s talent doesn’t stop there. Seniors Kobe Gage and Nysir Jackson give the Tigers two-way production at wide receiver and on defense, adding even more punch to a group already loaded with playmakers. Gage finished with 2,000 all-purpose yards in 2025, while Jackson recently landed his first D1 offer from North Alabama.
With that kind of firepower spread across the roster, Jeanerette is betting 2026 can be the year it finally gets past the semifinal wall and into the Dome.
In Other News...
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The bigger picture is that Kelly was talking about more than one hire or one scheme. He also acknowledged the challenges that came with elevating Joe Sloan on offense after Mike Denbrock left, a reminder that staff continuity can be just as important as talent on the roster. Meanwhile, the two coaches Kelly once wanted beside him have gone on to build strong reputations elsewhere, which only adds to the what-if feel around how different LSUs arc might have looked. [Read more 🡒]
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Winston Watkins, the Ole Miss transfer and sophomore, has a built-in edge after following Kiffin and wide receivers coach George McDonald to Baton Rouge. He also turned heads during spring practice, which only added to the sense that LSU may have found a receiver who can quickly become central to what it wants to do. For a team still sorting out its passing-game hierarchy, that matters, especially with SEC expectations already placing LSU in the upper tier of the league race. [Read more 🡒]
LSU Just Got Hit With A Brutal Recruiting Reality Check
LSUs 2026 recruiting class took a hit in the latest Rivals update, and the timing makes it sting a little more for a program trying to build momentum early in the cycle. Several committed prospects slid in the rankings, while a few others held steady or nudged upward, but the overall takeaway was a class that got downgraded rather than strengthened. For a staff trying to sell progress and star power, that kind of movement changes the conversation fast.
The biggest concern is less about one individual ranking and more about what it says about the class as a whole. LSU still has talent committed and still has time to reshape the board, but the perception around the group has shifted, and those perception swings matter in recruiting. How the Tigers respond from here will say plenty about the urgency and polish of the first-year push on the trail. [Read more 🡒]