Louisiana high school football: Here are the top quarterbacks for the 2023 season
In the last recruiting cycle, the state of Louisiana produced a trio of blue-chip quarterbacks in Arch Manning, Eli Holstein and Rickie Collins.
This year's group of seniors doesn't have the star power of the 2023 class, but there are plenty of top-flight quarterbacks preparing for their senior campaign.
In addition, there are a few high-profile names among the underclassmen.
Here now is SBLive Louisiana's look at the state's top quarterbacks. Players are listed in random order. This isn't an exhaustive list. Please let us know about other quarterbacks we should keep an eye on.
Sam Altmann, 6-3, 195, Sr., St. Thomas More
Altmann passed for 3,000 yards with 27 touchdowns and six interceptions for the Division II select state champions. Although he's under the radar on the recruiting scene, he'll be able to showcase his skills in high-profile games against Brother Martin, Catholic-Baton Rouge, Lafayette Christian, Westgate and Teurlings Catholic.
He tossed two touchdown passes in the final two minutes of the championship game to erase a 10-point deficit against district rival Lafayette Christian. Finished the game with 422 yards passing and six TDs and was named Most Outstanding Player. St. Thomas More went 13-1 and scored 613 points on the year.
Preston Welch, 6-2, 215, Sr., Teurlings Catholic
Welch has thrown for more than 5,000 yards and 60 TDs during his career. Last year, he passed for 2,800 yards and 32 TDs with seven interceptions. Teamed up with receiver Kentrell Prejean (now at South Dakota State) for 1,400 yards on 70 completions with 14 TDs. Was offered a scholarship from Alabama-Birmingham in July 2022.
Welch was also named Top Quarterback at the Pro Football Camp held at Nicholls State. Participated in the Elite 11 at Oxford, Miss. Led Teurlings Catholic to a 12-2 record and the Division II select semifinals.
Daniel Beale, 6-3, 190, Sr., Catholic-Baton Rouge
Rated as a three-star prospect and the No. 46 player in Louisiana according to the On3 Industry Rankings. Committed to the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns. Also holds offers from Louisiana Tech, Houston, Memphis and Colorado State, among others.
Beale passed for 2,617 yards and 38 TDs with 10 interceptions and earned Class 5A all-state honors as a junior, while leading the Bears to the Division I select semifinals.
Lynkon Romero, 6-3, 210, Sr., Erath
Romero owns more than 20 school records at Erath High, including career passing yards (4,499), completions (292) and passing touchdowns (49). Also a standout baseball pitcher - compiled a 6-2 record with a 2.17 ERA in the spring.
Louisiana Chrisitan, Centenary, Hendrix College and Carthage College have extended offers to Romero, who led the Bobcats to the second round of the Division II non-select playoffs as a junior. Racked up over 2,100 all-purpose yards in 2022. Teams up with Christian Pillette, Erath's all-time leading receiver.
Emile Picarella, 6-2, 210, Jr., University Lab
Transferred from St. Joseph (Miss.) during the summer. Passed for 2,160 yards and 20 TDs as a sophomore. Rivals lists Picarella as a four-star prospect, the number seven player in Louisiana, the No. 15 pro-style QB and the No. 214 player in the nation.
Oregon, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Kentucky and Boston College are among his offers. U-High, which reached the 2022 semifinals, is a frontrunner in Division III select. The Cubs also return Garrett Graves, who tossed four TDs in five games.
Ju'Juan Johnson, 5-11, 185, Sr., Lafayette Christian
While Johnson is expected to move to the defensive backfield next year at LSU, he has had a remarkable career at QB. Passed for 4,010 yards and 43 TDs with 13 interceptions as a junior. Rushed for 1,280 yards and 17 TDs on 206 carries. Passed for 470 yards and rushed for 179 with nine TDs in a Division II select semifinal win against Teurlings Catholic that avenged a regular season loss to the Rebels.
Rated a four-star prospect, the No. 6 player in Louisiana, the No. 21 safety and the No. 230 overall player by 247Sports. Johnson had committed to Colorado before de-committing, ending up deciding to stay in-state with the Tigers.
Jaboree Antoine, 6-2, 180, Jr., Westgate
Antoine is in the same vein as Johnson. Rated a five-star prospect, the No. 2 player in Louisiana, the No. 4 cornerback in the nation and the overall No. 27 player in the nation by the 247Composite. Listed as the No. 1 2025 player in the state by 247Sports.
Played both ways for Westgate, a Division I non-select semifinalist. Completed 105-of-186 passes for 1,650 yards and 12 TDs while sharing reps with Amaaz Eugene. On defense, Antoine recorded 39 tackles, six interceptions and 12 pass break-ups.
Joshua Brantley, 6-5, 205, Jr., Ruston
Brantley is generating a lot of buzz for a first-year starter. He has all the tools with prototype size. On3 analyst Sam Speigelman reported that Brantley ran a 4.58 40-yard dash the summer before his sophomore season. Stepping into the starting job after Jaden Osborne graduated.
Ruston is considered a strong favorite to return to the Caesars Superdome after finishing as runner-up to Destrehan. Brantley and the Bearcats square off with Warren Easton and Lafayette Christian in attractive non-district matchups.
Luke Delafield, 6-2, 180, So., North DeSoto
Louisiana-Monroe and Northwestern State have offered Delafield, who sparked North DeSoto to a Division II non-select runner-up finish as a freshman.
Delafield plays for coach Dennis Dunn, a quarterback guru who tutored nationally renowned signal-callers Brock Berlin and John David Booty while serving as head coach at Evangel Christian. Delafield threw for 2,572 and 38 TDs in 2022. He's hoping to add another state title for his school and his family this year, after older sister Aly Delafield helped lead the North DeSoto softball team to the Division II non-select softball championship this spring.
Abram Wardell, 5-11, 185, Jr., Calvary Baptist
Cavaliers coach Rodney Guin is blessed to have two excellent quarterbacks in Wardell and Peyton Houston. Wardell completed 78% of his passes as a sophomore, totaling 2,410 yards and 33 TDs with only four interceptions for a team that reached the Division IV select quarterfinals.
Wardell guided Calvary Baptist to a 6-0 record and the Division 2 championship at the LSU 7-on-7 this summer. Has a 4.0 GPA. Generated a 150.0 quarterback rating in 2022. The Cavaliers will tangle with one of the state's best defenses in an early non-district matchup with Westgate.
Peyton Houston, 5-11, 180, Fr., Calvary Baptist
QBhitlist tabs Houston as the No. 1 dual-threat quarterback in the country in his class. Passed for 61 TDs in middle school with 10 rushing touchdowns. Will have weapons to work with: Calvary features senior receiver John Simon, a Louisiana Tech commit, four-star junior running back James Simon and a lot more.
The Cavaliers bring back all five leading receivers, highlighted by senior Aubrey Hermes (50-886, 10 TDs). Texas A&M, Purdue, TCU, Mississippi State and Ole Miss have offered Houston.
Caden Jacob, 6-2, 195, Sr., Mandeville
PrepRedzone named Jacob as one of the state's chart-rising prospects. He transferred to Mandeville from Hammond and will encounter his former teammates in a District 6-5A matchup near the end of the regular season.
Last year, Jacob guided Hammond to a 4-0 start. The Tornadoes lost 35-34 to Mandeville, his new school. Jacob completed nearly 63% of his passes while throwing for 1,384 yards and 13 TDs with five interceptions.
Peyton Fulghum, 6-1, 200, Sr., Evangel Christian
Passed for 2,392 yards and 23 TDs as a junior, and also rushed for five TDs. His favorite target was his brother, Parker Fulghum (89-1,245, 14 TDs). Peyton Fulghum is also a dual-sport star who batted .431 in baseball with 10 doubles, two triples, two home runs and 25 RBIs in 94 at-bats.
In football, he led Evangel to a 7-5 record and a Division II select second-round appearance. Will go head-to-head against five-star cornerback Jaboree Antoine when Evangel faces Westgate in non-district action.
Jackson Fields, 6-2, 185, So., Destrehan
Fields takes over as the starting quarterback for the reigning Division I non-select state champions. He brings an above average arm and solid footwork to the position.
Will throw to a large group of talented receivers, highlighted by Ole Miss commitment Anthony Robinson, along with Phillip Wright, Johnnie Thiel IV and Jabril Mack.
Josiah Bushnell, 6-0, 180, Sr., Iowa
Three-sport athlete who transferred from Lake Charles College Prep to Iowa, the reigning Division II non-select baseball state champions. Holds a football offer from Air Force.
Cole Bergeron, 6-4, 185, So., St. Thomas More
St. Thomas More offensive coordinator Shane Savoie develops quarterbacks as well as anybody, and he has a future star in Bergeron. QBhitlist raves about Bergeron's size, poise, decision-making, arm strength and release.
Amare Cooper, 6-3, 180, Sr., St. Augustine
Cooper moved into the starting role early last season when Dawson Simmons went down with an injury. He quickly shined, throwing for 216 yards and four TDs to four different receivers in a win against McDonogh 35. Simmons might split reps at QB with Dawson, who is expected to take snaps at receiver as well.
Peyton Landry, 6-1, 175, So., Westgate
The Tigers have Jaboree Antoine returning at quarterback, but offensive coordinator Derek Landry has shown the willingness to use more than one signal-caller. If Peyton Landry performs well, it could lead to more reps for him and more rest between snaps for Antoine, the team's top cornerback.
Cameron Dorsey, 6-1, 190, Sr., Salmen
Dual-threat athlete who holds the school record with a 315-pound power clean. Has a 3.8 GPA and runs a 4.5 in the 40-yard dash.
Helped Salmen win four straight games to close out the regular season after a 1-5 start. Threw for a season-high 226 yards and two touchdowns versus Belle Chasse. Averaged nine yards per carry on the season.
Ashton Levi, 6-0, 190, Sr., Bogalusa
Threw for 5,041 yards and 54 touchdowns over the past two years. Passed for 23 TDs with only four interceptions last year and rushed for eight TDs. Led Bogalusa to the District 7-3A title. Sparked the Lumberjacks to consecutive wins over large school programs Salmen, John Ehret and Chalmette.
Brayden Williams, 6-0, 190, Sr., St. James
Passed for 1,927 yards and 21 TDs with only three interceptions in the regular season. Threw for a season-high 368 yards and four TDs in a win over Patterson. Favorite target was four-star WR Khai Prean, who signed with LSU.
Jerry Horne, 6-2, 190, Jr., Denham Springs
Horne assumes sole control of the starting quarterback role after splitting time with Reese Mooney (now at Liberty University). Passed for 241 yards and nearly directed a come-from-behind win at St. Thomas More in Week 4.
Jackson Bradley, 6-3, 200, Jr., Oak Grove
Passed for 2,049 yards and 13 TDs with six interceptions for the Division IV non-select state champions. Rushed for 803 yards and 13 TDs. Also played a key role on Oak Grove's state championship baseball team.
Sawyer Pruitt, 6-5, 215, Jr., Live Oak
Dominant pitcher who is committed to Ole Miss for baseball. Has ideal size at quarterback.
Luke LeBlanc, 6-1, 175, Jr., Northlake Christian
Named 2025 MVP at the QB Mechanix Iron Sharpens Iron camp in May.
Ben Taylor, 6-1, 175, Jr., Airline
Passed for 21 TDs through the first six games last year. In a win against Bossier City crosstown rival Parkway, Taylor threw for nearly 300 yards as the Vikings, who started out 0-3, won their sixth straight game.
Eli Friend, 6-1, 195, Jr., Newman
Friend replaces Arch Manning, who is now at the University of Texas.
Bryce Carpenter, 5-11, 160, Sr., Loyola Prep
Transferred from Calvary Baptist and helped the Flyers to a No. 7 seed and the Division III select second round.
Dagan Bruno, 6-2, 185, Sr., John Curtis Christian
Completed nearly 60% of his passes and averaged 17.3 yards per completion for the Division I select state champions. Rushed for 368 yards and six touchdowns. Bruno's number one option downfield will be four-star LSU wide receiver commit Michael Turner. Also plays basketball and baseball, and has a 4.0 grade point average.
Kelby Hypolite, 5-8, 175, Sr., Breaux Bridge
Totaled 2,500 all-purpose yards while leading the Tigers to the Division II non-select quarterfinals. Averaged 7.4 yards per rush and scored five touchdowns in a second-round upset of Iota.
Cortland Brownfield, 6-0, 175, Jr., Woodlawn-Baton Rouge
Transfer from University Lab. Holds offers from Grambling State and Louisiana Christian.
Diesel Solari, 5-8, 170, Jr., Cecilia
Solari was a starting running back as a freshman before he was pressed into quarterback duty due to an injury to Alex Soileau.
Honorable Mention
Koby Ferria, 6-3, 165, So., St. Augustine
Jerry Bottley IV, 6-3, 175, So., Southern Lab
John Johnson, 6-0, 170, So., Edna Karr
Tylan Johnson, 6-10, 180, Jr., Madison Prep
Brodie Savage, 6-3, 155, Jr., Captain Shreve
Jackson Firmin, 6-2, 185, Jr., Central-Baton Rouge
Colton Morris, 5-11, 190, Jr., Loranger
Peyton Renfro, 6-0, 180, Jr., Iota
Kaden Zenon, 5-10, 160, Sr., St. Martinville
By Mike Coppage
Photo of Lafayette Christian's Ju'Juan Johnson by Jason Saucier
