UL recruiting football weekend yields Magee commitment

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“We are absolutely thrilled to identify a head football coach with the experience and success that Billy Napier brings to the University of Louisiana,” UL athletic director Bryan Maggard said in a statement issued Friday afternoon. Wochit

The Ragin’ Cajuns entertained multiple football recruits over the weekend, including some who evidently were quite pleased with their visit.

And at least one committed to UL on Sunday.

Malcolm Magee Jr., a defensive back/receiver from Ocean Springs High in Mississippi, tweeted word of his non-binding verbal commitment Sunday.

In making his choice known, Magee thanked “God because without him I wouldn’t be here today,” his coaches for “all the hard work we have been through together,” his parents and family “for believing in me and making me who I am today,” and everyone “who has been there by my side through this journey.”

Magee pledged to UL despite picking up multiple offers this month, including ones just last Friday from both Florida Atlantic of Conference USA and Utah State of the Mountain West.

More: Cajuns hard at work on assembling 2018 signing class

According to 247Sports.com, he also had been scheduled – at least prior to Sunday – to visit Colorado State, which offered him earlier this month, next weekend and Texas-San Antonio, which offered as well, the weekend after that.

Patrick Toney, UL’s new safeties coach on the staff of new Cajuns head coach Billy Napier, spent the last two seasons at UTSA.

Toney is among those pictured with Magee, taken during his visit to UL, on the tweet of his decision.

Magee wasn’t the only one who enjoyed his trip to Lafayette.

“Had A Great Time at The (University) of Louisiana,” outside linebacker Tim Faison tweeted Sunday morning.

Faison – a product of Godby High in Tallahassee, Florida – redshirted at Purdue of the Big Ten in 2015 and didn’t get on the field in 2016.

He transferred and spent last season at Independence Community College in Kansas, where he had 51 tackles and recovered two fumbles over 10 games for a 9-2 team that won the Midwest Bowl Classic in December.

Faison also visited Memphis last month, and he received an offer from Southern Miss earlier this month.

Related: Billy Napier introduced as new UL football coach

Others visiting the Cajuns over the weekend included:

• Plaquemine High defensive back Percy Butler, who originally committed to UL before former head coach Mark Hudspeth was fired in December;
•  Plaquemine linebacker AJ Riley, who committed to Napier and the Cajuns on New Year’s Eve;
• Tylan Knight, an 'athlete' from Pearl High in Mississippi;
•  Highland (Kansas) Community College defensive end Amadou Fofana, a product of Mitchell High in Memphis who received NJCAA honorable mention this past season; and;
•  Steven Shaw, a defensive end from Manvel High in Texas who according to 247 visited Louisiana Tech last month, will visit Tulane next weekend and has offers from those two, UConn, UNLV and Wyoming.

Butler told The Daily Advertiser on Sunday that he and Riley both visited over the weekend, and that while he no longer is committed to the Cajuns they are “Still my number 1.”

Two other Hudspeth commits – Houston-area offensive linemen Luke Junkunc and Chris Heiskell – still lists themselves on their Twitter bios as Cajun commits.

So does Hudspeth-era commit Jaylen Whitaker, a defensive end from St. Aloysius High in Vicksburg, Mississippi.

One former Hudspeth commit, Butler (Kansas) Community College defensive end Darrian McMillan, signed with North Texas after decommitting from UL, and another, Alabama safety/running back Daniel Beard, last week tweeted that he plans to play for Princeton.  

Related: After leaving Nevada, STM product joins UL football team

AIMING HIGH

The Cajuns already have started putting out offers to Class of 2019 recruits – and they’re aiming high.

Among them: Ishmael Sopsher, a highly regarded defensive lineman from Amite High with multiple SEC offers who was offered by UL last week, and Southern University Lab School offensive lineman Kardell Thomas, who LSU commit who was offered by both UL and Mississippi State last week.

COOPER TO NAVY

Jordan Cooper, a quarterback from New Caney High in Texas, committed to UL way back in February of last year, then decommitted from the Cajuns in May.

Last Friday, Cooper tweeted “I am 120% committed to The United States Naval Academy” and that he was “shutting down all my recruitment.”

After decommitting from UL, Cooper – according to 247Sports – also committed to and decommitted from Air Force in the fall.

HOLLIDAY OFFERS

Nathan Holliday, a kicker/punter from Live Oak High who had committed to UL as a preferred walk-on prior to the Cajuns’ coaching change from Hudspeth to Napier, picked up juco offers from both Arizona Western College and Independence Community College as well as one from NCAA Division II-member West Florida.

Related: After quitting Cajuns, linebacker Holmes says he's back