By LEE BRECHEEN, Louisiana Football Magazine
I always tell parents stats don’t make you a prospect. It’s your potential, and that’s what fits today’s article about wide receiver Jackson Dufrene of C.E Byrd.
This is a kid who plays in a 99.9 percent running offense. The Yellow Jackets’ program is very good at it and wins a ton of games doing that. But throwing the ball is not something you will see much in a given week. Class of 2023 prospect Dufrene has 4.59 speed in the 40, with a long 6-4 and a sturdy 185 pounds on his frame, going along with great hands.
I’ve seen game film of Byrd and when this kid gets the opportunity, he is magical catching the ball. Dufrene is tough and can really run after the catch. He was targeted 10 times and caught eight passes for 84 yards with two touchdowns in 2021, which was a good chunk of the Yellow Jackets’ passes thrown last season.
This kid is a steal because he in my opinion would catch 50 passes easily in a spread offense and would be ranked one of the top WR’s in Louisiana, which is why I’m pointing this out. He’s a Division I recruit. Don’t look at the stats; instead, look at his ability and the offense he plays in.
Dufrene will be a 6-4, 200-pound receiver with a year in a college weight room, still running a 4.5 in the 40. It’s not every day you find a kid that tall with that type of speed with a frame that will fill out really quickly.
I also promoted his dad back in the day, Dustin Dufrene, who was on my “Heart of Champions” team in Louisiana Football Magazine. He played for South Lafourche and was 6-2, 185 pounds in high school with 4.6 speed. Jackson’s dad was a pretty good athlete back in the day but Jackson is already bigger and faster at this stage.
What Byrd wide receiver coach Marty Guerrero likes about Dufrene is his toughness and physicality.
“The one word that describes Jackson is tough. From my first day with him it’s been the most impressive trait,” said Guerrero. “He’s tall, he’s fast, he’s quick (4.2 short shuttle), but still toughness is what sets him apart.
“He’s physical in the air on 50/50 balls and he blocks like a fullback. He’s fearless running slants and digs through the middle of the field,” said Guerrero. “He worked very hard in the offseason playing 7-on-7 with the La Pride and has become a great route runner. It really showed recently in the Benton 7-on-7 with Lake Lambert our quarterback finding him for seven deep balls for touchdowns.
“Jackson is also able to run deep comeback routes at will. It’s been a pleasure for me to have the opportunity to work with him. He is going to turn heads this fall. He is also a straight-A student.”
Dufrene likes the way his head coach, Stacy Ballew, leads the team by stressing hard work and discipline.
“Coach Ballew knows the game of football really well. He leads the team with the principles of hard work and discipline,” said Dufrene. “He believes that football is a way of teaching people that you have to do things the right way in order for them to work.”
Notes on Jackson Dufrene: Uncle Jacob Dufrene played for Kentucky in the SEC as a linebacker and went to South Lafourche. Dad Dustin Dufrene played for South Lafourche and Nicholls State as a wide receiver. Mom and grandmother graduated from UL-Lafayette.
Dufrene wants to major in business in college.
His favorite colleges are LSU (he grew up watching them play), UL-Lafayette and understandably, Nicholls State.
Contact Lee at lbrecheen@aol.com