By LEE BRECHEEN, Louisiana Football Magazine/TV
I saw 275 out of the close to 300 high school football teams in our state play in 2022 and 2021 on either full game film, or in person at games, practices or scrimmages, and I’m certain one of the best under-the-radar guys in Louisiana is Jacob Carpenter from Evangel Christian.
Jacob is a three-year starter who lines up at 6-3 and 260 to 265 pounds. He has great feet, is strong, is tough, smart and a leader.
I believe he’s going to be a big time player at the Division I FBS level and has a chance to be special in college as a center. So far, he hasn’t gotten offers from that level. He should.
He reminds me of former LSU center Todd McClure, who was 6-2, 255 at Central High in Baton Rouge. McClure played tight end in high school and moved to center at LSU. It was a master stroke. He played 12-plus years in the NFL as a center for the Atlanta Falcons at 6-2, 300 pounds.
I did not see a better center/offensive guard in Louisiana in 2022.
Carpenter has admiration for the two men he plays for in the Evangel program.
“Denny Duron has been our head coach for some time now, and I have loved to play under him. He is a true leader and every one of us strives to be like him.
“My favorite thing about coach (Duron) is that he is so motivating before a game. He knows how to get us going with a good pregame speech.
“My offensive line coach, Danny Palmer, is so knowledgeable about the game. This is his 53rd year coaching. Just to be in a room with coach Palmer is special. I take everything I can from him. He’s no ordinary coach, he’s a old school mean dirty offensive line coach that all of us love because he brings that fire that we need every game and practice. All of us would run thru a brick wall for him,” said Carpenter.
Although I think Carpenter is way under-recruited at this stage, he is nothing but grateful.
“I have offers from Nicholls, Louisiana Christian and Centenary College. I thank God for providing these doors for me he deserves all the glory,” he said. “I have also been in talks with Louisiana Tech and the UL-Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns.”
Carpenter got an early start in the game, and he’s come up through the ECA system.
“I started playing in the second grade and I’ve played for Evangel Christian all my life since I was in elementary school,” he said. “I only play football and have a passion for it –no other sports.”
He takes pride in putting defenders on their backs.
“I average around 5-8 pancake blocks a game and in some games, I’ve reach double digits on pancakes,” he said. Considering Evangel plays a tough non-district schedule, made a good playoff run last year, and is a sneaky contender for a state title this fall, that’s even more impressive.”
While he’s focused on football in his athletic pursuits, he isn’t a one-track young man.
“When I’m not playing football, I love to go fishing or hunting,” said Carpenter. “Spending time outdoors is always fun. I love to read the Lord’s words that are in the Bible when I’m alone, before I go to bed at night.”
As he gets into preseason practice aiming for a great senior season with the Eagles, Carpenter admits he has big dreams – rooted in humble ambitions.
“My dream would be playing in the big Saturday night games in the Southeastern Conference,” he said, “but I just want to play this game for as long as possible and achieve some of my goals along the way.”
I can’t wait to see what happens for Carpenter and ECA this season.
Contact Lee at lbrecheen@aol.com
Lee Brecheen has operated Louisiana Football Magazine for over 30 years and is one of the state’s foremost experts on high school football and especially recruiting. Based in Baton Rouge, Lee travels statewide to watch practices and games and has broken down film and tape since the late 1980s. He has converted the printed product to an online website (Lafootballmagazine.com) that will preview every high school and college football program in the state before kickoff this fall. Lee also hosts a football-centric TV show on YouTube, The Sports Scouting Report, on weekdays.
