Louisiana’s top trench athlete is heading north for college.
Sam Houston offensive lineman Albert Simien announced his commitment Friday afternoon to Notre Dame over a long, coast-to-coast list of options that also notably included LSU, Texas A&M, Ole Miss, Nebraska, Florida and Alabama.
“Notre Dame was the right decision for me just ’cause of the historic O-line presence at the university, the Christian background and just the all-around tradition with the program,” he said on a live ESPN national broadcast after brief LSU and Ole Miss hat fakeouts. “Having a head coach like Marcus Freeman is a great thing for the program — just building that relationship with him in the long run and just being a positive figure for me and my family.”
The 6-foot-4, 280-pound blocker is the No. 2 overall prospect in Louisiana vs. All Y’all’s 2027 class rankings and a five-star national prospect in the On3 | Rivals industry rankings.
His combination of size and athleticism has made him one of the state’s most coveted recruits in the cycle — and one of the highest-profile players to ever come out of southwest Louisiana — ever since early in a breakout sophomore campaign for his Broncos.
But his coaches and teammates have praised his humility and character as much as any aspect of his game even as much as his recruiting spotlight grew.
“Ah no, I never thought I’d be ‘big-time’ or anything like that growing up,” Simien smiled to Louisiana vs. All Y’all at the mere verbiage. “But just getting to be around other dudes everyone speaks highly of, realizing it’s gonna go uphill from here on out … I’m just still a kid from Moss Bluff, La. That’s all it is.”
That kid will take his considerable talent from Moss Bluff, La., to South Bend, Ind., to continue his career at the next level.
And with Simien’s announcement Friday, the top 11 players in Louisiana vs. All Y’all’s latest 2027 class rankings have now publicly committed to college programs.
LVAY 2027 TOP 25
1. Easton Royal, Brother Martin WR —> Texas
2. Albert Simien, Sam Houston OL —> Notre Dame
3. Peyton Houston, Evangel Christian QB —> LSU
4. Elijah Haven, Dunham QB —> Alabama
5. Ahmad Hudson, Ruston TE —> LSU
6. Miguel Whitley, St. Augustine WR —> Ole Miss
7. Braylon Calais, Cecilia ATH/WR —> LSU
8. Javon Vital Jr., Lake Charles College Prep ATH/RB —> USC
9. Trey Martin, Franklin Parish RB —> LSU
10. Kaston Lewis, Iowa S/ATH —> Texas Tech
11. Jayden Miles, Catholic-BR RB —> Florida State
12. Jaydan Anding, Ruston S —>
13. Juelz Batiste, Edna Karr EDGE —> Ole Miss
14. Malachi Zeigler, Benton QB —> SMU
15. Karon Eugene, Westgate S —>
16. Jaden Bayonne, Alexandria DL —>
17. Rontrae Carter, Archbishop Shaw S —>
18. Gary Burney Jr., Parkway WR —> LSU
19. Marvin Joseph Jr., Central S/ATH
20. Ray’Quan Williams, St. Augustine WR —> Tulane
21. Zyion Wesley, Edna Karr OL —> Mississippi State
22. Ethan Kimmie, Zachary WR —>
23. Markez Davis, Northwest DB/WR —> LSU
24. Jude Chamberlain, Catholic-BR TE —> Stanford
25. Devin Lavalais, Marksville ATH/S —> Tulane