2024 Results: 13-0 overall record, beat Alexandria in Division-I Select championship game.
Biggest Strength: How much time do you have? Edna Karr is absolutely loaded once again. There’s almost no wrong answer, but if focusing on just one area, the combination of talent and experience in the secondary is staggering. Three Power-Four commitments in safety Aiden Hall (LSU), cornerback Hayward Howard Jr. (Texas) and the versatile Maurice Williams Jr. (Colorado) are all ranked in Louisiana vs. All Y’all’s top 32 prospects for the state’s 2026 class, and fellow senior Torrence “Toe” Sanders is committed to South Alabama, yet another FBS program, and slotted just outside the top-50 rankings. Meanwhile the next crew is already ascending with players such as Eldric Cambrice Jr. and Kaiden Lucas already arising as Power-Four targets. The whole group is fast and physical and plays with a swagger that quickly overwhelm opponents.
Biggest Question: The biggest question heading into the offseason was how the Cougars would replace three Division-I wide receivers from the 2025 class in TaRon “ManChild” Francis (LSU), Oliver Mitchell Jr. (Tulane) and Daejawn Smith (Louisiana Tech). But the team returned a group of weapons such as Floyd Jones, Joshua Ford Jr. and Anthony Thomas who appear ready for bigger roles as seniors, and another slew of high-profile targets in Jakai Anderson, Greg Wilfred and Xavier Owens have arrived from McDonogh 35, Destrehan and Narbonne (Los Angeles). So the cupboard is well-stocked for quarterback John Johnson, a Liberty commit, and company to continue feasting.
Key Returners: Sr. DT Richard Anderson (6-3, 320), Sr. EDGE Romeo Brown (6-3, 230), Sr. RB Tre Garrison (5-11, 190), S Aiden Hall (6-2, 185), Sr. CB Hayward Howard Jr. (6-3, 175), Sr. QB John Johnson (6-0, 170), Jr. RB Jermond Macklin (6-0, 185), Sr. LB Kevin Martin Jr. (6-0, 190), Sr. OL Leon Noil Jr. (6-5, 275), Sr. DB Torrence Sanders (6-1, 180), Jr. OL Zyion Wesley (6-4, 285), Sr. DB Maurice Williams Jr. (5-11, 170)
Breakout Candidate: The Cougars graduated some key pieces in their defensive front seven around anchor Richard Anderson in the middle. Keep an eye on junior edge rusher Juelz Batiste, who looked this spring like one of the next Edna Karr defensive standouts likely to have a long list of college options to choose from next year. The 6-foot-3, 225-pound athlete certainly passes the eye test and flashed some big plays in the scrimmage as he exploded by blockers for plays in the backfield. As much focus as Anderson commands, Batiste is among the other players in the box capable of raising plenty of hell of his own as a nice complement to the LSU commit.
Newcomer to Watch: As mentioned above, a trio of graduated wide receivers left big shoes to fill for an offense that wants to push the ball downfield and keep continuous pressure applied to its opponents. But a trio of newcomers possesses all the talent to not only hold up, but excel in their new opportunity. Any one of Jakai Anderson, Greg Wilfred and Xavier Owens could be a nightmare for opposing secondaries, and the Cougars look poised to have all going.
Top College Prospects: The Edna Karr roster includes three of the top 10 prospects and six of the top 50 in Louisiana vs. All Y’all’s 2026 rankings. Defensive tackle Richard Anderson and safety Aiden Hall are cornerstones of LSU’s 2026 class, while cornerback Hayward Howard Jr. (Texas), offensive lineman Leon Noil Jr. (Nebraska), defensive back Maurice Williams Jr. (Colorado), quarterback John Johnson (Liberty) and Torrence Sanders (South Alabama) have all committed to out-of-state FBS programs. And running back Tre Garrison (Nicholls State), edge rusher Romeo Brown (Alabama A&M), linebacker Kevin Martin Jr. (Alcorn State) and tight end Cameron Munford (Alabama A&M) are headed to nearby FCS opportunities. The arrivals of Xavier Owens (Fresno State) and Jakai Anderson (SMU) push the senior commitment total to 13, with more likely to join in the coming months. And the talent won’t slow down there with juniors such as offensive lineman Zyion Wesley, edge rusher Juelz Batiste, running back Jermond Macklin and defensive backs Eldric Cambrice Jr. and Kaiden Lucas all already reporting Power-Four offers.
Key Game: The Catholic League slate is always a gauntlet in which almost any game can slip away if focus, execution or energy are not top-notch. So there’s no sleeping on any of the league matchups that make up the bulk of the regular season. But Edna Karr also has a high-profile out-of-state showdown early on the schedule that provides a different perspective to this question than most teams. The Cougars will host American Heritage (Plantation, Fla.) on Sept. 12 in Caesars Superdome in a clash of powerhouses that presents an opportunity to further build their brand on a national scale.
Coach Quote: “That’s what high school football is about: It’s about building depth through chemistry, building depth through development, right? So I think no competition is better than self-competition that’s in our building. So I think that’s the good part. Yeah, we’ve got to replace a lot of guys, but a core of guys are still here.” — coach Brice Brown
Player Quote: “As soon as we loaded and finished celebrating (the 2024 title), I was like, ‘Man, it’s time to go back-to-back, you know?’ Looking at it, we’ve got the same team. We only lost a few seniors, so it’s like it’s the same thing. Coach Brice is gonna push us to the standard of getting back-to-back, so we’re just in the process of doing it.” — senior DT Richard Anderson