Louisiana’s weekend loaded with marquee matchups and cool, windy weather brought out some great performances from some of the state’s top playmakers.
Familiar names garnered many of this week’s honors in the latest Louisiana vs. All Y’all Players of the Week awards.
South Louisiana also notably headlined the latest recognitions, though with a nice split among New Orleans, Baton Rouge and Lafayette in the high school ranks and LSU, Tulane and Southeastern Louisiana in college.
Here are this week’s nine winners — as always with offensive, defensive and special teams selections at every level.
HIGH SCHOOL
Offense — Jayden Miles (2027), Catholic-Baton Rouge RB: Asked what was working so well in the run game Friday in a highly anticipated District 4-5A showdown, Miles said, honestly, “Everything.” The Florida State torched his way to an absurd 200-plus yards and six touchdowns on just 10 carries, helping the Bears blow open the 70-38 road victory and matching his program-record six rushing touchdowns on the same field two years ago and coming up just shy of his program-record seven total touchdowns of that night
Defense — Walker Pugh (2028), St. Thomas More LB: The junior linebacker, a constant tackle machine for his Cougars, had another of his biggest performances in another of his team’s biggest matchups with a 20-tackle night helping contain Barbe’s dynamic offense in a 35-14 victory to hand the Bucs their first loss. The 20-tackle game was Pugh’s third of the season and an effort that was particularly critical in helping St. Thomas More do a better job than any other opponent this season in not lettering the always-dangerous running back Jordin Griffin take over the game.
Special Teams — Glenn Gurley (2027), Edna Karr P/WR: The Cougars called and converted a late fake punt on a fourth-and-20 from their own 23-yard line to help close a 27-20 defeat of Archbishop Rummel in a battle of unbeaten teams. Whether you want to call it more gutsy or analytical (because of the heavy winds’ effects on the kicking game), coach Brice Brown and the staff deserve immense credit for the decision, and the players — including punter Glenn Gurley, who had to flash his speed and also break a tackle near the sideline — deserve theirs for the execution.
COLLEGE
Offense — Sam Leavitt, LSU QB: The Tigers’ quarterback put together the most efficient passing performance of his career Saturday with a personal-best 81.6% completion percentage on 31-for-38 passing for 289 yards, four touchdowns and, for his first time in purple and gold, no interceptions. Leavitt’s fast start and clean overall showing was among the highlights in a smooth, 31-0 cruise past ranked Mississippi State and marked his fourth consecutive game completing at least 73% of his passes and throwing multiple touchdowns and third straight game dropping his turnover-worthy play percentage.
Defense — Kevin Adams III, Tulane DB: The former Destrehan star was a ringleader in his Green Wave’s opportunistic defensive effort to help handle Memphis, 31-17, in a big bounce-back victory. Adams finished second on the team with nine tackles and snatched three of their game-changing six takeaways with his pair of interceptions and a fumble recovery. The patience, development and commitment between Adams continues to pay dividends for the steal in the 2023 recruiting class as he has already increased his production for the fourth straight year to now already have 54 tackles and three takeaways only midway through the season.
Special Teams — Drew Talley, Southeastern Louisiana K: The standout specialist out of nearby St. Paul’s drilled a pair of fourth-quarter field goals from 37 and 39 yards to help his Lions hold off Lamar, 34-31, in an upset of the top-10 Cardinals. Talley was also perfect on his four extra-point attempts and had his efforts in the kickoff game contribute heavily to Lamar settling for an average starting field position of its own 24-yard line.
PROFESSIONAL
Offense — Malik Nabers, New York Giants WR: Nabers earns back-to-back LVAY NFL Offensive Player of the Week honors after a big performance against his home-state New Orleans Saints. The Comeaux and Southside high schools and LSU product led all NFL receivers this weekend with 165 yards on 12 catches — both season-high marks. Only four other players around the league hauled in double-digit receptions this weekend, and Nabers’ yardage total was 123% his nearest competition at 134 yards.
Defense — Martin Emerson Jr., New Orleans Saints DB: The fifth-year cornerback, in his first year with the Saints after missing 2025 with an Achilles injury that ended his tenure in Cleveland, matched a career-high with two interceptions — his first since 2023 — and wrapped up one of his highest career single-game tackle totals with seven in a 34-27 comeback and hold off of the Giants. The first of Emerson’s picks ended a promising New York drive just outside the red zone, and the next came near midfield. Each led to critical second-half scoring possessions.
Special Teams — Barion Brown, New Orleans WR: The former LSU wide receiver totaled a league-high 68 yards on five punt returns and finished fourth in total returns combined among his returns on punts and kickoffs (66 yards on two attempts). His longest in each area, a 23-yard punt return and 41-yard kick return each helped set up scoring possessions in the Saints’ 34-27 road win in New York.
