The high school and NFL football seasons have officially kicked off, and the first full weekend of Louisiana vs. All Y’all awards at all three levels provided plenty of good candidates from which to choose.
Several players had memorable, winning and even record-breaking performances.
But these were the nine that topped our lists — though a few were particularly tough calls among a great groups of finalists.
HIGH SCHOOL
Offense — Aymaud Sykes (2027), Grant RB/ATH: Not much more needs to be said than the stat line. The Cougars’ junior rushed 25 times for 420 yards and 10 touchdowns in a 76-50 win vs. Montgomery. The single-game touchdown total would make a state-record and tie for fifth-most nationally, according to the National Federation of State High School Associations record book.
Defense — DeCaleb Green (2027), Donaldsonville EDGE: The Tigers had lost to Assumption the past three years, but were able to flip the script this week, 34-13, with their junior edge rusher’s disruptive performance among the biggest highlights. “Snoop” was a game-changer for Donaldsonville with five sacks and 12 total tackles.
Special Teams — Ty Walsworth (2028), Loyola Prep WR/ATH: The versatile sophomore set a program record with two kickoff returns for touchdowns that helped the Flyers pull away from St. Frederick for a 55-21 win to open the season.
COLLEGE
Offense — Elijah “Bill” Davis, Louisiana (Lafayette) RB: The Ragin’ Cajuns put together exactly the type of rushing attack they were looking for to take some pressure off first-time starting quarterback Daniel Beale. And Davis, the former Riverside Academy star, was the leader of a three-headed monster at running back with his 19 carries for a career-high 132 yards and two touchdowns to help pace the 34-10 defeat of McNeese State.
Defense — Mansoor Delane, LSU DB: For the second straight week, the Tigers’ transfer cornerback from Virginia Tech was as strong as candidate as any player for our college defensive award. Delane allowed just one catch for 4 yards on four targets his way and a had a pass-breakup in a near-shutout of Louisiana Tech in which the Bulldogs finished with just 96 passing yards — even after their late touchdown drive.
Special Teams — John Hoyet Chance, Louisiana Tech P: The Captain Shreve product was more active Saturday than would’ve been ideal for Louisiana Tech, but he proved again to be a star in his role and has been a notable bright spot early in the season. Chance booted eight punts a combined 303 yards for an average of 37.9 yards per punt with a long of 50 and four downed inside the 20. The backed-up starting field position was an under-discussed component of LSU’s slow offensive night in the 23-7 game.
PROFESSIONAL
Offense — Jayden Daniels, Washington Commanders QB: LSU’s former Heisman quarterback appeared to pick up where he left off with 233 yards and a touchdown on 19-for-30 passing (63.3%) and another 68 yards on 11 carries in the Commanders’ 21-6 defeat of the NFC East rival New York Giants.
Defense — Demario Davis, New Orleans Saints LB: The veteran linebacker has been as consistent a candidate as anyone since Louisiana vs. All Y’all first began our weekly awards in 2021 and started his 14th NFL season, his eighth with the Saints, with another strong performance. Davis tied for team leads with nine tackles and two for loss and graded out as one of the league’s top run defenders on the weekend.
Special Teams — Jack Bech, Las Vegas Raiders WR: The former St. Thomas More star and LSU Tiger had a solid professional debut that earned him one of PFF’s top special teams grades in Week 1 for his work on kick-return and kick-coverage units. He also recorded his first career reception with a 23-yard catch-and-run to convert a third-and-10 in the Raiders’ 20-13 road win at New England.