Football season is hitting its stride all over Louisiana from border to border and at every level.
Teams are working out their kinks and into in-season shape, and athletes are providing memorable performances to help highlight the action-packed weekends.
As always, Louisiana vs. All Y’all has identified nine Players of the Week to highlight offensive, defensive and special teams standouts at the high school, college and professional levels.
HIGH SCHOOL
Offense — Cooper Babin (2026), St. Amant QB: The veteran quarterback provided as electric performance as ever Thursday in a prep career loaded with them, and his Gators needed every yard and touchdown to survive Cecilia in a 60-56 thriller. Babin rushed for 149 yards and four scores and threw for 401 yards and four more, including the game-winner in the final seconds — torching the defense with his legs early, then picking it apart down the stretch as cramps limited his explosiveness.
Defense — Parker Abshire (2026), Lafayette LB: Abshire, back from an ACL tear two years ago, snatched the first two interceptions of his prep career to help his Lions win, 23-19, against St. Martinville and former Lafayette coach Garrett Kreamer.
Special Teams — Brayan Castellon (2027), Edna Karr K: Coach Brice Brown admitted he doesn’t typically send his Cougars’ offense to the sideline in favor of field-goal attempts. But Castellon has been too consistent in practice and on his extra-points to ignore, and with a high-profile national showdown on the line late Friday, the junior kicker drilled a 37-yard field goal to force overtime and set up an exciting, emotional 24-17 comeback victory.
COLLEGE
Offense — Jake Retzlaff, Tulane QB: Tulane welcomed home former quarterback Darian Mensah and his new Duke team, and his successor proceeded to steal the show. Retzlaff, the BYU transfer, finished 15-for-23 (65%) for 245 yards through the air and rushed 17 times for a game-high 111 yards and four touchdowns — leading one long drive to the end zone after another early as the Green Wave took control and never trailed in the 34-27 win.
Defense — Dashawn Spears (McBryde), LSU S: The former Denham Springs quarterback snatched the first two interceptions of this college career Saturday to help highlight LSU’s five-pick performance in a 20-10 defeat of Florida. Spears housed his second takeaway 58 yards to push the Tigers’ advantage to a two-score margin as they continued to tighten their defensive vice on the Gators.
Special Teams — Grant Chadwick P: LSU coach Brian Kelly said during his postgame press conference that people might not want to hear him talk about field position. But what’s not to love about Chadwick’s seven-punts for 353 yards, including a 50.4-yard average, a 58-yard long, four kicks of 50-plus yards and four downed inside the 20? Kelly called the punter the team’s “offensive weapon” in the 20-10 win, and the assessment was both accurate and successful.
PROFESSIONAL
Offense — Malik Nabers, New York Giants WR: Nabers follows up his former LSU quarterback, Jayden Daniels, as the first two offensive players of the week of the new NFL season. The former Comeaux and Southside star led the league this weekend with 167 yards and two touchdowns on nine catches in his Giants’ 40-37 overtime loss to Dallas.
Defense — Danielle Hunter, Houston Texans EDGE: The former LSU defensive end finished with five tackles, including a couple sacks and a forced fumble, plus another couple hurries to help highlight the Texans’ performance in a 20-19 loss to Tampa Bay on Monday.
Special Teams — KaVontae Turpin, Dallas Cowboys RET: The former Neville star has been one of our most consistent weekly awards candidates the past couple seasons as he runs with his return-specialist opportunities in Dallas. This week, Turpin returned four kicks for 100 yards and also caught all four targets his way on offense for 47 yards and a touchdown in the Cowboys’ 40-37 overtime win vs. the New York Giants.