It’s always special for a high school coach in Louisiana to have a player on his team committed to play at LSU. But imagine having two players on the same team that plan on playing for the Fighting Tigers when their prep career is over.
That’s the situation for second-year Southern Lab head coach Darrell Asberry, as offensive lineman Kardell Thomas and running back Tyrion Davis are LSU verbal pledges.
Asberry says it’s not a surprise the two want to remain teammates once done at Southern Lab.
“Thomas and Davis are very close, constantly together and they’ve been playing together for a while,” said Asberry.
“He Bench Pressed 250 At 12 Years Old.” Kardell Thomas’ SECRET WORKOUTS Are Next Level 😱 pic.twitter.com/1YU9CWamSH
— Overtime (@overtime) October 29, 2018
The two have also experienced the ups and downs that come when you play sports.
Both were on teams that won state championships during their freshmen and sophomore seasons, only to see those titles get taken away for violating LHSAA rules.
The news came down right before the 2017 season began and it resulted in the firing of head coach Marcus Randall, a former LSU quarterback.
The LHSAA also declared that Southern Lab is ineligible for postseason play in 2017 and 2018.
The Baton Rouge school appealed, and the penalty was reduced to a one-year postseason ban.
Heading into this season, Asberry called it a blessing to compete for a Division IV championship. With the playoffs set to begin next week, the Kittens are one of the favorites to play for a title.
But Thomas and Davis are not taking anything for granted.
“For me, personally, the best players I’ve seen come through here was on the (2014) team when I was in 8th grade,” Davis told the Baton Rouge Advocate. “They went to the Dome and got blown out, but that’s the most talent I’ve seen.”
247sports rates Davis as the second best running back in Louisiana’s Class of 2019, behind Destrehan’s John Emery. While Thomas is rated as the state’s top offensive lineman.
“He plays very physical, very athletic, great football IQ,” said Asberry when asked about Thomas. “Kardell also understands the game of life. Always has a smile, fun to be around.”
Thomas is also known as “Mr. Pancake” for the number of pancake blocks he accumulates during a game. YouTube videos of his performance at prospect camps are reaching legendary status, because of how he dominates in one-on-one battles.
While Thomas is the life of the party, Davis takes more of a business approach.
“He’s very attentive, doesn’t talk much, Tyrion is locked in,” said Asberry.
Davis has rushed for over 1,500 yards this season, getting many of those yards, thanks to the blocking of Thomas.
The duo will also get to play in the All-American Bowl, a high school all-star game on January 5, 2019 in San Antonio.
New: @Geaux247 caught up with #LSU commits Kardell Thomas and Tyrion Davis to get their thoughts on the Tigers, official visit plans, when they will sign with a school and much more. (VIP) https://t.co/y21PL5kYsH pic.twitter.com/JZF4qJf64z
— Shea Dixon (@Sheadixon) October 25, 2018
Once that game is over, they’ll enroll at LSU in January. Thomas has been committed to LSU for over two years, while Davis, who lives four minutes away from the LSU campus, has been a verbal pledge for the Tigers for over a year.
But the two have unfinished business in high school, as they have their sights set on a state championship for the Southern Lab Kittens.
Watch Southern Lab take on Kentwood this Friday, November 2nd at 7pm streaming live on YurView.com.
