CCHS duo signs to continue football careers

Central Catholic High School had two players sign to continue their football careers on the collegiate level Wednesday as Ja’len Johnson signed his letter of intent with the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, while Samarick Paul inked with East Texas Baptist University.
Johnson, a long-time University of Louisiana at Lafayette commit whose recruiting heated up recently with a flurry of offers, was one of 17 signees to officially join the University of Louisiana at Lafayette program Wednesday.
While Wake Forest, Minnesota and Purdue came into the picture late with offers, Johnson said he didn’t waver from his commitment to the Ragin Cajuns.
He said he always felt comfortable there and it was a place where his family could come watch him play. Johnson also noted as a plus that he knows two former Tri-City area players there, Tanner Wiggins and Darryl Johnson, so he would know someone who could help him with the playbook.
He hopes to learn the system fast so he can get playing time as a freshman.
“I feel like I can help the defense because they could put me at safety or they could put me at outside linebacker, and I could still make plays on the field,” he said.
Johnson was a two-time first-team Louisiana Sports Writers Association Class 1A All-State selection at defensive back for Central Catholic as he earned the honors his junior and season seasons. He also was a two-time first-team Louisiana Football Coaches Association Class 1A All-State selection at defensive back as he earned first-team honors as a senior and second-team recognition as a junior.
The first-team All-District 7-1A selection at defensive back finished his senior season with 69 tackles, six interceptions, three forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.
Minton said Johnson was a “staple of our defense” during his sophomore through senior seasons who made big plays and game-changing plays in the postseason.
“He’s a tall, lengthy athlete. He’ll start out at safety for UL, but he could possibly go into outside linebacker with his frame. He’s still very young. He’s going to graduate high school at 17 years old. That’s hard to believe as big as he is and as developed as he is.”
Paul bounced back from an injury as a junior for a big senior season in which he earned Louisiana Sports Writers Association Class 1A first-team All-State honors as a wide receiver as well as first-team All-District 7-1A recognition as the same position.
He finished his senior season with 41 catches for 781 yards and three touchdowns. He also rushed 24 times for 277 yards and three more scores.
Paul also saw time at quarterback and defensive back during his senior year.
He said he felt comfortable at East Texas Baptist as soon as he arrived on campus and
“The coach (is) real energetic, and the coaching staff is great,” Paul said. “They’re young, so it’s kind of easy for them to relate because they haven’t too long ago been in the same shoes as I’ve been.”
He said the program is an excellent one that is “headed for greatness.”
Paul also said playing with his cousin, Berwick High’s Larenz Clark, who also signed with East Texas Baptist, and a friendship with current East Texas Baptist player and Patterson High alum Sirbatian Charles and East Texas Baptist assistant coach and former Central Catholic assistant football coach Tarence Calais also were factors in his decision.
Paul said he and Clark had some discussions about playing college ball together before making their decisions.
“I see him a brother, not really my cousin, and we always stuck by each other when we were young,” Paul said. “We went through a lot together.”
On the collegiate level, Paul said he could see time at either wide receiver or defensive back.
“As long as I get on the field and make some plays, I’m going to be happy with that,” Paul said when asked of his preference.
Minton said Samarick’s size hindered his recruiting attention until about three-quarters through the season when the head coach started getting a lot of interest in him.
“He was hurt his whole junior season with the torn ACL,” Minton said. “He’s only about 5-8, 175 pounds, but he’s a playmaker. He made big plays for us all year. He’s got super speed.”
Minton said Paul also had an offer from Arkansas-Monticello as well as a lot of interest from Texas Southern and Grambling.
“It’s an exciting program. He’s going play wide receiver at a school that throws the ball, on average, 58 times a game and they led the NCAA in all divisions this year in scoring this year. … It’s an exciting offense, and I think he can go and excel in and use his speed and his ball skills to go make big plays.”