There’s little argument that Ruston High had the best high school defense in the state last season as the Bearcats rolled to the LHSAA Non-Select Division I state championship.
Defensive lineman Ahmad Breaux, who signed with LSU, and linebacker Jadon Mayfield, who inked with Louisiana Tech, were among the top defenders for coach Jerrod Baugh’s 2023 club that finished with a 14-0 record and their first state title since 1990.
No, senior linebacker Zheric Hill, who played alongside Mayfield as a run-stopper, has now committed to the Bulldogs and calls his recruiting “mellow.”
“It’s home to be honest, and it outweighed all of my other offers when it came to what they do for me on and off the field,” Hill told the USA TODAY Network.
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Currently, the other offers for the 6-foot-1, 235-pound linebacker include Louisiana Monroe, Northwestern State and Southeastern, but the Tech coaching staff got the upper hand.
“They reached out and built a relationship for me since my sophomore year,” he said.
As a junior he compiled 114 tackles, including nine for a loss, with 2.5 sacks and an interception.
Hill isn’t doing a lot this summer except attending the Bearcats’ summer workouts, chilling with family and friends and just “staying out of the way.” He’s hoping Ruston, which advanced to the championship game in 2022 but lost, can have a repeat of last season’s success.
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“We’re currently at the building stage of our brotherhood right now, but I would say our attitude is a little complacent,” Hill said. “Our coaches are reminding us each and every day that we have a big target on our back, because of what we have accomplished in the past.”
Now that he’s a senior, Hill knows what he needs to do as an individual to advance the team concept.
“Over the past three years I have been on a couple of player-led teams, and I have seen how far it can take you, so I plan on being that big brother/leader to my little brothers and just giving them that push to know that God has put a gift inside of them to do great things,” Hill said. “The Bearcats will be back in New Orleans. I am a firm believer in speaking it into existence.”
Jimmy Watson covers Louisiana sports him for the USA TODAY Network. Email him at jimwatson@shreveporttimes.com and follow on Twitter @JimmyWatson6.
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