Cecilia – Much sought-after high school football recruit Braylon Calais made his decision on where he will play college football public at a ceremony Monday at the Cecilia High School gym, but not without teasing a big crowd of supporters first.
Calais is ranked as a four-star prospect (on a scale of five stars) by national recruiting services and is one of the top 10 recruits in the state for the 2027 graduating class. He also is ranked as a top-10 “athlete” nationally, meaning he could play either on offense or defense in college, likely as a receiver or defensive back, but is being recruited to play receiver for the Tigers.
Calais said his decision went down to the last visit at LSU.
“Talking with Coach (Lane) Kiffin, he was talking about how they wanted to use me in the offense, what kind of offense they ran,” Calais said. “It’s very widereceiver driven, so I feel like it’s the best fit for me.”
The 6-foot-2, 200-pound junior was a First-Team Class 4A All-State selection in 2025.
On Monday, Calais chose from, among other schools, LSU, Miami, Ohio State, Texas A&M and Houston. He announced his decision during a livestream with a national recruiting service.
Calais thanked his supporters, family and coaches before reaching for a few different hats, trying a couple on as some in the onlooking crowd shouted for him to “make the right choice.”
He put on the LSU hat at one point before taking it off and also another team’s cap, then bent down and put on a pair of football gloves under the table set up on stage, standing to reveal an LSU-themed design. He then put on the LSU cap to big cheers from the crowd.
He said he wanted to keep the crowd in suspense as long as possible before making his choice known.
Even Cecilia head football coach Cody Champagne wasn’t sure which school his standout junior would choose, though he had an inkling which way it might go.
“Braylon didn’t disclose anything to anybody,” Champagne said. “Braylon is Braylon. He had it disguised the whole time. I didn’t know where he was going. I had ideas, but you never really know.”
Champagne said that Calais will be successful wherever he goes because of the hard work he puts in and the good choices he makes on and off the field.
“That’s the type of kid he is,” his coach said. “He’s going to have to put in the work anywhere he goes.
“It’s an exciting time for Cecilia, and especially for Braylon and his family. It’s a great thing.”
Calais played wide receiver, running back and quarterback for the Bulldogs on offense and safety on defense this past season. The multi-sport athlete was named to the All-State team as a return specialist.
Calais returned eight kickoffs for 404 yards and two touchdowns on the season. He also rushed for 1,108 yards and 20 touchdowns on 170 carries and caught 32 passes for 498 yards and six TDs to earn first-team All-District 5-4A honors as an allaround athlete and was the district’s Offensive MVP.
Calais also played defense for the Bulldogs, who reached the quarterfinals of the Division II Non-Select playoffs. Cecilia reached the state finals in his freshman season and won the state championship in his sophomore season.
