Elite OL Eddy Pierre-Louis Deciding on Official Visits
Article photo of Tampa Catholic's Eddy Pierre-Louis; credit to Brian Smith of All Hurricanes.
It’s never easy to dwindle down a list of top college football suitors for a prospect worthy of being ranked among the top players in the nation.
That’s what Tampa (Fla.) Catholic offensive lineman Eddy Pierre-Louis must do next.
With offers from Oregon, Oklahoma, Texas A&M, Alabama, Miami, Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, and numerous other schools, he’s been attempting to figure out his official visit schedule and timeline for a final college decision.
He’s also been a national recruit since he was in ninth grade, so this day was coming sooner or later. Further, Pierre-Louis has elevated his play to the point that recruiting services have taken notice long after he’s come on the national recruiting scene.
He’s been ranked the No. 21 player in the nation by Rivals.
Pierre-Louis took a few minutes after Catholic’s May 4 practice to discuss his overall recruitment, where numerous college coaches were along the sidelines taking a look at him and his teammates.
With college coaches from Georgia, Texas A&M, LSU, Ole Miss, FAU, and others also watching, enjoyed my visit to see Tampa Catholic Football today.
— Brian Smith (@fbscout_florida) May 5, 2023
Thanks to @JerisMcIntyre and his staff. Good times!@TC_Football | @tjmoore305 | #Tampa | @eddypierreloui5 | @treyhedden3 pic.twitter.com/N0JdefDovR
First up, what’s the timeline for Pierre-Louis?
“I’m not going to commit early,” Pierre-Louis admitted. “I don’t want something to happen and then I have to decommit. That’s not the type of person I am. I’m just going to ride it out.”
As for the schools most likely to be in his recruitment until the end, Pierre-Louis offered the following list of programs.
“Florida’s in there. Miami, Oklahoma, Alabama…Georgia as well. Georgia got in the mix a little while ago. And Oregon.”
From that list, and beyond (see below), there are still additional storylines. Here’s one about Miami, just as an example.
During the conversation, Pierre-Louis admitted that Miami was in prime contention for an official visit. “Definitely,” he stated.
He also stated, however, that he’s likely to take his official visit to Miami during the 2023 season. That’s the same with Florida, another program he’s definitely interested in.
Florida offensive coordinator Rob Sale has been one of the coaches trying to recruit him to UF, the same school that his older brother Richard Gouraige played for through this past season.
“They (the Gators) have picked up things a little bit. He has been contacting me a little more often. Trying to get on the phone with me every week or so, but like, not annoying.
“He knows the process,” Pierre-Louis said with a smile. “So he wants to call me here and there. Make sure everything is going well. He also hops on the phone with me and makes sure my grades are good. We watch plays from the NFL and see how they do things.”
Away from the state of Florida, he has planned to take official visits during the summer. One of those programs resides in the Lone Star State.
To that point, Texas A&M’s offensive line coach Steve Addazio has been recruiting Pierre-Louis and the big fella likes him. The Aggies were also another program Big Eddy admitted had a good shot at an official visit. Do not be surprised if Texas A&M receives one of those summer official visits.
“I like the offensive line coach,” Pierre-Louis said of Addazio. “He’s really hard on his players and that’s what I like. I think he could push me to the next level.”
Same with Georgia, as offensive line coach Stacy Searels has forged a good relationship with Pierre-Louis. He was another of several college coaches at the Catholic practice to see all the talent at Catholic. The Bulldogs have also told Pierre-Louis that he could play defensive line, too.
Overall, look for Pierre-Louis to make a final decision towards National Signing Day on Dec. 20.
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Fan Nation High school football recruiting analyst covering the state of Florida, as well as across the Southeastern United States and the state of Texas.