School Spotlight: Jennings High School (Jennings, LA)

After two years, we can confidently say that Jennings is not going anywhere even with a new face at the helm.

Jennings High School is home to one of the most storied and successful football programs in the state of Louisiana. Even though they “only” have two state championships to their name, Jennings has shown the standard of program consistency, being one of the leaders in the state in terms of playoff appearances. That last state championship was won by current McNeese Head Coach Matt Viator in 1992, and he was succeeded by Rusty Phelps, a legend at Jennings. He never won the title for the Bulldogs, but he set a consistent standard for Jennings as one of the best 3A teams in the state every year. When he left in 2022, current head coach Bret Fuselier had big shoes to fill.

His work really speaks for itself. It was really humbling to take over for him. When you take over a program like Jennings, you just feel fortunate to be the leader of such a storied program. It’s been a great two years here, and we’re just looking to build off of that success.

Jennings High School Head Coach Bret Fuselier on Rusty Phelps

Coach Fuselier has built up a successful legacy so far himself, having coached Kinder to a 91-41 record and two state championships in the 10 years preceding his job at Jennings. In his success, Fuselier has learned the importance of molding the kids playing for him into successful players. The culture is crucial, and Fuselier has led winning cultures at both Kinder and Jennings. He gets the most out of his players, and the players at Jennings give him a lot. It is a talent-rich school, most recently being the host to current NFL RBs Travis and Trevor Etienne.

The kids really are the most important part. At both of these programs, they expect to win. The kids have been a large part of the success, but it’s also about hiring great coaches around you.

Jennings High School Head Coach Bret Fuselier

Those other coaches play a huge role in building and maintaining the successful cultures that Fuselier has facilitated in his career. He’s not the only guy in the coach’s office – he has surrounded himself with a number of successful coaches with the right traits he is looking for.

We look for the right fit with our assistant coaches. It’s not always looking for the most knowledgeable guy you can get out there, you are looking for a guy who fits on the staff with camaraderie with the coaches. Then it’s about communication, a guy who can communicate to his players and among the rest of the coaches. We have to be on the same page in terms of what the end result is and how to get there.

Jennings High School Head Coach Bret Fuselier

Of course, the coaches are all here for the kids, and Jennings has built a juggernaut of a team with plenty of exciting players to watch out for this upcoming season. They lose Gridiron Football All-American RB Re’John Zeno, and replacing him will be no easy feat, but it could lead to an interesting shift in the offense this season. 2027 QB Chris Ned returns after starting his Sophomore season, and he looks to take a huge step forward in terms of passing production after Jennings featured a run-heavy offense that ran through Zeno last season.

I think you’re going to see more of a threat in the passing game this year. Chris has grown a lot from last season, just watching him throw the ball and the decisions he’s making. We’re going ot be able to spread the wealth a little bit more, have more balance from the run and the pass.

Jennings High School Head Coach Bret Fuselier

For Ned to succeed throwing the ball, he’ll need weapons to throw to, and Gerald Watson will be his primary receiver of choice. The 2026 WR will be a three year starter this season, setup to be one of the key leaders of this more balanced attack.

Even with that balanced approach, the rushing attack will still be quite threatening. 2027 OL Ayden Leger will lead a young group in the trenches, and their development and growth through the season will be a thing to watch. Even though they lost Zeno, Jennings is ready to reload with a two headed rushing attack. Liam Leblanc got playing time as a freshman, and now as a Sophomore will look to be the explosive option out of the backfield. Combine him with the pummeling consistency of 2027 FB Marquel Gordon and everyone on this Jennings offense can wreak havoc with the ball in his hands.

The defense has a number of playmakers returning or ready for a breakout themselves despite losing a bunch of starters on their front seven. Humphrey Ned is a 2026 DB going into his 3rd year starting for the Jennings defense, and he is set to lead a veteran secondary to another strong year. The defensive line has a number of players ready to breakout with their increase in opportunities this season, including 2027 DL Nate Broussard and Dejohn Zeno. Broussard had a spectacular spring game, and Dejohn Zeno has a a lot to live up to as Re’John’s little brother.

We have yet another year of exciting football to look forward to at Jennings High School. The roster is as loaded as ever, and they have quite a few exciting opponents this year. On top of their competitive district schedule, games against Iowa and Notre Dame will peak the interest of many fans. We can’t wait to follow this historic program and see what they have in store for us in 2025.