2-Time All-State from Central Area Passed Over by LSU, Picks Arkansas

Dylan Rathcke of Central is only 18 but he has already established himself as a football legend at the high school level in Louisiana. He was a three-year starter at University High, the No. 1 football team in Louisiana ranked No. 13 in the nation.
University High was undefeated during his junior and senior seasons — 2017 and 2018 — and won the State 2A Championship both years. In the regular season, they defeated three of last year’s State Champions — 5A Zachary, 3A West Feliciana, and Division I Catholic High.
Dylan was All-District his sophomore year, All-District and All-State his junior year, and All-District, All-State, and All-USA-LA his senior year. He stands 6-5-1/2, weighs 295, and runs 40 yards in 5.02 seconds.
A group of local coaches assembled by The Advocate unanimously called U-High a team for the ages — the best they had ever seen! And Dylan Rathcke was an indispensable part of the success of that amazing team!
Since the 9th grade, Dylan has been heavily recruited by college football coaches. In the 9th grade, he received a scholarship offer from ULM. This year, 13 Division I schools made offers.
So far, seven seniors on the University High Cub football team have signed with Division I schools. Another two or three players are likely to do so.
Besides being highly recruited, Dylan has another thing in common with his U-High teammates.
All of them were snubbed by LSU!
As a result, Dylan has signed with Arkansas. Christian Harris signed with Alabama and linebacker Bryton Constantin with National Champion Clemson. Receiver Makiya Tongue signed with Georgia, and running back and MVP of the State Championship game Mike Hollins signed with Virginia. Lineman Donald Berniard signed with Navy, and defensive back Jordon Clark signed with Arizona State.
Not one of them received an offer from LSU. Someone close to the players said LSU was the first choice of all of the players except Bryton Constantin who signed with Clemson.
The Rathcke family consists of dad Erik who works in industry; mom Jennifer who is in human resources; Dylan, a senior at U-High, and daughter Morgan, a sophomore at U-High who plays soccer and tennis. Erik was an offensive lineman and defensive end for Bishop Sullivan when he was in high school.
The Rathcke family lives on the northern edge of Central near the homes of two former Istrouma High greats — Jim Dousay and Buddy Millican.
The family’s roots in Central go deep. Jennifer is the daughter of Jay Devall, the former school board member who himself played football at Central High and SLU.
Dylan started the first grade at St. Alphonsus and soon became part of Central Youth Football. He attended Central Middle for the 7th grade, but then had a big decision to make.
U-High offered an amazing opportunity to be part of a program that seemed destined for greatness. Dylan and the family decided to make the switch. His 8th and 9th grade teams were undefeated. In the 10th grade, U-High lost in the semi-finals to St. Thomas More. Since that sophomore year, Dylan and U-High haven’t lost a game.
Along the way, Dylan had some great coaches at U-High, including head coach Chad Mahaffey.
Outside football, Dylan enjoys track and field, where he throws the shot put and discus. He’s a hunter and fisherman and loves the outdoors. In his spare time, he works on his 1979 Ford F-250.
The Rathcke family visited a lot of Division I colleges and all of them were impressive, Erik Rathcke said, especially Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Arkansas. They narrowed the choice to Kentucky and Arkansas. Kentucky was especially persistent.
Finally, the family unanimously agreed on Arkansas. There were many factors — the coaches, the facilities, and the town. But at Arkansas one thing particularly stood out — the academic center. In Arkansas, the stadium, the training facility, the dorm, the cafeteria, and the academic center are beautiful and all right together. That means it’s a lot easier to study and keep your grades up. There are fewer distractions and better use of time. Ultimately, that won out, Erik said.
Only time will tell if LSU made the right decision by leaving out of their equation the members of arguably the greatest Louisiana high school team ever. But you have to wonder if Alabama and Clemson took two of the youngsters, what was LSU thinking!

Twitter Digg Delicious Stumbleupon Technorati Facebook Email

Comments are closed.