With third-generation legacy signee Luke Delafield of undefeated North DeSoto heading the group, Northwestern State football unveiled a balanced, talent-rich signing class on the opening day of the 2025 Early Signing Period.
Third-year head coach Blaine McCorkle announced the 11 high school signees that open the class, bringing in eight from the state of Texas and three from Louisiana. The prep class features a near even split with six offensive players and five on the defensive side. He will show video of the new Demons and discuss recruiting and the future of the program today during an 11:30 a.m. Demon Quarterback Club luncheon at Merci Beaucoup Restaurant on Church Street downtown in Natchitoches.
“It’s an exciting day for a lot of kids across the country and one they’ll remember for the rest of their lives,” McCorkle said Wednesday. “I think our staff did a tremendous job of putting this class together throughout the past few months. Two weeks ago, we said goodbye to 12 seniors and we signed 11 guys today. That’s something we’ve talked about since we’ve been here, replacing seniors with freshmen and filling in with the portal where it’s needed. Going into our third year I think this is going to be our strongest roster yet and we’re excited about it.”
Delafield (6-2, 190), a four-year starting quarterback for coach Dennis Dunn at North DeSoto, is a multi-time first-team all-district and all-State honoree in both football and baseball. He ranks among all-time state leaders having thrown for more than 10,000 yards in his career with more than 130 touchdowns. He led the Griffins to their first state title game appearance as a freshman and is one win away from a second trip this year. He was also a member of the 2025 state champion baseball team at North DeSoto.
He becomes the third Delafield sibling to sign with Northwestern after sisters E.C. and Aly both played on the Demon softball team. E.C. was an all-conference utility player while Aly enters her junior year at NSU in 2026. His grandfather, Sammy Joe Odom, starred for the Demons football team in the 1960s and is in the N-Club Hall of Fame ranking as one of the college’s all-time great athletes.
“He’s a really talented quarterback but even more so just a competitor,” McCorkle said. “Anything he does he’s going to try and compete and try to win and we’re excited about that and excited he’s going to be a part of our program.”
Delafield owns a career completion percentage of .635 with a 117.4 quarterback rating. He has four straight seasons throwing for more than 2,100 yards and 25 touchdowns. Delafield threw for 38 touchdowns in each of his first two seasons with a career-high 3,219 passing yards during his sophomore season and earned District 1-4A Offensive MVP honors following that season.
The new Demon earned all-state honorable mention as a freshman, second-team all-state as a sophomore and first-team all-state as a junior, and appears destined for more all-state honors after the season. The team is 45-7 in his career as a starter.
Delafield helped the Griffins baseball team win the 2025 Division II Non-Select state championship after appearances in at least the quarterfinals the two seasons prior. He was named first-team all-district following both his sophomore and junior seasons in baseball with a first-team all-state honor in 2024.
Lining up in front of Delafield is Central’s (Baton Rouge) Graham Harris, a physical 6-foot-2, 300-pound leader and stalwart offensive lineman for the Wildcats that helped lead them to the school’s first state title in 58 years during his junior season. Also adding to the O-line will be 6-foot-3, 270-pound offensive lineman Isaac Aranda of North Shore (Texas).
The Demons picked up three skill position players to round out the offensive class, all hailing from the Lone Star State – receiver Jonny Craven, a teammate of Carter at Klein Oak, running back Marcus Gadlin III from Cinco Ranch (Texas) and versatile 6-foot-5, 230-pound tight end from The Colony (Texas) Vincent Canzano.
“The thing that all three of those skill guys do is give us some length that I don’t think we’ve had really,” McCorkle said. “Craven has really strong hands and runs good routes and has an incredible family. Canzano came along a little bit later in the recruiting scene but a big, long, tall tight end that’s going to add to our stacked room there. Gadlin is similar to a Trevor Allen Jr. that we brought in last year. Very athletic and fast and solid back that is going to add to what is a deep running back room right now.”
Of the five defensive signees, the Demons helped strengthen the secondary with three defensive backs – a pair of hard-hitting safeties in Rockwall’s Will Ashworth and Mangham’s Reggie Roberson Jr., the lone Pelican State product among the defensive additions, and cover-man Harrison Carter from Klein Oak HS (Texas). The Demons also added a pair of run-attacking members of the front seven with Waxahachie (Texas) linebacker Damarion Cooper and North Shore defensive lineman Jayden Curry.
As teammates, Curry and Aranda have helped the North Shore Mustangs go 40-4 over the past three seasons with two straight trips to the state semifinals, one win away from a third.
They are part of five signees that are still competing for state titles in their senior seasons. The other three are in-state stars Delafield, Central’s Harris and Roberson of Mangham.
“Winning breeds winning,” McCorkle said. “There’s so much more to the young men that you bring in that the talent. You want guys with a winning mindset and a lot of these guys come from highly successful winning programs. We’re pulling for those guys to win this year and hopefully signing day didn’t distract them too much from the work they have to do this weekend.”