Running back Makelin Lemoine is a recruit to monitor. From Elton in southwest Louisiana, Lemoine was selected as the Louisiana High School Sports Illustrated Player of the Year in 1A. He ran for 2643 yards and 40 touchdowns last season, as well as playing defense and recording three interceptions. DandyDon, the bible of Louisiana football, puts Lemoine in its top 50 in the Louisiana class of 2027.
Lemoine told me that UH general manager Wes Fritz invited him to practice and to the running back position group meeting.
His older brother, Marcus Lemoine, holds Elton’s school rushing record of 7,649 yards. Makelin has run for over 4300 yards to this point in his career, and wants to break his brother’s record. In addition to football, Lemoine plays basketball and runs in the 100m, 200m, and 4x100m relay.
Lemoine’s frame was the first thing that stood out. At 5’10” and 195 pounds, he looks like a running back. He reminds me of Makhi Hughes in that regard. Lemoine tells me he recently ran an 11.4 in the 100m, and that was with “a bad start” and a bump from the next lane. On his HUDL film, he spends a lot of time alone – running in the clear to the end zone. He definitely has the speed to make a big play.
You can tell he is a tough kid from the film, which isn’t necessarily something you can quantify. But considering his school’s offense is lining up to hand him the ball over and over again, and that he plays defense, his production is impressive. His highlight tape is over 11 minutes long, and it rarely features a single-digit-yardage run. He runs with a lot of power and employs a great stiff arm.
It will be interesting to see how his play translates when he is not the sole feature of the offense. Houston has yet to offer, but there is obviously interest. Lemoine has diamond in the rough written all over him, and fans should keep an eye on him if nothing else to see if he can crack 3,000 yards in his senior season.
