By LEE BRECHEEN, Louisiana Football Magazine/TV
Every high school in every state has a sleeper lineman on its team, a young man that’s not 6-4, 6-5 or 6-6 in height and doesn’t weigh about 300 pounds. Those kids can still play college football and can really stand out if they have the heart, toughness, intelligence and desire.
Today’s article is about a kid from Buckeye High School, Gage Vercher, who starts up front on both sides of the football for his team and does it well.
Gage is 6-2, 267 with good feet and is a great leader for his team. Gage plays both ways. I watched him play in 2021 and 2022. He plays the game with high effort and he’s a naturally strong kid who I think with the right fit at a college, can play past this season if given the opportunity.
Gage also is a great student in the classroom with a 3.9 GPA, and has already posted a 22 on his ACT.
He is smart to already have begun looking at colleges where he might want to continue his playing career.
“I visited a few colleges the last two years. I went to Louisiana Christian for football camps. I loved the atmosphere that was created by the players and coaches. In 2021, I visited Nicholls for the lineman camp that is held there and I loved how muchi was taught to improve my skills.”
Vercher gives credit to his Buckeye coaches for helping him develop to the point of being a college prospect.
“My head Football coach Ben McLaughlin is always pushing me to do my best on and off the field. Being a former college athlete, Coach Ben is a very knowledgeable coach and understands the sport better than others may. He never fails to have a positive outlook on anything that crosses his path. He always supports the team in any way possible and gives off a comforting atmosphere.
“My defensive coordinator James Wood is a man who is very focused on his job of bettering student-athletes. He pushes the team every day to accomplish goals and become leaders for others.
“Coach Forrest Grimmett, my defensive line coach, always knows how to make the guys laugh. He knows his football and teaches the lineman right from wrong and demands the best from his players. He is a knowledgeable coach who knows us all and pushes us to better ourselves on the field.”
You get the idea he might prefer the defensive side, and you’re right.
“I enjoy playing defensive tackle because I love playing the defensive side of the ball because there is no better feeling than making a play and getting to tackle someone,” he said.
Tidbits on Gage Vercher
What he likes most about football is the intensity, competitiveness and adrenaline rush it produces.
He did play baseball and did powerlifting, but says he is “more passionate about football” and has decided to focus all of his attention on football.
His football roots go back to “the age of 5 starting with the Red River Youth Football League (RRYFL).”
Vercher enjoys history but plans to major in mechanical engineering.
Like most kids in Cenla, he grew up an LSU Tigers football fan.
His father was a two-sport competitor at Tioga High School and became a kicker for the Northwestern State Demons.
Away from football, Vercher said he “enjoys spending time with friends because I like being social. I also like hunting and going four-wheeler riding on the weekends with my friends.”
As he looks toward his senior season and beyond on the football field, he sees a need to improve “my speed and agility, so that I am more agile and faster when trying to make plays.”
I believe Buckeye’s Gage Vercher can be a productive college player as high as in the right FCS program, and will be a good bet to succeed on the Division II or Division III level. It’s all about the fit.
Lee Brecheen has operated Louisiana Football Magazine for over 30 years and is one of the state’s foremost experts on high school football and especially recruiting. Based in Baton Rouge, Lee travels statewide to watch practices and games and has broken down film and tape since the late 1980s. He has converted the printed product to an online website (Lafootballmagazine.com) that will preview every high school and college football program in the state before kickoff this fall. Lee also hosts a football-centric TV show on YouTube, The Sports Scouting Report, on weekdays.