We asked Lafayette Parish and its surrounding area to vote for who they thought was the best football player heading into the 2025 season, and the Westgate High School community showed out.

The Tigers stuffed the ballots, voting for defensive lineman Lenord Howard. He accounted for 40,555 of the total 143,570 votes cast, earning him the title of The Daily Advertiser’s 2025 Preseason Player of the Year.

“I feel great man, that’s a big accomplishment and it means a lot; like anything is possible,” Howard said after finding out he won. “I feel like we’re going to have a good season this year. I got to set goals and I’m a leader on this team, but I got to become a better leader for the younger guys this year.”

A leader in the Trenches

Standing at 6-foot-2 and 280 pounds, Howard is hard to

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