By Robert Wilson
Emile Picarella – the No. 9 ranked pro-style quarterback in the Class of 2025 by qbhitlist.com – has changed teams and is playing in another state, but he is still making plays, passing for a lot of yards and touchdowns and getting college offers.
The 6-foot-2, 203-pound Picarella transferred from Madison St. Joseph to University Lab School in Baton Rouge this summer.
He has completed 44 of 67 passes (65.7 percent) for 678 yards and 7 TDs and has led University Lab to a 3-1 record and a No. 16 ranking in Louisiana among all classes by MaxPreps, and a No. 1 ranking in the Louisiana Sportswriters Association Class 3A poll.
Picarella has started all four games and has been sharing time with senior Garrett Graves.
University Lab coach Andy Martin is in his fifth season as head coach at University Lab after nine years as defensive coordinator. He in his 23rd season as a coach and was head coach at Baton Rouge Catholic for nine years. Martin has been a part of four state championships at University Lab and been to at least the semifinals for the past 10 seasons. Martin has been impressed with Picarella and his ability.
“Emile works extremely hard and continues to get more comfortable with the offense each week,” Martin said. “He passed for about 250 yards and two TDs and led us down the field, and we kicked a field goal with no time left to defeat Catholic. Emile is very calm under pressure. If he makes a mistake, he moves on quickly. Emile’s mentality as a quarterback is similar to Manny Miles, the son of former LSU coach Les Miles. Manny helped lead us to a state title.”
“It’s been great so far,” Picarella said. “The people are very welcoming and really taken me in like family. This team is special.”
Picarella has offers from 13 Division I schools, including three SEC teams, Ole Miss, Mississippi State and Kentucky. The others are Florida State, Oklahoma State, Pittsburgh, Oregon, Boston College, Louisville, Houston, Tulsa, Akron and Texas A&M-Commerce. The Boston College and Louisville offers came after he transferred to University Lab.
University Lab plays Port Allen Friday in a district game and comes to Mississippi next week with a road game to Lawrence County. University Lab defeated Mentorship Academy of Baton Rouge 55-0 last week in its first district game.
Picarella completed 155 of 241 passes (62.7 percent) for 2,160 yards and 20 touchdowns for 6-6 St. Joe last season. As a freshman, Picarella completed 141 of 231 passes (61.0 percent) for 2,216 yards and 21 TDs and only six interceptions in 11 games for 4-7 St. Joe two years ago.
Private quarterback coach Wyatt Davis has been working with Picarella for the past four years.
“It’s rewarding to see a guy who continues to grow over the years,” Davis said. “Some things Emile has made a jump with is being more efficient with his footwork and anticipating throws in zones in defenses. His release and arm ability makes him special. There’s no doubt Emile will be a national recruit in the 2025 class. He’s very talented and checks every box. Emile’s a grinder and loves the game.”
University Lab has a rich winning tradition in football, winning three state championships with three undefeated records in the past six seasons and reached the semifinals in the other three. The Cubs finished 9-4 last season and ended the high school career of Newman’s Arch Manning – rated the No. 1 recruit in the country and grandson of Archie Manning – with a 49-13 win in the quarterfinals. University Lab limited Manning to only 96 passing yards and intercepted him twice, the only interceptions he had all season.
The Cubs return four of its top seven players, including Seth Hale and Keylan Moses, who scored two TDs each against Newman. Their top player from last year, linebacker Jaiden Ausberry, is playing for Notre Dame.
University Lab is a k-12 school with 452 students grades 9-12, compared to St. Joe’s 399 students 7-12.
