NOLA-area names to watch for during the CFP National Championship

LOS ANGELES (WGNO) — College football will crown its champion in Los Angeles Monday night as Texas Christian University takes on defending champs the Georgia Bulldogs.

Not sure who to cheer for? Although no longer sporting their high school jerseys, these local players are bringing the bayou from one LA to another. Here’s who to watch:

TCU Horned Frogs

#18 — Ish Burdine

High School: Slidell High School (Slidell, LA)

The junior CB was listed as a four-star recruit by ESPN and 247Sports, and the top-ranked safety in the state of Louisiana during his senior year at Slidell High School, where he maintained a 4.0 GPA. Burdine started his college career out at Mizzou but transferred in 2021, making this his first season at TCU and his first CFP title appearance.

#20 — Ronald Lewis

High School: Warren Easton (New Orleans)

The Warren Easton three-star prospect signed with the Horned Frogs last February. Although a cornerback on the field, Lewis was also paramount on the Eagles track team, where he placed in hurdles as a junior in the 2021 Louisiana 4A state meet. The now-freshman has made his first-ever bowl game and CFP title appearances this season with TCU.

#21 — Corey Wren

High School: John Curtis Christian School (River Ridge, LA)

The junior running back kicked off his college career at Florida State before transferring to TCU in 2021. In high school, Wren was ranked as the 25th-best athlete nationally by the 247Sports Composite, along with being named a three-star recruit and 19th among Louisiana prospects. His time at John Curtis included leading the Patriots to an undefeated season his junior year with the program’s 27th state title, along with high hopes for his senior track season that was cut short by the COVID-19 outbreak.

#88 — Quincy Brown

High School: Destrehan High School (Destrehan, LA)

Brown is in his second year with the Horned Frogs, coming off playing in all 12 contests, including the nine final games of the 2021-22 season. Prior to college, the former Destrehan Wildcat and four-star recruit was listed as the No. 55 wide receiver in the nation and the 14th overall player in Louisiana. Along with TCU, Brown received but ultimately turned down offers from Alabama, USC, Mississippi State, Auburn, and Arkansas.

Georgia Bulldogs

#63 — Sedrick Van Pran

High School: Warren Easton (New Orleans)

The sophomore has built a name for himself on Georgia’s offensive line since graduating from Warren Easton in 2020. For the last two seasons, Van Pran has started every game with the Bulldogs, including at the Peach Bowl where he helped lead Georgia to a 42-41 victory over Ohio State. Ahead of the 2022-23 season, Van Pran was named second-team preseason All-SEC and was named to the preseason watch list for the Rimington Trophy.

At Warren Easton, Van Pran was a key player all four years of high school and would be named a four-star prospect by the time he graduated. He was also named the #1 OC nationally, the #3 prospect in Louisiana, and competed in the 2020 Under Armour All-America Game.

#95 — Shone Washington

High School: Warren Easton (New Orleans)

Like his former teammate Ronald Lewis and current teammate Sedrick Van Pran, Washington was one of six Warren Easton Eagles to put pen to paper on college offers last spring. Although Lewis signed with TCU and Washington with Georgia, the two freshmen will be reunited on the field — this time on opposite sides of the ball.

Washington comes to UGA as an ESPN four-star prospect, ranked as the #28 defensive lineman nationally and the #19 overall prospect in Louisiana. In his time at Warren Easton, the Eagles made football state title appearances in 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021.

The College Football Playoff National Championship kicks off Monday at 6:30 p.m. on ESPN.