Productive January turns into busy March for 2023 LB Caleb LaVallee

January was a productive month for Mableton (Ga.) Whitefield Academy linebacker Caleb LaVallee. Coming into the month the 6-foot-1, 220-pound linebacker had a few offers.

Louisville, Princeton were among them. LaVallee had wracked up the miles going on a bunch of visits during the football season.

He’s added a dozen or so offers since the new year. He’s already beginning to sort through a few favorites. North Carolina only offered on Tuesday. LaVallee had already been on campus twice and had begun building a relationship with the coaching staff at Chapel Hill.

The Tar Heels are in a good spot early with LaVallee.

“That was a big blessing,” LaVallee said. “There are a lot of schools that I’ve been looking at and going to for quite a while now. Coach Mack Brown is definitely a legend and a Hall of Fame coach. There’s not much to dislike about North Carolina.”

LaVellee was in Chapel on Jan. 29. He plans to be back in March. Academics are also key for LaVallee.

“I really loved the campus and the environment,” LaVallee said. “Academics come first in my family. I can get a great degree there and play big-time, ACC football. All of the coaches were really welcoming. It really felt like a home away from home up there. I feel like they’re a great group of guys and it’s a place where I could go and become the best football player, man and student I can be.”

Florida State also among the programs that Caleb LaVallee covets

The Seminoles were one of the first of the newer offers for LaVallee. He has been to Tallahassee multiple times already and plans to return in March. LaVallee is intrigued by the school’s business program. Some of the recent hires on the defensive side of the ball are also intriguing for LaVallee.

“That was big,” LaVallee said. “They have a really good business school and that’s what I plan on studying in college. Coach (Randy) Shannon was hired to coach the linebackers. It pretty much doesn’t get much better than coach Shannon with all of his knowledge and experience coaching. I really love coach (Mike) Norvell after getting to meet him and hear what he preaches about character and family as well as the vision they have for me.”

Looking at a cutdown?

LaVallee feels he’ll cut his list down at some point in the near future. He’s still hearing from a few programs that haven’t been offered yet like Stanford as well as Oklahoma.

The Sooners were on the Whitefield Academy campus just before the dead period began. Oklahoma is a program that is a threat should they extend an offer to LaVallee.

“They like me a lot,” LaVallee said. “They’re defensive coordinator (Ted Roof) has been in contact a good bit… They’ll place defense over there with coach (Brent) Venables and coach Roof over there. They really know what they’re doing. Oklahoma is a powerhouse.”