ST. MARTINVILLE – When Harvey Broussard verbally committed to the University of Memphis earlier this month, the St. Martinville Senior High receiver turned a lot of heads.

It seemed that no one in the media was aware that Memphis was on Broussard’s radar, or that he had just taken an official visit there.

Quiet and unassuming, Broussard is the exception to the rule when it comes to social media. Even though he’s a star athlete, Broussard rarely makes any posts about himself.

Therefore, when he signed with the UL Ragin’ Cajuns Wednesday afternoon, it was breaking news for almost everyone outside of the UL coaching staff.

Again, unlike almost every other student-athlete, Broussard didn’t have a signing ceremony at his school with a press conference. He simply went about his business.

“I called Coach (Tim) Leger and told him I’m ready to make a decision,” Broussard said, referring to UL’s offensive/recruiting coordinator. “It feels really good to know my people can come visit and see me because I’m not far away.”

The addition of Broussard, the only local prospect to sign with UL, was timely for the Cajuns. UL’s leading receiver, Michael Jefferson, opted out of Friday’s Independence Bowl game against Houston to prepare for the NFL Draft.

UL also lost receiver Dontae Fleming, who entered the transfer portal and is headed to Tulane. Junior tight end Neal Johnson will be the Cajuns’ top returning receiver with 22 catches for 277 yards and two TDs.

“Coach Leger said there’s no doubt I’m going to be on the field once I get there,” Broussard said. “Seeing as they had two receivers leave, I’m really excited about the opportunity as a true freshman.”

The Cajuns seemed to place an emphasis on landing long receivers. Tavion Smith (6-2, 208), KeDarius Wade (6-4, 180) and A.J Jayroe (6-5, 185) all signed yesterday.

Broussard originally planned to sign with Memphis at his school on Wednesday, the first day of the NCAA early signing period. A few days ago, he announced that he would wait and sign in February.

Broussard took an official visit to UL a few days after his commitment to Memphis. That’s where the Cajuns began to gain traction. It didn’t hurt that Broussard has known some UL football players for several years, such as Tre Amos, Kaleb Carter, Cam George, Zylan Perry, Zeon Chriss and Caleb and Collin Jacob.

“On my official visit, I continued building a bond with the players,” he said. “Caleb and Collin are my cousins.”

UL signed 22 players on Wednesday, 19 from the high school ranks. The Cajuns also have a verbal commitment from three-star Katy (TX) Peatow linebacker Jarra Anderson, as well as SMU edge Trey Fite from the transfer portal.

According to 247Sports, UL: has the Sun Belt’s fourth-ranked recruiting class behind Arkansas State, Appalachian State and Southern Miss.