Ardoin inks with Green Wave

When you work hard in the classroom and on the football field, people seem to notice. Ville Platte High Senior Kendall Ardoin is living proof of that. He has been an impact player on the football field as a tight end and a defensive end since his sophomore year. Recently, the standout player saw all of his work pay off.
Tulane University was one of several universities recruiting Ardoin to play football for them, as well as join the student body.
“They (Tulane) stayed after me and outlasted everyone else,” Ardoin stated. “The coaches and graduate assistants did a great job of making me feel welcome long before I had ever committed.”
Tulane was the school Ardoin inked with Wednesday, which was national signing day. Ardoin turned his verbal commitment into a guaranteed commitment and promised he would bring his 6’5” 220 pound frame to the Green Wave.
“Tulane is a great fit for me,” Ardoin remarked. “They run many multiple tight end sets a lot. They will move the tight end around. Sometimes they bring in two or three tight ends. I like the way they play. It reminds me a lot of what the Saints do.”
Ardoin, who loves math and algebra is going to major in Chemical Engineering when he gets to Tulane. His plans have him going to the New Orleans-based campus in May and July for workout sessions. That will be nothing new to Ardoin, as he is used to putting in extra work during the summer.
“I worked out hard last summer,” the son of Carlene and Kenneth Ardoin said. “I would go to our team (VPHS) workouts and do workouts on my own. I knew if I wanted to make it to the next level, I had to put in the extra time. I made the same commitment to my grades because I knew I had to have both.”
With the contract signed, Ardoin is now wrapping up his senior year on the VPHS basketball team. After that, it will be a matter of time until he is packing up and heading down Interstate 10 to the east.
“I am excited and very happy it is over with,” Ardoin added. “Now I can finish my senior year and not have to worry about who is calling me and trying to get in touch with me.”
As a student-athlete, Ardoin realizes that other athletes may be looking up to him. He welcomed that image.
“I would hope they would understand how hard they will have to work and the effort they need to put in,” he replied. “But it’s worth it. Your grades have to be there, especially if you want to get to a big school (Division One).”
The Green Wave gets one of the most versatile football players that Ville Platte High has had in a while. Ardoin joins a crop of Bulldogs that have moved on to play football at the collegiate level. Congratulations goes out to Ardoin and his family.