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Tulane’s Kendall Ardoin (No. 89) pulls down a pass during a recent practice. The former Ville Platte High star (inset) is competing for a tight end spot on the Green Wave’s depth chart. (Photo courtesy of Tulane)

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Former Ville Platte High star Kendall Ardoin is entering his second season with the Tulane Green Wave. (Photo courtesy of Tulane)

Breaking the waves

After redshirt season, ex-Ville Platte High star Ardoin prepared to help Tulane football crest to more wins

By: RAYMOND PARTSCH III
Managing Editor

Kendall Ardoin had no issue spending his first season on the sidelines.
By the end of his senior season at Ville Platte High, Ardoin had developed into a Rivals.com three-star football recruit and coveted college prospect at tight end. He had programs such as Louisiana Tech, University of Louisiana-Lafayette, Rice and University of Louisiana-Monroe all vying for his services on the next level.
The four-year football lettermen ultimately chose Tulane but was quickly redshirted his freshman season in 2014. That meant that Ardoin could practice with the Green Wave but would not be able to play in any games, or for that matter even dress for those games.
“I knew that one or two of us incoming freshman tight ends would either get limited reps or be redshirted,” Ardoin said. “Once coach told me that I was going to be redshirted it wasn’t really frustrating for me. From just watching the games last year, I probably wasn’t ready for the pace of the college game.”
After a strong spring, the 6-foot-5, 228-pound Ardoin is ready for that pace now and is currently in competition to backup senior tight end Sydie London on the Green Wave’s depth chart.
“I thought he did a great job,” Tulane tight ends coach David Johnson said. “I was really impressed with how strong he was. He got in the weight room and bulked up. He was the surprise of the spring.”
Johnson added, “If he stays healthy he will do great things for us. I am really counting on him this year.”
After spending his first football season learning the playbook and packing on ten pounds of lean muscle, Ardoin turned heads during spring football. In one of the final scrimmages of the spring, Ardoin led the team with three receptions for 36 yards.
“My goal was to show my coaches that I needed that redshirt year but that I was here to play now,” Ardoin said. “I feel like that I am much more prepared than I was last year and my goal was to just let them know that I was ready to contribute for this team.”
For many former high school star, adjusting to the level of competition is secondary to figuring out how to balance responsibilities in the classroom with football practice. That wasn’t an issue for Ardoin who graduated as salutatorian at Ville Platte High and was also named Ville Platte High’s Student of the Year. Ardoin is currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering.
“The biggest things is learning how to properly manage your time,” Ardoin said. “Even though it is a little tougher than your average university, if you just manage your time, make sure you do your homework when you have free time, stuff like that. If you do that it will be a lot easier on you.”
Education was at the forefront of Ardoin’s reasoning for selecting Tulane as his college destination, despite the fact that he was going to sit out a year when he may not have to do so at other schools.
“One of the biggest decisions coming to Tulane was education,” Ardoin said. “Football doesn’t work out for everyone and it doesn’t last forever. If football doesn’t work out for me that is fine. I knew coming to Tulane that I would get a great education that could support me later in my life.”
Right now Ardoin is competing with two other tight ends to be the Green Wave’s No. 2 tight end. Even if Ardoin doesn’t grab that spot he will still be lining up on special teams (field goal and kickoff return teams) this season.
Ardoin thrives on that kind of competition.
“We are here as a team but we are all here on individual scholarships and we all want to play,” Ardoin said. “At one point you have to realize that there is only 11 people on the field at one time. You have to compete and go really hard to be one of those 11. If you don’t like competition then you probably shouldn’t play college sports in general. I am looking forward to the competition.”
Regardless if he wins the job or not, Ardoin will get to run out wearing his game-day jersey and helmet for the first time. As a bonus, Ardoin will get to do that on Thursday, September 3 when Tulane officially opens up its new on-campus stadium, Yulman Stadium.
The game will start at 7:30 p.m. and will be televised on CBS Sports Network.
“I am really anxious of running through the tunnel and onto the field and be involved with the game,” Ardoin said. “As for the stadium, it has been decades since we had our own stadium. We are pretty excited about it.”
Even more stimulating for Ardoin is that he, like his former high school teammates Cody Jones and Darius Poullard at Northwestern State, he is helping set a positive example to younger kids that are coming up with the Ville Platte High football team.
“It is really a great thing,” Ardoin said. “Not everybody from Ville Platte will get the chance to play college sports or even go to college. It is great to see them doing good as well because it makes the community look good. Plus it kind of gives the younger guys coming up an incentive to do well in school.”

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