Delta State and new head coach David Dean have landed an SEC quarterback to potentially take over signal-caller duties in Cleveland.
Emile Picarella III announced his intent to transfer from LSU to the Division II powerhouse on social media on May 24. He played part of his prep career at St. Joseph Catholic School in Madison before finishing at University Lab in Baton Rouge, La., and earning a preferred walk-on spot with the Tigers.
“I made the decision to step away & bet on myself,” he wrote in the announcement post. “Back to the SIP. Officially committed to [Delta State] to continue my academic & football career. DIFFERENT path, SAME goal. READY to earn everything coming next. Go Statesmen.”
I made the decision to step away & bet on myself…📍Back to the SIP
Officially committed to @DeltaState to continue my academic & football career. @DeltaStateFB @CoachD_Dean
DIFFERENT path-SAME goal-READY to earn everything coming next.
Go Statesmen @DSUStatesmen @TheEightXVIII pic.twitter.com/husXRxN1B6— Emile Picarella (@EmilePicarella) May 24, 2026
Picarella was rated by Rivals as a three-star quarterback and No. 42 overall player in Louisiana for the class of 2025. His bio on LSU’s athletic site says he “turned down Power 4 scholarship offers to attend LSU as a preferred walk-on.”
According to 247Sports, Picarella had scholarship offers out of high school to play at Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Oregon, Houston, Kentucky, Louisville, Boston College, Pitt, and several others. Interestingly, new LSU head coach Lane Kiffin would have been part of Picarella’s recruiting process in Oxford, but with Kiffin seemingly ready to ride with Arizona State transfer Sam Leavitt at quarterback and USC transfer Husan Longstreet as the backup option, Picarella made the decision to transfer.
The 6-foot-2 righty will be a redshirt freshman and compete for an open position at Delta State after Cole Kirk exhausted his eligibility. Other quarterbacks currently on the 2026 roster are redshirt junior Reed Miller, sophomore JL Davis, and freshman Mac Nelson.
Delta State has made 12 appearances in the Division II playoffs with the program’s most recent outing coming in 2023. The Statesmen won a national title in 2000.