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Ridgeland High quarterback Zy McDonald has a well-known uncle who played running back for the New Orleans Saints and the Ole Miss football program.

If Deuce McAllister could make it, the new Ragin’ Cajuns quarterback commit figures, so can he.

“That motivates me a lot,” said McDonald, who also has received offers from Army, Navy, fellow Sun Belt Conference member Georgia State and FCS member Jackson State. “It gives me a lot of confidence, because I feel like I have a chance to do the same thing he did – and plus I kind of want to do better than him and have a better career than him.”

Hunt went in the second round of last month’s draft to the Miami Dolphins, while the Pittsburgh Steelers took Dotson in the fourth round and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers picked Calais in the seventh round.

If they could play, McDonald figures, so can he.

“That played a huge factor,” McDonald of his decision-making, “that I see that they (the Cajuns) positioned players who are really going to the league.”

McDonald knows UL has a senior quarterback, Levi Lewis, whose mold he matches.

If he could thrive there, McDonald figures, so can he.

All of which is why McDonald did not hesitate to give his non-binding pledge earlier this week, with encouragement from McAllister, to the Cajuns.

“He (McAllister) gave me a lot of advice,” said McDonald, whose mother, DeShundra McAllister, is the former running back’s sister. “He said he felt like the school was a good fit for me.”

McAllister, who made two Pro Bowls in his eight NFL seasons all spent with the Saints from 2001-08, wasn’t the only one who felt that way.

“I told my parents (about UL),” the 5-foot-10, 185-pound McDonald said in a telephone interview, “and my dad (Elijah McDonald) was saying that it fit my scheme I’ve been running in high school these past few years, and they have a quarterback (Lewis) that’s around my size that is playing pretty good.

“They had a great season this past year,” McDonald added with reference to the Cajuns, who largely behind Lewis’ play went 11-3 in 2019 with a LendingTree Bowl win over Miami (Ohio), “and I like the way they developed (Lewis), so I feel like they can develop me good as well.” “I spoke to my coach (David White) from this past year; he left and went to a different school, but … he said it was a good fit and he likes (UL),” McDonald said. “And I spoke to my new coach (Sam Williams) and he … said it’s a great school and it will fit me well.”

Williams moved this year to Ridgeland from Pelahatchie Attendance Center.

Because of the coronavirus pandemic that currently has most schools nationwide closed, Williams has not yet had his first hands-on practice with his new QB.

But he saw Lewis play in person when UL and Mississippi State played last season at the Superdome in New Orleans, and he has seen plenty of film of McDonald.

“He’s a phenomenal quarterback,” Williams said of McDonald, who has been described by recruiting sites as both pro style and dual threat.

“I know a lot of bigger schools are probably scared off by height, but … I’ve seen him in person. He’s a pretty solid 5-10. I think he can pull it off.”

McDonald readily acknowledges the height issue, which he is why he’s encouraged that Lewis has made it work at his size for coach Billy Napier's Cajuns.

Lewis – who is listed at 5-10 and weighs 190 – threw for 3,050 yards and 26 touchdowns with just four interceptions as a first-year starter last season.

“I can get better at passing, on the run, things like that. … I wish I was a little taller sometimes, but it just hasn’t played out that way.”

It doesn't hurt to have McAllister's NFL background rooted in his family tree too.

“I think Zy McDonald is gonna be able to play for ULL and do a really good job,” said Williams, who in his short career has coached multiple NCAA FBS players including Mississippi State safety J.P. Purvis, a Pelahatchie product, and new Louisville receiver Braden Smith, who played for Williams when he was offensive coordinator at his old high school, Northwest Rankin.

“If you watch him on film, he (McDonald) has a very good understanding of the game. That’s something we’re going to work with him to expand on – recognizing coverages, understanding pre-snap, post-snap and all that. But he’s really a pretty polished kid for a high school quarterback.”