What Coach Chennis Berry Said About Benedict Tigers Star Loobert Denelus
HOUSTON — Coach Chennis Berry calls him a "great person." Benedict's star and leader is Loobert Denelus. The defensive end will have life-altering events for him within several months. Before he graduates in December, he'll be helping his team during the NCAA Division II Playoff. He'll also accept accolades, hardware, and superlatives en route to participating in the 2024 HBCU Combine and 2024 HBCU Legacy Bowl ahead of the NFL Draft. Coach Berry is confident that he's capable of handling it all.
Although he's an fantastic football player and even more outstanding student, Denelus' first love was football — not American football — instead, soccer. The Haitian native spoke French Creole while growing up. The massive earthquake in Haiti led to his family transplanting to Naples, Florida, with his mother and siblings to live with an aunt.
Denelus told Atlanta-Constitution's writer Lou Bejak that he gravitated to the game of American, watching highlights from games. "I remember watching a Rutgers and Central Florida game (in 2013), and I remember UCF running back trucking another person. That is kind of the reason I got into football and started playing a lot more."
Benedict's football program was 1-9 before the administration hired Chennis Berry as its next head coach. The school's deep roots in Christian values needed a revival. Berry needed foundational players, and Loobert Denelus soon became the cornerstone for the Benedict Tigers.
"Loobert Denelus is all that and more," Berry told HBCU Legends. "He's going to do an amazing job when he goes there [HBCU Legacy Bowl]. But first things first, he's got to play a great senior year and continue." Coach Berry continued, saying, "You don't meet anybody like Loobert Denelus. He is a humble young man, first of all. He's a hungry young man. He's been at Benedict now in his third season. He has not made a B. It's all A's. He'll graduate in December. He's the strongest on the team in the weight room. He's the first in there, the last to leave. He takes care of his body. He is a great person. And, obviously, you cut the film on, he's a really, really, really, good football player."
Credit: Benedict Athletics
The NFL scouts may not see him as the prototypical edge rusher because of this height, but Denelus could become an outstanding defensive lineman within the right system. "You can play him inside at the 3. You can play him at the shade. You can play him at the 5. You can play him at the 7. The thing is, the other team just got to find out where he is because we're going to move him everywhere. And the biggest thing the biggest attribute he has, is he plays with an amazing motor. He has great technique. He uses his hands well. He has great ball get-off. He's just a good football player. I'm glad he's playing for me. I've been in the SWAC and MEAC. He can play for any team in the country, and do very well.
Berry, Denelus, and the Benedict Tigers will host the Lenoir-Rhyne football team in the second round of the NCAA Division II playoffs on Saturday, Nov. 25. For Denelus, he'll have a national audience viewing and evaluating his talent during the playoffs. Still, the scouts, executives, and media will get the "Loobert Denelus Experience" at the HBCU Combine and HBCU Legacy Bowl in New Orleans next February 2024.
Loobert Denelus; Credit: Benedict Athletics
Throughout his tenure at Benedict, Denelus has recorded an impressive stats sheet, with 135 tackles, 48 tackles for loss, 26.5 sacks, six forced fumbles, six fumble recoveries, a blocked kick, and three touchdowns. In the last two seasons, this 6-foot defender has achieved double-digit sacks, with ten sacks ranking him tied for 9th in the country and 18 tackles for loss ranking him tied at 14th. The Tigers have a formidable defense, holding opposing teams to just 207.7 yards per game, ranking them 2nd in the nation for Division II programs.
The honors are rolling in for Denelus. He's a Campbell Trophy finalist, repeated as the SIAC Defensive Player of the Year, and voted as a two-time First-Team All-SIAC Defensive Lineman.
"Loobert Denelus is getting all the fruits of his labor, and he deserves everything that he's getting. He deserves it," Berry concluded. We can't wait to see.
