Marcel Andry of ‘Last Chance U’ finds new success on sidelines
GOODMAN, Miss. (BVM) – Many will remember that terrible melee that ended Season 1 of the acclaimed Netflix series “Last Chance U.” Yet former defensive tackle Marcel Andry openly defies the narrative.
In the years since, the 6-foot-2, 295-pound Louisiana native has become a great success story. Still, he laid the groundwork to succeed long before.
Andry attended John Curtis Christian through his junior year of high school. He was a highly touted college football prospect who starred on the Patriots’ defensive line.
However, there was a detour on his road to success. Andry would face some real issues off the field. As he told, “When my parents split, it forced me to be a man at a young age.” As a result, Andry moved with his mother several miles east to New Orleans proper ahead of 12th grade.
The all-state standout switched schools to attend St. Augustine as a senior. This no doubt was a difficult adjustment for him.
To put it in context, he was said to be Louisiana’s top college prospect for his position at the time. The star lineman drew interest from a number of Division I teams such as Tulane, Mississippi State and McNeese State, among others.
But he didn’t care much for the classroom. That dampened his dream of playing at the next level. Any hope of signing with a major NCAA school was squashed because Andry simply couldn’t make the grade.
He finished high school in 2012 and his future seemed kind of cloudy. So Andry made a fateful decision. He stayed close to home. The alumni helped coach at his alma mater St. Augustine.
What’s more, Andry guided his baby brother Marseth to a football scholarship at Central Arkansas. It turns out the right move for him all along was to stay.
With new inspiration, he returned to the gridiron. He began by suiting up for the East Mississippi Community College Lions in 2015. After the season, he went back to the Bayou State.
Andry arrived at Nicholls State University. He saw a number of highlights as he completed his college career playing for the Colonels. The big man in the middle is the main reason why Nicholls State’s rushing defense dominated foes during that run.
Ultimately, the winning effort he gave carried over to his classes as well. Andry studied business and business management, as he earned his bachelor’s degree from Nicholls State in 2018.
Andry decided to stay in Thibodaux while working as a graduate assistant for his ex-team. His hope was to become a full-time coach in the process.
That choice proved to be the right one. Nicholls State promoted Andry to defensive line coach the following season. He only stayed with the Colonels for two seasons. Once again, his journey took an unexpected turn.
In January 2022, he accepted a job to lead the defensive line at Holmes Community College in Goodman, Mississippi, a fresh start in a different town. In times of adversity, no matter his troubles, Andry has always found his way in football.
