April 13, 2026
South Sumter Senior James Laskey Jr. Signs with Ave Maria University Football
By Kyle Coppola
South Sumter Senior James Laskey Jr. Signs with Ave Maria University Football
South Sumter High School senior defensive end James Laskey Jr. made it official this past week, signing his national letter of intent to play college football for Ave Maria University, an NAIA program that competes in the Sun Conference.
James, who goes by “JJ”, was a standout on the Raiders’ defensive line in 2025. He was a key contributor to South Sumter’s defense last season in so many ways. The 6-foot-4, 227-pound senior recorded 40 tackles, including 14 tackles for loss, 3 sacks and 2 fumble recoveries. Over his high school career, he amassed 79 tackles, 23 tackles for loss and 8 sacks.
Head Coach Ty Lawrence praised JJ’s growth and family ties to the program.
“James Laskey is from a Raider Family. His whole family are Raiders,” Lawrence says. “He has worked very hard to get to this point. He has grown as a player and was a valuable piece of the puzzle for our team. We are so proud of him!!”
JJ was surrounded by family, friends, coaches and teammates as he signed his letter during a ceremony at South Sumter High School. He earned All-District 8 honors and plans to study Criminal Justice while continuing his football career with the Gyrenes.
JJ’s commitment adds depth to Ave Maria’s defensive front as the program continues building in the competitive Sun Conference. He should have an immediate impact.
JJ is just the latest South Sumter player who moves on to the next level. He becomes the latest in a long line of Raiders to sign with a college program which includes recent signees like Malakhi Boone, (UCF), James Bubba Boone, (Murray State) Rashad Johnson (Texas A&M), George Mullins (Delaware), Ja’Kyrian Turner (Pittsburgh), Xavier Massey (East Carolina) and so many more who also play at the NCAA FCS, Division 2, Division 3 and NAIA programs around the county.
Kyle Coppola was born in Newton, Massachusetts and received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Communications from Curry College in 2016. After traveling to Florida on a family vacation, he decided he could not get enough of the warm weather and made the move from snowy Massachusetts to central Florida 8 years ago.
For the last decade Kyle has gained valuable experience in social media content creation, marketing and sales, writing, video production, sports announcing and even broadcasting for local radio stations, such as FM 102.9 in The Villages and FM 91.5 in Massachusetts. Every year he volunteers at The Villages Charter High School as a play-by-play sports announcer for the football games as well as a public address announcer for the basketball games, including the annual Battle at The Villages Tournament.
Outside the office Kyle is a husband and father to two beautiful girls along with their cat. In his spare time he likes to spend time with his family, travel, play golf and swim. He is also a huge sports junkie and even bigger motorsports fan and loves to attend racing events when he can.
