Welcome everyone to the latest edition of the position previews for the Louisiana Ragin Cajuns. One of the impact player positions for the Cajuns is undoubtedly the running back.
Considering the fact that one of the best players in the history of the program has departed, it’s left a giant hole in the position. Let’s look into who could fill that spot.
Departing Players:
The lone player at running back that departed last season is a big one in Elijah McGuire. Even though he was dealing with injuries during his senior season, the Houma native got to over 1,000 yards for the second straight season and left his mark with several school records.
Now he will be trying to make a 53-man roster with the New York Jets after being drafted in the sixth round in the 2017 NFL Draft. McGuire had been the face of the program for the last three years and leaves a major hole in the backfield.
Returning Players:
It’s going to be a daunting task for the Cajuns to find just one player to replace a star player like McGuire. However, the Cajuns still have a pretty good stable of running backs.
According to head coach Mark Hudspeth, it will be a running back by committee with Darius Hoggins at the front of the line. The senior had 284 yards on the ground including a touchdown off of 52 carries.
One of the things that has made the coaching staff pleased about the running backs crew is that they’ve all stepped up and knew what their role was back in spring practice. Hudspeth also called this group unselfish. “You’ve got Darrius Hoggins a senior and he’s in the back coaching up the guys.” Hudspeth said, “They all know their role and they’re all going to have a big role not only in the backfield but all those guys are a big factor on special teams.”
Outside of Hoggins, you should expect to see Trey Ragas getting passes out of the backfield. Hudspeth said during spring practice that “He’s got very soft hands out of the backfield and does a good job of catching the ball and getting vertical after he catches it.”
When you look at the rest of the chart, you’ve got to think that Raymond Calais and Jordan Wright will have a major role in the running game. Calais speed is something that will make fans intrigued because you don’t quite know how they will be using them. He will probably be a perfect fit being a kick and punt returner in 2017, but don’t be surprised if they use him on short yardage situations.
The Other Guys:
One of the big names coming on campus for the Cajuns has to be Elijah Mitchell. The Erath native lit up the scoreboard his senior season despite injury, accumulating almost 2,000 yards and 28 TDs.
The fact that he’s a freshman makes it seem like the chances that he could make an impact offensively are slim, but not necessarily none. Odds are he will be helping out Calais with kickoffs.
Overall Thoughts:
While there is no single player that fill the void that Elijah McGuire left, the stable of backs that is pretty unselfish is one thing that Cajuns fans should look forward to. If I were to put together a depth chart right now, it would probably be in order: Hoggins, Ragas, and Wright. Mitchell and Calais would probably fit best in a special teams role for the most part and if an injury came up, then one of the two would take over.
-Clint Domingue