Welcome everyone to the latest edition of the Louisiana Ragin Cajuns position previews! When you think of the best offensive weapons the Cajuns have had during the Mark Hudspeth era, you think more along the lines of running backs and wide receivers.
That may all change this season when you look at the position of tight end. There’s a lot of talent at the position and with a new offensive coordinator at the helm, you could see this become a point of emphasis for this team for the first time since Ladarius Green last put on the vermillion and white in 2012. Without further ado, let’s get into the preview.
Departing Players:
The lone departure for the Cajuns at the tight end position was a big one with Nick Byrne finishing his time as a Ragin Cajun on a high note. He finished his career with a career high in receptions (14), receiving yards (135), and longest reception (37 yards).
While losing an experienced player like Byrne, there’s a whole lot of depth at the position that Cajun nation should be looking forward to.
Returning Players:
There are quite a few returning players, but there is none more important than Matt Barnes. Barnes brings a lot of experience to the table as a senior, despite the stats not popping off the page.
Barnes had a rough 2016 with only five receptions for 40 yards despite appearing in 10 games last season. If he wants to see more playing time, it’s going to be a rough road ahead because of some of the talent coming aboard as freshmen (we’ll get to that.)
Looking at the rest of the tight ends on the roster, there’s not a lot to really take from it as players like Raynard Ford and Carlos Robinson were used solely on special teams and Alex Allen and Chris Turner were used as part of the scout team.
The Other Guys:
The incoming freshmen have a chance to bypass the rest of these returning players based off of what Tight Ends Coach Reed Stringer said a few weeks ago.
“I’m really excited for Chase Rogers and Andre Landry, two freshmen that are really good players. Both of them will play this year.” Stringer said about the true freshmen coming aboard this season. Looking at Chase Rogers, how can he not be considered the TE1 headed into the season? Rogers had a successful senior season with Myles Brennan throwing to him for 1,042 yards and 12 TDs at Saint Stanislaus. Barring injury, this might be one of the best recruits at the position the Cajuns have gotten in years.
When you look at Landry, a product of Acadiana High School, he might not be used as an offensive target like Rogers is expected to be. However, his role will still be important in helping out at the trenches and helping out the run game. The 6’5”, 250 pound tight end also played on the other side of the ball as a defensive end during his time at Acadiana and that further proves his importance on the frontlines.
Overall Thoughts:
This may be the best the tight end position has looked in quite some time. As mentioned earlier, having two true freshmen getting playing time in 2017 is huge for these highly talented players to prove they belong. It doesn’t hurt that the Cajuns have a new offensive coordinator in Will Hall that has had all-conference tight ends in four of the six years he was the head coach at West Georgia.
-Clint Domingue