Welcome everyone to a special edition of #4Downs! In this edition, I’ll be breaking down the Cajuns on National Signing Day.
1st Down: Who Could Make the Most Immediate Impact? Part I
The Ragin Cajuns 2016 recruiting class is full of players that could make a major impact. But a big question is who could make a big splash as a freshman. The first position that comes to mind is at the running back position. Now, obviously Elijah McGuire is going to be the starter in 2016, but who will fill the shoes for Torrey Pierce? This isn’t to say there isn’t already a third down back on the roster coming back from 2015, but when you have talented players like Raymond Calais and Trey Ragas joining the squad in 2016, you might need to throw these guys out there to see what they are capable of. Calais, who is from Cecilia, could definitely make an impact in special teams on kickoffs with his track experience.
2nd Down: Who Could Make the Most Immediate Impact? Part II
I’ve already touched on the offensive side of the ball for the Cajuns, so let’s jump over to defense. Out of all the defensive players, which makes up half of this recruiting class, who has the best chance to make an impact as a freshman? Odds are it will be one of the defensive backs like Dontrell Allen from East St. John. This three-star recruit is one of the top gets for the Cajuns and could expect to see playing time in 2016 as long as he can perform well in camp. Another spot on defense to perhaps watch for is the linebacker position. Losing a great linebacker in Dominique Tovell is going to be tough to replace, but it is possible with guys like Korey Louis out of Breaux Bridge and Tanner Holmes out of Newton High School in Texas joining the team in 2016.
3rd Down: QB Position Reloaded
One position that was looked at after the 2015 season was the QB position. With Brooks Haack leaving the team and Jalen Nixon being moved to the running back position, it left them with Jordan Davis on the team as the only quarterback with some experience. Davis is the front runner in 2016, but if he doesn’t perform as well as expected, things could change and maybe Jake Arceneaux from Ascension Episcopal could be in that spot. Coach Mark Hudspeth has seen him develop over the years, so he knows what he’s capable of. Only thing that is a question mark is who the offensive coordinator will be.
4th Down: Overall Look at Recruiting Class
Looking at this recruiting class as a whole, the Cajuns filled a good bit of the spots that the Cajuns needed to. According to Hudspeth, he wants to have a new look with their offense, so perhaps this recruiting class is the first step to having that new look he wants to have in the 2016 season.
-Clint Domingue