Anthony Jennings to the Cajuns? What Happened?

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Undoubtedly the biggest story of the summer (so far) has been former LSU QB Anthony Jennings reportedly transferring over to UL Lafayette as a graduate transfer. This means that once everything goes through, Jennings will be able to play immediately. Now, before we look forward, let’s look back at how we got here.

Anthony Jennings Timeline

June 18th, 2015: Jennings, along with two other LSU players were arrested and booked on charges of unauthorized entry into an inhabited dwelling. In the aftermath, Les Miles suspended all the players that were arrested that day (Trey Lealaimatafao was arrested in an unrelated incident).

July 31st, 2015: Jennings rejoins the Tigers. Shortly after it was stated that Jennings and his fellow teammates would not face criminal charges, they were allowed back on the team. Miles stated that there would be further “in-house discipline”.

August 31st, 2015: Brandon Harris announced as the starting QB for the season opener against McNeese State (this game would not happen due to weather). Jennings would not see a snap the entire season as Harris would lead the Tigers to a 9-3 record and a win in the Texas Bowl over Texas Tech.

March 10th, 2016: Jennings announces his intentions to transfer on Twitter. This was his last tweet as of June 29th.

June 29th, 2016: Over one year after Jennings was arrested, reports come through on Twitter that he is transferring to UL-Lafayette. Nothing is seen as official at the time that this piece is written.

What Does This Mean For the Cajuns?

This is a BIG deal. Having a veteran QB can help the Ragin Cajuns in a number of ways. Look at the QBs that they have in the depth chart. Jordan Davis is the only listed QB that has playing time with the Cajuns. Yes, Jalen Nixon has a lot of experience, but it is known that he is moving over to the running back position. With the youth on this team at the quarterback position can do nothing but benefit from this. It gives guys like Gunner Hudspeth and Chris Weaver time to develop into the system and get the opportunity to lead this team down the line.

But the biggest thing is that Jennings has an SEC pedigree. Now, he wasn’t a world beater at LSU, but he had nine wins for the Tigers. Having wins over programs like Florida, Kentucky, and Ole Miss, all teams that the Cajuns have lost to in recent years, can give the Cajuns a better chance of competing with teams like Boise State and Georgia.

The biggest downside though is Jennings will have to adapt to this new system. What LSU and the Cajuns do are two entirely different things and could take a bit for Jennings to adjust. If he can’t get the hang of the system, then the conversation could turn to what can he do as a player on the bench. Apparently Jennings played the role of a motivator for the Tigers last season, helping Harris out as he was still learning how to be a leader. Perhaps he could do the same for Davis along with helping develop the true freshman QBs. Only time will tell how the Cajuns will use the former Tiger.

-Clint Domingue