LAFAYETTE — Louisiana-Lafayette dismissed wide receiver C.J. Bates and defensive end Marquis White from its football program, coach Mark Hudspeth confirmed Tuesday.
“C.J. and Marquis are no longer members of our football team,” Hudspeth said. “We felt it was in the best interest of our program to part ways. We wish them well in their future endeavors.”
Bates spent one season with the team after transferring from East Mississippi Community College.
The Mississippi native appeared in all 13 games and caught 12 passes for 167 yards and a pair of touchdowns in his lone year with the team, including a 17-yard catch that accounted for the lone touchdown in the Cajuns 16-3 New Orleans Bowl win against Nevada.
Bates was penciled in as a reserve going into his junior season behind senior wideout Jamal Robinson.
The 6-foot-5, 315-pound White was a projected starter going into last year, but the season opener would be his last start of the season as he battled injury and inconsistency.
In nine games last season, White recorded 16 tackles and two sacks.
He had fallen out of favor on the Cajuns defensive line, and wasn’t listed on the preseason two-deep depth chart.
Via – Luke Johnson, The Advocate