It’s a new era at the University of Louisiana as the Ragin Cajuns introduced their new head coach in Billy Napier on Monday afternoon in front of the Cajun faithful. When you look at the hiring, Director of Athletics Dr. Bryan Maggard did his due diligence and got a great hired that checked off all of the characteristics that he was looking for.
After announcing that he had made the decision to fire Mark Hudspeth, he went through some of the characteristics he was looking for: develops positive relationships, a proven winner, a relentless recruiter, and an ability to develop.
“Hearing from some of his former players and coaches he worked with, two common words continued to surface: genuine and caring.” Maggard said of Napier, “He develops positive and lasting relationships with his players and those he works with.
“His collegiate coaching experience speaks for itself, including winning two national championships and three SEC championships along with many other accomplishments.
“As a recruiting coordinator, Napier directed the Clemson Tigers to a number-two ranked recruiting class in America and in each of his first three season at Alabama, the Crimson Tide achieved the number-one ranked recruiting class in the country.
“Throughout his career, he has coached and developed numerous All-American, All-SEC, and national award-winning players; many of which are experiencing successful careers in the National Football League.”
More than any of his accolades, it’s another example of how Dr. Maggard is changing the culture of the university. Look at the coaching history for the head coaches for the big programs at Louisiana. Mark Hudspeth, Bob Marlin, Tony Robichaux, and Garry Brodhead all cut their teeth at the lower levels and all have had some level of success in the Sun Belt at one point or another during their tenure.
What Dr. Maggard did with this hire and the hiring of Gerry Glasco shows that the Louisiana Ragin Cajuns are showing that their goals are well beyond the Sun Belt Conference. Five years from now, Cajuns fans will look back at the 2016 Sun Belt Media Days quote from Scott Farmer and mark it as the moment that the wheels of change began to turn.
Does that mean you’ll see the Cajuns in the Big 12 in that timeframe? No. That’s purely wishful thinking at this point, but it’s showing that they are looking to get out of the proverbial small pond and make a move to a slightly bigger and less stagnant pond like an American Athletic Conference or Conference-USA.
-Clint Domingue