With the conclusion of Sun Belt Media Days in New Orleans earlier in the week, it is now time to look fully ahead to the start of the 2024 college football season.
For Michael Desormeaux and the Louisiana Ragin Cajuns, that season will begin on August 31 inside a construction zone that is the future Our Lady of Lourdes Stadium when they host Grambling State.
For the Cajuns, the stadium is a symbol of the program: still in a phase of rebuilding from 2021, when Billy Napier departed for Florida and took everything but the kitchen sink with him.
After back-to-back 6-7 seasons to open the Desormeaux era, there seems to be confidence around Louisiana, who returns seven starters on offense and eight on defense from a season ago.
Five of the seven losses were by a single possession, so Desormeaux and the Cajuns are ready to build off of that in 2024.
“2023 for us was the year of near misses,” Desormeaux said during SBC Media Days at the New Orleans Marriott Warehouse Arts District hotel. “A year that had some highs and lows at times, a little bit of disappointment and frustration. But as you go through it, you know, ultimately, it was a year of growth for us. We lost five games by one possession. Those are the difference between winning the league and finishing in the middle of the pack in this league.”
After starting the season 4-2, the Cajuns went 2-5 the rest of the way including a loss to Jacksonville State in the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl.
“I knew when I took this job and we all understand the standards and expectations here to play for and win conference championships,” Desormeaux added. “We embrace that, we’ve had a chance and we’ve been really close in a lot of these. For us the growth comes from, I think seeing our team accept that responsibility, seeing our coaching staff accept that we’ve got to continue to find ways to get better.”
Offensively, the Cajuns have experience at every level. First, you return both Ben Wooldridge and Chandler Fields to your roster, who have a combined nine seasons in your program. Both players have played in big moments and have led Louisiana to key wins. On the flip side, both have dealt with serious injury in their career and will once again battle each other into fall camp.
At running back, Jacob Kibodi is now on the training camp roster for the New Orleans Saints, leaving Dre’Lyn Washington and Elijah “Bill” Davis as the key returners in the backfield for the Vermilion and White. First Team All-Sun Belt return specialist Zylan Perry will also look to break in as a contributor in the run game.
Receiver is a strong position as well with Jacob Bernard, Harvey Broussard, and Robert Williams all returning as key contributors. Lance Legendre earned his way back onto the team and will look to add an extra wrinkle to the playbook in 2024.
Up front, the Cajuns return four starters from a year ago including preseason first-teamer AJ Gillie. Landon Burton anchors the line at center while Bryant Williams and George Jackson will also look to be big factors in the protection.
Defensively, there are even more returning starters with eight. Up front, Mason Narcisse and Jordan Lawson look to build off of strong seasons while K.C. Ossai anchors down the linebacking corps. In the defensive backfield, Keyon Martin runs point with Tyrone Lewis Jr and Courtline Flowers as two more key pieces for new defensive coordinator Jim Salgado.
The reason to discuss the key returners is to show that the Cajuns are full of players that made impacts a year ago and remember the feeling or dropping that overtime game to Southern Miss or the interception in the endzone against Georgia State on homecoming. That has been the fuel that has powered this program through offseason conditioning and spring practice as the Cajuns prepare to once again climb the Sun Belt mountain, which is a climb that is full of question marks along the way.
How good will Troy be without Jon Sumrall and several players departing? Is App State truly the best team in the conference like the preseason polls dictate? Will Texas State capitalize on their year of success under GJ Kinne?
These questions and many more will be answered throughout the regular season as the Cajuns will battle with App State, South Alabama, Arkansas State and Troy at home while travelling to Texas State, Coastal Carolina, and Southern Miss.
The Cajuns have the pieces to be an eight or nine-win football team, contending for the Sun Belt Championship. But the big question remains: can they avoid dropping one-possession games to conference foes?
Matt Miguez is the host of the Miguez Mindset Podcast on ESPN Southwest Louisiana’s YouTube channel. He is also a digital contirbtor for ESPN 103.7 Lafayette and 104.1 Lake Charles.