Kobe Julien is staying inside the Sun Belt Conference.
The Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns star announced Monday on his social media platforms that he was transferring to play his final season at Arkansas State — a rival and fellow SBC West division member of Louisiana.
With photos of him in Red Wolves gear, Julien wrote in the post the following: “You have to step out of your comfort zone to grow. Next chapter.”
The 6-foot-6, 215-pound redshirt junior forward is coming off his best season with the team as he earned All-SBC Second Team honors, and was named SBC Player of the Week twice.
Julien led the Ragin’ Cajuns in scoring with 17.3 points per game and became the 51st player in program history to reach the 1,000-career points milestone. He also had 11 games of 20 or more points, which was the second-highest in the SBC.
Julien also shot the second-most free throw attempts (159) this past season in the SBC and made the second-most attempts (131).
Julien earned All-SBC Third Team honors for the 2022-23 season when he came off the bench and helped the Ragin’ Cajuns claim the SBC Tournament Championship and a berth in the NCAA Men’s Tournament.
Julien — whose father Wayne was a member of the Ragin’ Cajuns’ 1977 Southland Conference championship team — spent six years playing for longtime coach Bob Marlin, with much of that time limited due to injuries. Julien played in just 12 games in his first three years.
Julien was a star at Madison Prep and was named the LSWA Class 3A All-State Outstanding Player, despite missing the playoffs that season due to a knee injury. That injury forced him to be redshirted his first season with Cajuns as he recovered from the surgery.
Julien is the second starter from last year’s team that has transferred to a rival of the Ragin’ Cajuns. Fellow All-SBC honoree, Joe Charles earlier this month announced that he was playing for the program’s old I-10 rival — the McNeese Cowboys.