Welcome to the latest edition of the Cajuns position preview! Last week, we wrapped up the offensive side of the ball and now we begin looking into the Cajuns on the defensive side of things, starting with the D-Line.
Who Left After Last Season?
The sole Ragin Cajun that’s no longer on the team from the D-Line was Chris Prater. Prater had a decent senior season accumulating 26 tackles, three for loss, and forcing a fumble in 10 games. He will be missed in 2016 as he performed well during his time.
Who’s Coming Back?
While the Cajuns are missing out on having Prater back, the Cajuns have four players that saw the field in 2015 wearing the vermillion and white. Starting things off with senior Karmichael Dunbar will undoubtedly be the leader for the defensive line. The Minnesota native played in all twelve games last season and has a ton of experience that could help out the defensive line. He even could help the young guns on the O-Line with his experience from his sophomore year.
Another veteran in Taboris Lee will help out the Ragin Cajuns. The junior in 2015 improved in his production from his freshman to sophomore year and if he can remain healthy, expect his production to improve once again. A pair of sophomores could be rounding out the D-Line with Mario Osborne and LaDarrius Kidd. Both played the majority of last season as redshirt freshmen and had decent seasons. With another year under the system of Melvin Smith, they could see a vast improvement.
The Other Guys
There are a pair of freshman coming in that could be expected to see playing time if injuries happen over the course of the season. Darryl Johnson is a hoss standing 6’3” and 330 pounds and if he has speed to match he will be dangerous. Andarious Jones is a little bit lighter and could help out the Cajuns down the line, but odds are he’ll be on the sidelines.
Conclusion
I’ve been a critic of the Cajuns defensive coordinator, but I’m cautiously optimistic about the Cajuns defensive line as they have experienced players in Dunbar and Lee and have players in Kidd and Osborne with a year of experience under Smith’s system. There’s a good bit of potential if this team can adapt to the new system in 2016.
-Clint Domingue
Ragin Cajun Position Preview: Quarterback
Ragin Cajun Position Preview: Running Back
Ragin Cajun Position Preview: Wide Receivers
Ragin Cajun Position Preview: Tight Ends
Ragin Cajuns Position Preview: Offensive Line