Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns 2018 Football Preview

Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns 2018 Football Preview

Opening Statement: The Mark Hudspeth era got painful to watch from a distance, and finally, the Louisiana administration had enough of it all, and moved on. Billy Napier comes on from Arizona State, and will try to restore some promise for the Cajuns once proud program. He has a ton of work ahead of him, and the future could be solid, but the 2018 season could be all about building a foundation in the newly formed Western Division of the Sun Belt.

Breakdown Offense: A huge problem developed in spring practice, when projected starter Jordan Davis simply got up and left the program. ULL now heads into fall camp with a QB issue they were not counting on having. Sophomore Levi Lewis, who is all of 5'-9" tall, will now have the edge heading into camp. Andre Nunez, a senior, will battle for the job. Lewis was not overly impressive last season in limited action, but had a big spring, and was likely gunning for the job.

Trey Ragas has big potential in the new spread offense, and led the team in rushing last fall with 813 yards rushing and 8 scores. He averaged 5.73 yards per carry on the season. Jordan Wright played in 9 games last fall, and moves into the primary backup spot at RB.

Keenan Barnes and Ja'Marcus Bradley are both back to start at WR, with Ryheem Malone slotting into the 3rd receiver role. Malone led the team last season off the bench with 44 receptions. He averaged 15.36 yards per catch on the season. Barnes caught 37 passes last fall for 539 yards and can spread the field when needed. Bradley caught 39 passes, giving the Bulldogs one of the best returning receiving corps in the league. Jarrod Jackson caught 18 passes last season, and is the likely 4th receiver. Earnest Patterson added 10 receptions of his own, and also returns to add depth.

Chase Rogers caught 6 passes at TE as a freshman last season, and also returns. There are 9 TEs currently on the roster, so there is plenty of depth to be found.

Cole Prudhomme (C), Kevin Dotson (RG), and Robert Hunt (RT) return as starters on the line, but the staff needs to find new starters at LT and LG. Rico Robinson has the edge at LT, while Ken Marks appears to have the edge at LG. Staten Wade could also be in the hunt at LG, as will be Akkai Ward, a RS freshman. Caden Cunningham and Adrian Goodacre will provide additional depth inside. Kordell Brewster and David Hudson provide backup help at C, while Spencer Gardner could be fighting for a starting job at OT.

Breakdown Defense: Transfers will be filling key spots on defense, starting with Ole Miss transfer Garrald McDowell at DE. McDowell had not really fired off as a key player at Ole Miss just yet, but the staff has high hopes for him here. Mustafa Mitchell could give him a good push for his money. Joe Dillon starts at the other DE spot. He totaled 7 TFLs last fall. LaDarrius Kidd starts at NT this fall after playing in 12 games last season. Tra'Vontae Booker may try to give him a push in fall camp.

The LB corps got some decent news, as JC transfer Lorenzo McCaskill has joined the team, and may project to start this fall. He was a big time grab for Louisiana, as he had offers from much larger programs in the Big 10 coming out of Holmes CC in Mississippi. He is a Detroit native. Jocques Boudreaux is also back after finishing last fall with 58 tackles. Justin Middleton also returns for his senior season after recording 39 tackles in 10 games. Chaiziere Malbrue, Julius Perkins, Terik Miller, Tanner Holmes, and Brayden Bailey all saw action in several roles last fall, and will provide decent depth.

The Ragin' Cajuns got a huge lift at CB as Kendall Johnson, a former starter at Nevada, arrived as a transfer. Johnson had been booted from his starting job, despite solid production, when Jay Norvell took over at Nevada, and so Johnson arrives to start this fall. He is a solid upgrade at the position. Michael Jacquet, who was likely going to be in a battle for a WR spot, was moved to CB because of a lack of depth, and may end up starting as well. Darrell Miller and Lorenzo Cryer will add some depth, along with Kamar Greenhouse. Koa Haynes will be looking for reps as well in the new defense.

Corey Turner and Deuce Wallace will likely start at the Safety spots, with Braylen Trahan adding some depth to the unit.

Breakdown Special Teams; Stevie Artigue is back as the PK after hitting 10/14 FGs last season, but needs to show some consistency in 2018. He missed on 6 PAT attempts last fall. Calvin Linden and Gabe Pontiff are on the roster as well, should Artigue need some pushing in camp.

Linden could end up handling punting duties, as Sam Geraci has moved on. Seth Kootsouradis and Australian freshman Rhys Byrn are also on the roster and should be in the battle in fall camp.

Final Analysis: Billy Napier understands offense, having moved over from the staff of former Arizona State coach Todd Graham. He will likely try to fire up this offense as quickly as possible, even if he does not have all of the perfect parts for it, especially at QB. Defensively, the secondary is thin on talent, and the front line is trying to develop itself. The LB unit could be one of the better groups in the Sun Belt, if everyone realizes their potential. The needle may not move much on this program in year one under Napier, but years 2 and 3 could see some progress. Asking for this team to make a bowl game this fall would be asking too much.