Tag: Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns

Alabama Football lands commitment from Louisiana transfer DB Trey Amos

Louisiana defensive back Trey Amos announced that he was transferring to Alabama on Tuesday. The news comes just days after Amos visited Tuscaloosa.

Louisiana defensive back Trey Amos announced that he was transferring to Alabama on Tuesday. Amos chose the Crimson Tide over SEC rival, LSU. The Louisiana native visited Baton Rouge but elected to commit to Alabama instead.

Amos recently took a visit to Alabama over the weekend. He will have two years of eligibility remaining.

Amos was regarded as a three-star athlete coming out of high school, according to 247Sports. He had other offers from programs such as Arkansas State, Tennessee, and South Alabama. Ultimately, he chose to play for former Louisiana head coach Billy Napier and the Ragin’ Cajuns.

In three seasons in Lafayette, Amos tallied 60 tackles, 13 pass deflections, and one interception.

He has great size for a cornerback in the SEC at 6-foot-1, 195 pounds. With Alabama losing defensive backs Brian Branch and Eli Ricks, Amos will likely compete for the starting corner spot opposite of junior Kool-Aid McKinstry.

In all likelihood, he will have to beat out redshirt-sophomore Terrion Arnold. If that is not the case, he could be inserted at STAR as Alabama has minimal depth at the position with Jahquez Robinson and Tre’Quon Fegans recently transferring from the program.

Amos provides experience and adds some depth to Alabama’s secondary. Both could carry a lot of weight as the Alabama coaching staff looks to solidify its secondary as the season approaches.

Roll Tide Wire will continue to follow the Alabama football program and its involvement in the transfer portal.

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Alabama offers Louisiana CB transfer Trey Amos

Louisiana cornerback transfer Trey Amos recently entered the transfer portal. One of the first schools to have extended him an offer was the Alabama Crimson Tide.

Louisiana cornerback Trey Amos recently entered his name into the transfer portal. It did not take long for schools to come calling. The first program to have offered Amos was Alabama, according to Amos’ Twitter.

Amos spent the first three seasons of his college career with the Ragin’ Cajuns. He tallied 60 tackles, 13 pass deflections, and one interception.

Several programs that have also extended an offer to Amos are Auburn, LSU, Florida, Arkansas, and Texas A&M.

Alabama has already shown interest in one transfer defensive back. UAB safety transfer Jaylen Key recently took an unofficial visit to Alabama last week.

With the Tide having offered the two of them, it seems like the secondary is a point of emphasis for coach Saban and the rest of the coaching staff.

Roll Tide Wire will continue to follow the Alabama football program and its involvement in the transfer portal.

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Louisiana Ragin Cajuns Preview 2022: Season Prediction, Breakdown, Key Games, Players

Louisiana College Football Preview 2022: Team breakdown, season prediction, keys to the campaign, and what you need to know

Louisiana Ragin Cajuns Preview 2022: Previewing, predicting, and looking ahead to the Louisiana season with what you need to know and keys to the season.

– Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews & @PeteFiutak

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Louisiana Ragin Cajuns Preview
Head Coach: Michael Desormeaux, 1st year at Louisiana, 1-0
2021 Preview: Overall: 13-1, Conference: 9-0
Keys To The Season | Season Prediction, What Will Happen
Louisiana Top 10 Players | Louisiana Schedule

Louisiana Ragin Cajuns Preview 2022

After 24 wins, two Sun Belt titles, and three bowl victories in the last three seasons …

How do you keep that going?

It was one of the worst kept secrets in college football that Billy Napier was killing time before going off to a giant head coaching gig somewhere like Florida.

Now Louisiana has to try to maintain its greatness and keep on winning without Napier, without QB Levi Lewis, and without a slew of good parts who took off for Gainesville with their former head coach – among other places.

In steps Michael Desormeaux, a former Ragin’ Cajun star quarterback who’s been part of the program’s coaching staff for the last six years before moving up into the head man role.

Not only does the new guy have the weight of the last few years to deal with, but he gets a tougher, bigger, better Sun Belt, too.

There’s a rebuild happening here, but the style should still be the same.

Louisiana Ragin Cajuns Preview 2022: Offense

For all the great things the offense did last year, it was still 64th in the nation overall, struggled too much to convert on third downs, and the ground game wasn’t nearly as sharp or as dominant as it should’ve been. However, it didn’t turn the ball over, it controlled the clock, and it got the job done when needed.

The offensive line loses All-Sun Belt stars O’Cyrus Torrence to Florida and Max Mitchell to the New York Jets, but there’s enough in place for a decent starting five … eventually. Left guard AJ Gillie is the main holdover, but it’ll take fall camp to finalize the puzzle.

This group will know what it’s doing, though. 12-touchdown running back Montrell Johnson might be off to Florida, but leading rusher and all-star Chris Smith is back along with a slew of decent young options.

Replacing five-year starter Levi Lewis won’t be a breeze. Chandler Fields got in a little work, and former Fresno State Bulldog Ben Wooldridge is getting every shot at the gig. Fields is a smallish baller, Wooldridge is a big bomber – the O just needs one of them to be close to as efficient as Lewis.

Michael Jefferson led the team with 481 receiving yards averaging close to 27 yards per grab with four scores, and leading pass catcher Peter LeBlanc returns after making 37 grabs. Kyren Lacy if off to LSU, but Donte Fleming is back after finishing third on the team with 27 grabs.

Louisiana Ragin Cajuns Preview 2022: Defense

The offense usually got the attention, but the defense was the real star. It finished 11th in the nation, first in the Sun Belt, and was among the best in the nation at taking the ball away and at pass efficiency D. Unlike the O, plenty of stars are coming back.

The defensive front should be one of the team’s biggest strengths. Zi’Yon Hill is a long-time producer, pass rusher, and anchor on the interior, and Andre Jones is a dangerous backfield playmaker on the end. The rest will fill in around those two.

The back eight loses top tackler Lorenzo McCaskill to the transfer portal, star safety Percy Butler is gone to the Washington Commanders, and the linebacking corps overall is filling in the parts. However, corner Eric Garror is an all-star who led the team with two picks and seven broken up passes, and Bralen Trahan is a veteran safety.

Keys To The Season | Season Prediction, What Will Happen
Louisiana Top 10 Players | Louisiana Schedule

Louisiana Ragin Cajuns: Keys To The Season, Top Game, Top Transfer, Fun Stats NEXT

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Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns Top 10 Players: College Football Preview 2022

Who are the top 10 Louisiana players going into the 2022 college football season?

Louisiana Ragin Cajuns Preview 2022: Who are the top 10 players going into the season?

– Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews & @PeteFiutak

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Louisiana Ragin Cajuns Preview
Offense, Defense Breakdown | Keys To The Season
Season Prediction, What Will Happen | Louisiana Schedule 

Louisiana linebacker enters transfer portal, could be UF target

Lorenzo McCaskill led the Ragin’ Cajuns in tackles in each of the last two seasons.

Florida has already picked up commitments from several Louisiana transfers, including running back Montrell Johnson and offensive lineman Kamryn Waits, who chose to follow coach Billy Napier to Gainesville. There are likely several more the Gators could target, and one could be linebacker Lorenzo McCaskill, who entered the transfer portal on Friday.

McCaskill was a Third Team All-Sun Belt selection in 2020 and a Second Teamer in 2021. He led the team in tackles both seasons, totaling 83 and 84, respectively. The sixth-year linebacker will take advantage of the extra eligibility afforded to him due to COVID-19 and play his final season elsewhere.

Though it doesn’t seem that he has been offered by the Gators yet, it’s a move they should definitely consider. Linebacker appears to be a relatively thin position group after one of the starters from 2021, Mohamoud Diabate, elected to transfer to Utah.

A former JUCO transfer, McCaskill registered 239 tackles (eight for loss) and four sacks in four seasons with the Ragin’ Cajuns.

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Billy Napier lands another ULL transfer for Florida

One of Billy Napier’s best offensive players last season is transferring to Florida for a reunion.

After Billy Napier took the head coaching job at Florida, nearly every Louisiana player that entered the transfer portal was linked to the Gators. On Friday, running back Montrell Johnson became the second Ragin’ Cajun to follow his old coach to the Swamp.

Having Johnson and offensive tackle Kamryn Waites on the team for spring practice should help establish Napier’s game plan quickly. Johnson will be joining a running back room with two former five-star recruits, Lorenzo Lingard and Demarkcus Bowman. Nay’Quan Wright, the only Florida running back with a decent amount of snaps played, is expected to miss spring as he recovers from an injury, but a not-so-cryptic post on social media following Johnson’s announcement may indicate his intention to enter the transfer portal.

In addition to Napier, Johnson has already played under running backs coach Jabbar Juluke and offensive line coach Darnell Stapleton. He led the Ragin’ Cajuns in carries last season with 162 for 838 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns. The Sun Belt Conference recognized as him the Freshman of the Year.

Johnson only started one game in 2021 with redshirt sophomore Chris Smith in front of him as the starter. Florida lost both of its top running backs to the NFL draft already, and Johnson knows what Napier is looking for better than the Gators’ other running backs. Still, it’s a deep room that just added four-star 2022 recruit Trevor Etienne. Napier should have his pick of talented backs to rotate in and out next season.

Johnson was a three-star recruit coming out of high school, according to 247Sports. He was ranked the No. 60 overall running back in the country on the 247Sports Composite.

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Oklahoma offers pair of wide receivers, Kyren Lacy and Cayden Lee

Oklahoma extended offers to Louisiana transfer wide receiver Kyren Lacy and four-star class of 2023 wide receiver Cayden Lee.

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Oklahoma isn’t wasting any time responding to fill the expected vacancy that would be left by freshman wide receiver Mario Williams if he does in fact transfer to USC.

247Sports’ Chris Hummer was the first to put in a crystal-ball prediction for Williams to USC after the 5-foot-9 receiver’s visit to USC over the weekend.

The Sooners extended offers to Louisiana transfer wide receiver Kyren Lacy and class of 2023 wide receiver Cayden Lee out of Hillgrove High School.

Lacy, a 6-foot-3, 213 pound sophomore, has 50 career receptions, 668 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns over his two seasons with the Ragin’ Cajuns.

In 2021, Lacy hauled in 22 receptions for 304 receiving yards with six touchdown grabs.

Lacy was rated as a four-star prospect and the nation’s No. 51 wide receiver by 247Sports in its 2020 player rankings.

Since announcing he was entering the transfer portal on Jan. 8, Lacy has also received offers from the likes of Auburn, Houston, Ole Miss, LSU and UCF.

Lee is ranked as a four-star recruit by Rivals and ESPN. 247Sports and On3 list Lee as a three-star prospect. The 5-foot-11, 180 pound receiver is ranked highest by ESPN where Lee is regarded as the nation’s No. 219 player overall in the 2023 class and the nation’s 31st-best wide receiver.

The Powder Springs, Ga., product holds offers from Auburn, Duke, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, Oregon, Penn State, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and UCF.

Of course, Lacy would be another immediate addition out of the transfer portal if he chooses Oklahoma.

Lacy would join UCF quarterback Dillon Gabriel, Cal offensive lineman McKade Mettauer, Missouri tight end Daniel Parker Jr., Hawaii defensive lineman Jonah Laulu and Appalachian State linebacker T.D. Roof. Here’s a look at SoonerWire’s full transfer portal tracker.

If Lee commits to Oklahoma, he would join four-star wide receiver DeAndre Moore Jr. out of Los Alamitos, Calif., and three-star interior offensive lineman Joshua Bates out of Durango, Colo., as a member in OU’s 2023 recruiting class.

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New Florida coach Billy Napier ends tenure at Louisiana with a Sun Belt Championship

Napier led the Ragin’ Cajuns to their first outright Sun Belt Championship.

Billy Napier’s last day in Lafayette was a good one.

Before the newest Florida head football coach hopped on a plane Sunday morning to begin his stint in Gainesville, he led his Louisiana team for one more game: the Sun Belt title against Appalachian State.

Since Napier was hired to replace Mark Hudspeth in 2018, he has won the Sun Belt West division in all four seasons, even in a 7-7 Year 1. But he lost the championship game the first two years (both times to the Mountaineers) in the 2020 Sun Belt Championship Game was canceled due to COVID-19 cases within the opposing program, Coastal Carolina.

This was his day, though. The Ragin’ Cajuns led 24-10 in the fourth quarter, and though a late Appalachian State touchdown made the game interesting, a 117-yard afternoon for freshman running back Emani Bailey and a defensive performance that held the Mountaineers under 300 total yards led Louisiana to a 24-16 win.

It was the fourth time the school has won a share of the Sun Belt title and the first time it has won the league outright.

Napier has now officially taken over at Florida, but after a departure that was almost unprecedented in this industry in terms of the response from the Louisiana fanbase, it’s a happy ending to his Ragin’ Cajuns tenure.

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Penn State’s next opponent drops out of top 10 of USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll

Penn State’s next opponent, Michigan State, knocked out of the top 10 of the latest USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll

It is still going to be an uphill climb for Penn State to work its way back into the top 25 polls, but the Nittany Lions are still on the radar for at least a few coaches out there. Following Penn State’s 28-0 victory over Rutgers in Week 12, Penn State managed to make a late appearance in this week’s USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll.

Penn State received a grand total of 22 points n this week’s poll, making the Nittany Lions the fourth among those in the Others Receiving Votes category. Arkansas, Clemson, and Mississippi State all come in front of Penn State just outside of the top 25 this week.

Penn State will head to Michigan State this week, and the Spartans will be looking to redeem themselves in a big way. After getting demolished don the road by Ohio State, the Spartans dropped five spots out of the top 10 and down to No. 13 in this week’s coaches poll. But there were others who took a bigger stumble this week.

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No. 11 Oregon also fell out of the top 10 after falling six spots in response to their blowout loss at Utah (up to No. 19, from No. 25). And No. 21 Wake Forest was hit hard for their loss to Clemson. The Demon Deacons dropped nine spots after taking their second loss of the season.

No. 1 Georgia remains the unanimous choice for No. 1 in the USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll, with Alabama right behind the Bulldogs at No. 2. But Ohio State moved up to No. 3 thanks to their blowout win over the Spartans. Ohio State moved ahead of undefeated Cincinnati, with the two schools from Ohio swapping rankings this week.

No. 6 Michigan moved up one spot this week, and No. 12 Iowa moved up two spots. No. 18 Wisconsin also moved up two spots this week as the Badgers moved one step closer to the Big Ten West Division crown. No other Big Ten teams appear in this week’s USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll.

A look at the full coaches poll after this week’s slate of games.

Full USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll:

Rank Team Record Points Change
1 Georgia 11-0 1,550 (62) –
2 Alabama 10-1 1,450 –
3 Ohio State 10-1 1,428 +1
4 Cincinnati 11-0 1,388 -1
5 Notre Dame 10-1 1,258 +1
6 Michigan 10-1 1,250 +1
7 Oklahoma State 10-1 1,210 +2
8 Ole Miss 9-2 1,049 +2
9 Oklahoma 10-1 1,010 +2
10 Baylor 9-2 977 +3
11 Oregon 9-2 864 -6
12 Iowa 9-2 722 +2
13 Michigan State 9-2 698 -5
14 Texas A&M 8-3 683 +2
15 BYU 9-2 675 –
16 Houston 10-1 572 +1
17 Pittsburgh 9-2 507 +2
18 Wisconsin 8-3 485 +2
19 Utah 8-3 478 +6
20 UTSA 11-0 475 -2
21 Wake Forest 9-2 404 -9
22 San Diego State 10-1 257 +1
23 UL-Lafayette 10-1 236 -1
24 NC State 8-3 196 –
25 Kentucky 8-3 91 +1

Dropped from the rankings:

No. 22 Arkansas

Others receiving votes:

Arkansas 67; Clemson 56; Mississippi State 42; Penn State 22; Appalachian State 20; Purdue 10; Coastal Carolina 9; Air Force 9; Oregon State 2

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Where is Penn State in USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll after Week 10?

Penn State remains No. 23 in the updated USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll after a win over Maryland.

After breaking its losing ways with a 31-14 victory at Maryland this weekend, Penn State simply managed to hold firm on its ranking in the USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll. The fresh coaches poll, released early Sunday afternoon, sees Penn State holding steady at No. 23 for a second consecutive week.

At 6-3 on the season, Penn State is one of six Big Ten teams ranked in this week’s coaches poll. No. 5 Ohio State remained where they are with just one minor change in this week’s top five of the USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll (No. 2 Alabama moved up one spot, with No. 3 Cincinnati falling from No. 2 after a close call against Tulsa). No. 8 Michigan moved up two spots to move ahead of, ironically, No. 9 Michigan State. The Spartans fell three spots in the coaches poll after their loss at Purdue, just one week after Michigan State clipped Michigan in a head-to-head matchup.

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No. 14 Iowa moved up two spots with some reshuffling of the rankings midway through the college football world this weekend. Iowa took advantage of losses by No. 18 Baylor (down five spots) and No. 20 Auburn (down six).  While Penn State remained No. 23, No. 24 Wisconsin has burst right back into the coaches poll with a blowout win at Rutgers. The Badgers, whom Penn State defeated in Week 1, are right behind the Nittany Lions at No. 24.

Out of the Big Ten, the Pitt Panthers continue to be on the rise as a leading ACC contender. The Panthers moved up three spots this week after a blowout victory against Duke. The Panthers passed Penn State in the process.

Georgia remains the unanimous selection for No. 1 this week after receiving all 64 first-place votes.

A look at the full coaches poll after this week’s slate of games.

Full USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll:

Rank Team Record Points Change
1 Georgia 9-0 1,600 (64) –
2 Alabama 8-1 1,483 +1
3 Cincinnati 9-0 1,430 -1
4 Oklahoma 9-0 1,423 –
5 Ohio State 8-1 1,356 –
6 Oregon 8-1 1,291 +1
7 Notre Dame 8-1 1,182 +1
8 Michigan 8-1 1,099 +2
9 Michigan State 8-1 1,074 -3
10 Oklahoma State 8-1 1,045 +1
11 Texas A&M 7-2 1,023 +1
12 Ole Miss 7-2 862 +3
13 Wake Forest 8-1 769 -4
14 Iowa 7-2 636 +2
15 BYU 8-2 552 +5
16 UTSA 9-0 525 +2
17 Houston 8-1 472 +2
18 Baylor 7-2 449 -5
19 NC State 7-2 445 +3
20 Auburn 6-3 382 -6
21 Coastal Carolina 8-1 335 –
22 Pittsburgh 7-2 293 +3
23 Penn State 6-3 249 –
24 Wisconsin 6-3 177 +7
25 UL Lafayette 8-1 164 +1

Dropped from the rankings:

No. 17 Kentucky; No. 24 Southern Methodist

Others receiving votes:

Arkansas 116; San Diego State 103; Purdue 77; Kentucky 74; Utah 34; Iowa State 21; Appalachian State 19; Southern Methodist 18; Minnesota

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