Transcript
Speaker: Welcome back, everybody, for another edition of Warm Weather Fins, the Sunbelt podcast. My name is Brian Stone, joined once again by Matt Miguez. We are talking about his second favorite team in the Sunbelt, the ULM Warhawks.
Speaker: Yeah, we'll see. They might be third by the time this recording airs, depending on if ah Louisiana Tech's the newest member of the Sunbelt Conference or not. Well, it sounds like it was a done deal, was it not?
Speaker: The voting happens on Monday. They need 10 votes. So we'll see. We'll see. ah you know as i As I understand, nobody's overly excited ah about them joining. There's not a lot to be excited about. it's like No.
Speaker: Okay. No. um it It gives UL another rival, which i mean I guess is a positive. um yeah But yeah, conference-wide, good baseball team, good men's basketball team.
Speaker: but football field not great no did you see the drone shots or whatever that people were uploading that look like people are like this looks like a prison it's a glorified high school it's a glorified high school it it i mean i live here in louisville and there are we we definitely have yeah high schools with nicer campuses that than louisiana tech has sorry sorry guys um Matt, we skipped over this. How's it going?
Speaker: Oh, man, it's it's great. ah Living the dream. Football season you know continues to get closer and closer. And now we get to sit here and talk about the ULM Warhawks, who kind of surprised some people last year go ah going five and seven under Bryant Vincent.
Speaker: Yeah. um So going over that, um obviously, Bryant Vincent comes in year one. They do not have high expectations.
Speaker: um You know, frankly, ah Terry Bowden didn't leave him a ton in the cupboard, ah but he surprised some people ah early in the season, namely.
Speaker: I think us three to, to be quite Frank, ah they started the season. What was it? Five and one last year. Yep. Nobody saw them playing that well.
Speaker: ah Obviously, b Brian Vincent is very focused on the run, ah establishing the run. You know, I remember when he was coaching at UAB and Southern played them and they had Dwayne McBride, who was huge.
Speaker: I think he had like 250 yards and, and four touchdowns or something when we played him. So it was like, we knew that Brian Vincent, when he came in, what wanted to establish it, wanted to kind of ride the ground game, eliminate mistakes, all of that jazz.
Speaker: And for the first six weeks, it looked great. I mean, you beat... UAB, who, frankly, since Trent Dilfer came over, not not good.
Speaker: ah hes You want to talk about a high school level something. He's a high school coach that somehow wormed his way into college football. ah They beat Troy. They beat JMU in a huge upset.
Speaker: They beat Southern Miss. And then the backslide started. And it was teams, starting with South Alabama, just absolutely rocking them, found out Not that it took a ton of confirmation, but frankly, if they couldn't run the ball with Ahmad Hardy, they didn't have much of an offense and they couldn't score points.
Speaker: ah And when you can't play complimentary football like that, where you run the ball, kill time, give your defense time to to rest, then it puts a lot more emphasis on your defense to to constantly make stops.
Speaker: And that was sort of the downfall last year of ULM, which was once teams got a handle on what Ahmad Hardy was doing, and frankly, they didn't get a great handle on it because he almost ran for 1,400 yards, but they didn't have a lot else as far as offensive weapons went.
Speaker: So it was kind of Ahmad Hardy and... just some dudes, you know, here ah the I'm sorry, but the receiving core looked like they plucked like three lucky fans on a weekly basis off the streets of, of Louisiana and was like, Hey, do you want to, you want to suit up today?
Speaker: So let's start here, Matt. So they, they do return sophomore Aiden Armenta who started ah eight games last year. They also have Hunter Herring who was, who saw some action for them.
Speaker: Um, um, going to be honest, neither of these guys blew my doors off as far as quarterback play. ah What do you kind of foresee for this season for them? Look, ah talking about Aiden Armenta, I don't think he had a ah you know phenomenal freshman campaign.
Speaker: ah But you know there were some moments where where I thought he played well. um you know Finished with an almost even touchdown-to-interception ratio. Had one more interception than than he did touchdowns.
Speaker: Completed just a hair under 55% of his passes. But again, like you said, they were a very run-heavy offense, which I think they will be again ah here in 2025 as Brian Vincent continues as the head coach. But I think the key for Aiden Armenta is that he's got that first-year out out of the way, right?
Speaker: he's got ah He's got a season of experience under his belt now. And I think that that's going to pay huge dividends for them. Hunter Herring is another guy that, again, showed some showed some talent, showed some promise.
Speaker: ah but But again, couldn't really hold on to his spot. And yeah you also throw in general booty who's no longer with the, with the ULM football program. um So, I mean, you had three guys that that were kind of balancing act at the quarterback spot before they finally settled on Aiden Armenta. And I think that's going to be huge for him knowing that he he's going in the job's his.
Speaker: And I think that's going to pay dividends for them this off season. And as they head into fall camp here in a couple of weeks, with him as the starting quarterback. General booty. You want to, we talked about last episode, guys that transfer in from P fives and people think like, Oh, it's easy. You just walk into a G five, the job's yours and you dominate. And then you, um you know, borderline draft eligible.
Speaker: And, and um he and Rodemaker and all of these other guys are, are reminders that it's not, it's not easy just because you were a recruit somewhere. yeah,
Speaker: Yeah, so Booty ah plays sparingly last year, but frankly, Armenta held on to the job. I mean... There were a couple times where they pull him or he got injured, nicked up, and and he had to come out for either herring or booty.
Speaker: But by and large, I mean, eight starts like the job was his for most of the year. um I think the key for me with him is, frankly, he's just got to cut down on the amount of turnovers.
Speaker: yeah um you You and I were talking about it before we were recorded. one of the things that comes to mind for me and this is just sort of a a moment last year that stuck in my crawl was they were about to upset jmu which they ultimately did um but all they had to do was kill clock they didn't have to do anything else um and frankly They roll Armenta out and he throws a ball that hits a JMU defender between the numbers and the guy just can the mo you know just can't keep up with it.
Speaker: And they go on to win that game solely because of that. But those are the types of things he's going to have to start getting there mentally, like between the ears at these games. And I know he didn't throw for a ton of touchdowns last year, but you can't throw 10 picks on, you know, ah nine to 10 ratio.
Speaker: yeah So you just kind of got to figure it out. Um, You talked about having covered this guy before. Talk to us a little bit about Deshaun Ford, who I guess we anticipate to be kind of the engine of this offense, similar to where Ahmaud Hardy was.
Speaker: Yeah, so I really like their running back room as a whole. They're going to replace Ahmaud Hardy by committee, um and Deshaun Ford looks like he's going to be the leader of that. Had a really good career at Opelousas High.
Speaker: Won a state title for for the Tigers, their first state title in... 80-something years or something like that. It was a super crazy moment. 225.
Speaker: Doesn't have a ton of you know crazy speed. Really physical between the tackles. A hard-nosed runner. um in In high school, he ran track.
Speaker: And I want to say as a sophomore, he ran a 23.1 in the 200. So 23, 200, which is not bad, um but but it's not going to like the world on fire.
Speaker: um So hes he's one of those guys that's going to bruise you between the tackles. And then if you let him get into the second and third level, he probably has enough speed to get away. um So I really like his game.
Speaker: They bring in Tyra Reed, who's a Juco transfer. He also spent some time at Arkansas last season. um Zach Palmer Smith was at Wagner. he's He's a guy that's got a lot of talent.
Speaker: And then a name that might sound familiar, he's a transfer from South Alabama, Braylon McReynolds. been the last three seasons with the Jags. He's going to be at ULM this year. ah So I really like the way that that Brian Vincent's kind of retooled this running back room after you know nobody was really surprised when Ahmaud Hardy entered the transfer portal after that insane season that he had and now going to play for Eli Drinkwitz at Missouri.
Speaker: Yeah. um I don't know if was there some sort of mass exodus at Arkansas after last year? I feel like as we do, as we do these, ah you know, like previews, it's like, oh, this guy's from Arkansas. That guy's from Arkansas. It's like,
Speaker: Do they even have a team left ah in Fayetteville? Or is it just like 16 guys that are like, we're to have to play both ways Iron Man style? Yeah, I mean, it it might be something similar.
Speaker: ah you want to talk We talked in our last episode about Tim Beck being on the hot seat. I don't know that there's many seats hotter in the country than Sam Pittman's right now. It just feels like he's thrown everything that you can think of at the wall and just is hoping that something sticks like nothing more you know the Petrino thing like, you you know, so we'll we'll we'll see how that all goes. i will I don't anticipate him being there much longer either. Uh,
Speaker: Interestingly enough, this is the first depth chart I think we've come across where there's intentionally two tight ends on the starting ah spots. it's It's almost like I think the Las Vegas Raiders are the only pro team that has don't don't have three receiver sets listed.
Speaker: It's only two tight end sets. So you've got Julian Nixon Jr., who is a junior, and then Nate Sullivan, who's a senior, who both, frankly, seem like just blocking tight ends. So presumably, they're just going to load the line of scrimmage up similar to last year and just get after it.
Speaker: and And Ford will be, like you said, the main beneficiary. And then you'll get some Tyrell Reid. maybe some Palmer Smith and then maybe Mick Reynolds if, if they need like a change of pace type guy, who's five, eight, one 95.
Speaker: So we'll, we'll see how that all shakes out. um Frankly, the one, the one area other than kind of quarterback play that I thought they were lacking last year was receiving talent.
Speaker: um You know, I made light of that earlier where it felt like they just pulled some guys off the street and there, there wasn't anybody on this team receiving wise that I felt like, know,
Speaker: was even to Sunbelt level caliber. I felt like they were kind of FCS receivers masquerading as, hey, we're at a G5, and it's like, hey I don't really see it, man. You know, you got Jake Godfrey ah came back from last year. He played in 12 games and only notched 265 yards receiving.
Speaker: um Nick Trujillo played at New Mexico last year, but only started at three games, had 305 yards receiving. It feels like they're kind going to have to do the same thing this year where just limit the amount of attempts Armenta or whoever starts at quarterback put up.
Speaker: Try not to get behind in games because, frankly, that was kind of a death knell for them last year was coming from behind. And I don't know, man, maybe get Tyler Griffin at 205, some reps and just maybe throw him some jump balls and see what happens.
Speaker: Yeah, you know, I think what's going to be interesting with this receiving core is you look at the experience that they got last year and how young they were last year. mean, Jake Godfrey, we talk about him only getting 265 yards.
Speaker: He was a true freshman. He was 18 years old. old yeah So I think that experience, I'm i'm ah um' a huge proponent of, you know, when guys have to play as a true freshman like that,
Speaker: Year two is going to be huge. um So I'm really expecting big things out of Godfrey, albeit in a running offense. you know what what's What's the expectation of a receiver in a predominantly running offense? If he can get 500 yards, you know you're you're happy with that.
Speaker: um So i you know I look for big numbers out of him. Javon Campbell's a guy that makes a lot of sense too. Similar situation. 205, had 176 yards last year.
Speaker: They were turned six of their top seven pass catchers from a year ago. So, you know, there's an experience factor there that I think that's going to help. um But yeah, I mean, Jake Godfrey's for me is going to be the receiver that, that kind of, you know, puts it all together and makes it all go.
Speaker: Godfrey. maybe the i don't and I don't blame him for this, but he almost feels like a slot receiver that is being forced into like a, ah what is it, 11 personnel?
Speaker: ah where Yeah. And it's like, on a normal team, a guy that's 5'9", 172 would not be playing outside the hash. Correct. um But...
Speaker: i hear But the problem with that, though, the way they structure their offense is you need guys that can block in space. And frankly, having a guy that size on the outside gives me a little cause for concern. Because what happens when you run toss sweep and you get to the edge and it's like...
Speaker: all right here's a corner that's six one 200 pounds 190 and then uh you know my five nine 172 pound receivers out there blocking for me and so for sure don i don't want that um offensive line wise uh they get two starters back in elijah fisher and jay mickle um what do you What do you kind of foresee? I mean, obviously, the the bread and butter is... You basically need five road graders who are just going to open up holes for the running game because that's kind of what Bryant Vincent wants to do.
Speaker: He also incorporates, like... zone run elements ah that we saw like at UAB. so he's He's very good at scheming up a run game, um but what do you kind of foresee out of the offensive line this year? look I really like this group. You talked about Elijah Fisher, had 11 starts last year, 12 starts the year before. so As a true junior, he's got 23 career starts.
Speaker: I really like that as the anchor of your offensive line. ah Jay Mickle, like you said, ah another talented guy that started all 12 games last year. Reese Steele appeared in eight games last year, so that experience is huge at the left guard spot.
Speaker: ah Bryant Vincent said that this might be the best offensive offensive line he's coached since UAB in 2020, and that team made the conference championship game.
Speaker: yeah Now, look, I'm not sitting here saying pencil pencil and UL Monroe to play for Sunbelt title. But from from the look of it on paper and from what the coaches are saying, this this might be a really improved offensive line who really wasn't that bad last year.
Speaker: Right. No, no. You're talking about Ahmad Hardy rushing for 1400 yards. Big piece of that was your offensive line opening up holes for you. um So I think this group's going to even take a bigger step forward this year and is is going to create a lot of options for for that stacked running back room that we talked about earlier.
Speaker: Those guys and Hardy were like the least, ah the least of their offensive problems. um You know, like like you said, if you've got a running back, any running back worth his salt that can run for 1400 yards, clearly the block is there.
Speaker: You know, you're, you're not Barry Sanders in it every week where you're like, I don't know. I got to break three tackles before I get to the line of scrimmage. Like it just doesn't happen that way. So they were doing a really good job in the run game last year. And, you know,
Speaker: we'll We'll see if that kind of continues. All right. So let's transition to the defensive side of the ball. um
Speaker: Let's see. So they have two really big bodies up front on the defensive line. And this is like NFL level size in ah Jerome Simmons, who's 6'4", 333 at nose guard.
Speaker: And then Clifton Mosley, who's also 330.
Speaker: So running inside is going to be tough against ULM. You're going to want to try to keep it to the edge, I think, ah or yeah or get get creative with it because those two guys are a brick wall up there for them.
Speaker: Look, I like this defense too, man. you know Five starters back from last year, a defense that gave up only 28 points a game. That was their lowest points allowed since 2018.
Speaker: So a huge step in the right direction from this defense last year. um And again, you know you talk about Keate Wells, who was second team Sun Belt last year at the defensive end spot. You talked about Simmons and Mosley, the two 330-plus guys.
Speaker: ah Billy Pullen at the other defensive end. He was 13 all-conference last year with six sacks. that That front four is going to be a problem in the Sun Belt this year.
Speaker: The question for me is going to be, you know what does the back seven look like? on you know Can their secondary you know really really step up and make a difference?
Speaker: But yeah if you're going be playing a predominantly running team, I like ULM's chances ah with with with with that front four. But ah yeah, you when you get into that back seven with the defensive backs and and the linebackers, I mean...
Speaker: Sadron Langston at at the middle linebacker spot had a decent year last year. ah Nothing to really write home about. um So, I mean, they've they've got some talent. There's no question about it.
Speaker: But how can that back seven put it all together is going to be a big question for me. I mean, I think Poland did a good job getting to the passer last year. His sack numbers, you know, he had six sacks.
Speaker: I think there he's going to need to ramp his numbers up, and I think Wells on the other side is also going to need to get to the passer on a more consistent basis.
Speaker: Not even necessarily like sack numbers, but just getting pressures. Because like you said, I think this... this this db room needs as much help as it can possibly get ah so you know the best the best counter to an opposing offense is is getting pressure up front and forcing the quarterback uh the opposing quarterbacks to make you know lightning quick decisions which We've seen not every ah Sunbelt team has a quarterback that could pull that off.
Speaker: So yeah if you can get, you know, a combination of Wells and Pullen and Mosley and Simmons to wreak havoc on opposing ah offenses and offensive lines, I like that on paper for sure.
Speaker: um Like you said, you need Langston to step up. He only had 21 tackles last year, but appeared in 11 games. ah You know, I don't know whether he was the full time linebacker, middle linebacker or not, but or or outside linebacker or not. But he's going to have to to make something happen this year, ah especially since it seems like they're running a four to five.
Speaker: So it's him and Noah Fleming's. um yeah Which that chief flemings Fleming's had 105 tackles last year at the JUCO level. but um And, you know, Vincent said that this might be thea the most talented group of linebackers he's had as a head coach.
Speaker: um So, look, maybe maybe maybe we're we're proven wrong. Here's the the thing about this linebacker group is that ah outside of Sadron Langston, we just don't know.
Speaker: Right. Like it's just it's just a question mark on that group. But no, mean, if Noah Fleming's at six, three, two, twenty eight comes out and has a seventy five, eighty tackle season at that weak side linebacker spot, then, you know, who knows what ULM could be capable of.
Speaker: Yeah. but But right now I just we just don't know. Yeah, and then you've got ah Cameron Canterbury, who is going to basically play like a nickel ah DB slash maybe he helps in some some tackling situations, ah but he's 5'9", 190, so he's not exactly the biggest guy on earth.
Speaker: ah Played at D2 West Florida last year, so we'll see if that that kind of translates Shout out to the Argonauts. is that Is that their team name? The Argonauts.
Speaker: Wow. Yeah, Good stuff. Yeah. um And then ah you you talked about it in the secondary as you get deeper. Perkins McAllister, who presumably is going to have a corner spot.
Speaker: ah David Godsey, who was honorable mention Mountain West last year, ah but is also kind of undersized, 175. Yeah.
Speaker: I think my main concern is it seems like outside of the safety spots, their they corners outside of Perkins McAllister little undersized as well. yeah So they have, we talked about it with coastal.
Speaker: They may have the, the openings to get bullied by big physical receivers as well. We'll have to see if they kind of find a way around that. Yeah, I mean, you've got a couple of guys and in Fontroy and Tiller that have enough height at 6'1", but 170 and 180, they're not built well enough to to play that position. And then Godsey, like you talked about, 5'9", 175.
Speaker: Look, that that that kid might be the freakiest athlete on the planet, but if he's lined up against a 6'3 receiver, he's done. Or if he's if he's standing there and a running back comes around the end yeah and it's one-on-one, yeah.
Speaker: It's bad. Yeah, that that's not that's not great. um Now they do have some guys with some size on on the back end of the depth chart.
Speaker: Jalen Foster, he's 6'1", 190. I'm okay with that. im okay with that ah Corian Wilson, he's five eleven one seventy five that's not great um And then Christopher Robertson, he's 6'1", 180. I'm okay with that at the strong safety spot.
Speaker: um But, man, i'd i'd look I'd really like my strong safeties to be somewhere 190, maybe right at 200. Yeah. ah to to to be ah To be a bruiser back there.
Speaker: um But, ah yeah, underside secondary is going to go to really be interesting in this conference because Sunbelt's got some good receivers. Yeah. Yeah. Uh, I thought Fon Troy was good for them last year.
Speaker: um he certainly had some moments and made, uh, some plays for them. Uh, but yeah, we'll, we'll have to see how the rest of the secondary plays. I remember Fon Troy specifically being, ah kind of a standout for them on the, on the backend.
Speaker: Um, all right. So let's get into the schedule here. ah Their win total, what did I say, four and a half or five and a a half? half Four and a half. um That feels about right.
Speaker: There aren't a ton of gimmies on this schedule. um And that's kind of the nature of the Sun Belt, but it's also... they're They're probably going to have to make people kind of stand up and and take notice like they did last year.
Speaker: ah Because, well, part of the reason I say that Phil Steele says it twice in his 2025 preview is he says he has them upsetting some teams.
Speaker: Now, I can guess on the surface what those teams are just based on kind of win totals and things. But... St. Francis in the opener, obviously they play them on a Thursday, August 28th.
Speaker: That's a, that's gotta be a win. um You're not beating Alabama. Sorry guys. The but it's not happening. No, no. Luckily you get a bi-week. You kind of get to lick your wounds.
Speaker: I don't know what UTEP looks like. I think they beat UTEP. You think so? I think they beat UTEP. UTEP is typically not good, right? Typically, no. Okay.
Speaker: Typically, I feel bad, but I get them in UTSA mixed up sometimes. And I'm like, which one's the bad orange? the mu Similar color scheme, four letters, both in Texas. Like, I get it.
Speaker: I get it. which Which one's the bad orange and blue team? Crap. I can't remember. ah Okay. Now we start getting into is Arkansas State winnable?
Speaker: Maybe. Don't really don't really know. You're not probably not beating Northwestern on the road. See, I disagree. I think they're going to go up to Northwestern and get a win.
Speaker: Is Northwestern supposed to be really bad this year? i Yeah. I just always assume they are. but and And that's fair because more likely than not, you're going to be right on that.
Speaker: yeah Yeah. Yeah, they're supposed to be pretty bad this year. Okay. All right. Well, um then they face coastal who I think is, that's a winnable game for them. Coastal is coastal and ULM are kind of on the same level right there.
Speaker: I think Troy is a winnable game. I don't, I don't necessarily feel good about picking either side as it stands today. um Then you play Southern Miss old dominion. You're probably going to own two and those, then you get another bi-week and then you end with South Alabama, Texas state and Louisiana.
Speaker: Um, South Alabama might be winnable. I don't think Texas State is, and I don't think they beat Louisiana. So how many how many wins are we talking about? St. Francis, UTEP. I'm going give them Northwestern. I'm not giving them Northwestern. I'm going to give them Coastal.
Speaker: I think they beat one of Coastal or Troy. Maybe both. I don't know. And then I think they beat South out. I'm giving them five wins. I'm probably going tentatively say five as well.
Speaker: I'm going to give them five. I think they're right on the four or five threshold. um Now, are they going to start five and one like they did last year? No.
Speaker: No. Because frankly, like... the the level of competition and the fact that Ahmad Hardy, if Ahmad Hardy was still there, I'd be like, anything's possible, but correct i know I know you might go nine to three with Ahmad Hardy.
Speaker: Right. And I know you covered the the running back they got, but frankly, I, until I see it on Saturdays, i have a hard time, you know, penciling him in for anything. So, Yeah, I think that's i think they're they're going to have record-wise a similar year to so last year. um you know They were able to, like I said, start start out 5-1.
Speaker: ah They surprised a lot of people. I think their win total was like 2.5, 3.5 last year. So clearly, ah you know everybody has them kind of taking a little bit of a step forward. But yeah, I just feel like outside of the running back and offensive line spots until you get some deep, uh, difference makers, whether it be a pass catcher or a quarterback or whatnot, you have to take the pressure off of the running back spot because everybody in their mom knows, guess what?
Speaker: They're going to line up and run the ball. But, Until you get that play action, you know, working, you got to see it. and And frankly, you know, I haven't seen it out of them yet.
Speaker: So when that whenever that kind of comes to fruition, um maybe it's this year, maybe it's next year. But ah last year. They definitely overachieved, but it didn't give me a ah a ton of hope for the passing game to to keep progressing. But yeah.
Speaker: Matt, any last-minute thoughts here as we wrap up? And if not, go ahead and plug social stuff. No, man, I think we hit it all. um Again, as each episode comes and goes, it just means that we're one step closer to football, and I'm really looking forward to this season. I think it's going to be a fun season all the way around for the Sunbelt Conference.
Speaker: um and And as always, you can follow me on social media at Miguel's Matt. As always, you can follow the show on X at warm weather fans. ah Feel free to send us questions, comments ah to warm weather fans at gmail.com.
Speaker: ah You can follow me on X at watch the stone. ah We are continuing to climb ah in subscriber count on YouTube. ah So every time I check it, we've had more and more people subscribe. So if you have not yet subscribed, please do so. ah All of our,
Speaker: All of our video content is available there, and we have video-only content ah from last year and this year that we'll be cooking up. ah Zeke has been an admirable game show host in the past.
Speaker: He has. And had both of us as contestants. And frankly, we need to have the rubber match because you and I so split them one-to-one last year, and we need to but we need to work out who's going to be two-to-one. We all know who's to be me, but that's fine.
Speaker: Okay. Well, let's let's do it Jeopardy style and let's see let's see how far out into the negatives you can get. because that That was tough. You were at like negative 3,600 points. That was that was tough.
Speaker: All right. This has been another episode of War Weather Fans.
