Transcript
Speaker: Alright, welcome everybody back to Warm Weather Fans, the Sunbelt Podcast. My name is Brian Stone, joined once again this week by Zeke Palermo. And we have a guest, Matt Miguez, who's come on to talk about ah the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns.
Speaker: that was That was weird feedback. ah So, Matt, I want to ask, how's it going? And then I have a thing that I want to launch into about you you ah the way that UL handled their media stuff last year and how we all got duped by the team. But before that, how's it going?
Speaker: It's going well, man. i'm Glad to be back with you guys, getting ready to to to talk some Sunbelt football. It's crazy how quickly the summer has gone. i mean, the fact that training camp for both college and NFL starts in like two weeks is just absolutely insane. But ah yeah, ready to dive into it.
Speaker: Zeke, real quick, how's it going? And then we'll and then i have to I have to pose my question, concern, comment thing to Matt and see what he says. I'm good. I want to follow you, though, after you've had your question and answer session. I've got another like big, looming question um because UL has been in the news lately among college athletics, so I want to touch on that before we really get to like the actual ball going on.
Speaker: All right. So to start out with, I am very hesitant about the the outlook of this team as far as it goes with like sports book stuff. um MGM has Louisiana at one of the highest win totals, I think third or fourth highest win total in the entire conference behind Troy, Old Dominion, JMU, not necessarily in that order, but just those are the teams ahead of them.
Speaker: My question, Matt, I felt like last year, whatever is powering the Louisiana Raging Cajun media machine was out of control.
Speaker: I don't think we got sold a more like a more different bill of goods than what we got than with Louisiana, where it was like, are you bribing us on the air? Give me give me the under.
Speaker: oh okay. Give me the under. Yeah. Well, I'm just saying, so it was like, okay, the the teams we really got wrong, Zeke and I last year, were Louisiana, number one, because we were way too high on them. Yeah.
Speaker: And I think we got caught up and and everybody in general got caught up. Like even we had Phil Steele on and like he was like, I don't know, man, it's like Louisiana and everybody else in the West last year is what he said. And then even as I was pushing for Southern Miss and being like, I think Southern Miss is like a real contender with these guys. And he was like, nah, I don't think so.
Speaker: Between Louisiana and and the team that we Zeke and I just judged wrong, which was Old Dominion. like We didn't put enough stock into their weapons around Colton Joseph. We knew Colton Joseph was good, but we didn't put enough stock into the weapons. But it was it was a totally opposite thing with Louisiana last year, where we were way higher on this team than it ended up being...
Speaker: the offensive line was a total mess. I mean, they couldn't do anything. They couldn't block at all, which ah affected, you know, running the football, passing Walker Howard, dud quarterback. I mean, I'm sorry. Like he played against rice and they lost that game and the opener, he gets hurt. I know he barely shows up throughout the the rest of the season, if at all.
Speaker: And it just felt like the, the team was a total train wreck. And I, that's why I'm like, Where do where did the football media people who cover Sunbelt ball like at a high level like a Phil Steele where are they getting their information because every other team seems fairly rated and and kind of level headed like there's some reasoning behind it. But with Louisiana, it was all pie in the sky and then all of a sudden they stepped on the field the first week and it was over.
Speaker: but Well, because on paper, it it was pie in the sky, right? You're you're coming you're coming off a 10-4 season where, yeah, you lost the last two games by a combined score of, you ready for it?
Speaker: Yeah. um and but But still, you know you were 10-2 before those two games happened. You win the West. You host the Sunbelt Conference Championship game.
Speaker: There was a lot of pieces coming back. And then you go get Walker Howard out of the transfer portal, a local kid, mind you, um that had spent three years in two SEC programs.
Speaker: You had reason to believe that this was going to be ah a step forward, right? From from that 10-2 season, or at least a step in the same direction.
Speaker: um But yeah, no, ah you know i'm ah I'm a high school English teacher now, and to to quote the a title from the great William Shakespeare, 2025 was a comedy of errors fur for for the Louisiana Raging Cajuns.
Speaker: the The quarterback carousel um with, you know, we talked about Walker Howard, then you go to Daniel Beal, and then you go to Lunch Winfield, which finally, or london like you might have something there in Lunch Winfield.
Speaker: Um... And you know injuries at the receiver position, injuries on the offensive line. You talked about how bad the offensive line was. um the The defense giving up 30 points a game to their opponents. just Just all around last year was ah was a disappointment. And you know it's crazy. We're going into to year five of head coach Michael Desermo.
Speaker: Three of his first four seasons have ended in six and seven records. like like at At some point, conversation's going to have to be had. Sunbelt West, Clay Hilton?
Speaker: That's the way... No, no I'm saying the three yeah his three of his first four, I think it's even gotten to be four out of the last five, were six and six regular seasons. he Hilton finally got over the the hump last year and and beat a shorthanded app team in the bowl game. So he finally won his first bowl game in like year five or four or whatever it was. And he has one outlier season where they won more than so six, seven games in the regular season.
Speaker: And so... i don't I don't want to put that on Desert Mo yet because there is a real... By the time people hear this, our Southern episode will have been out, which was more with the Gattatalk guys was more of like a therapy session with Zeke included than it was like football talk almost. ah But it it there's a real like complacency with Helton that I don't think is quite there with Desert Mo yet, which is a really good sign for you guys because...
Speaker: Louisiana, i thought it was I thought it was funny because it was like Louisiana, we talked up a lot. And Coastal last year, we did not. We didn't have high hopes for Tim Beck or anybody that they were bringing in.
Speaker: And these teams were almost like one-to-one. The offensive lines aren't very good. They found a backup quarterback who had some mobility that really kind of... unlocked what the offense was able to do, which was not a ton, but right there there were aspects that they could take advantage of that they couldn't with other guys like, no offense, a Daniel Beal, a Walker Howard. you know for For Coastal, it was ah Tad Hudson and and the like, so it was like MJ Morris. So it was like, okay, we we' found this guy.
Speaker: We can do a little bit more, but there there needs to be more around him in order for us to accomplish basically anything outside of like scraping into a bowl appearance. So I just thought that was super interesting. It's like,
Speaker: who's doing PR for Coastal and in their way up here and who's doing PR for Louisiana? and they're And they're like, oh, they're going to win 10 games. They're going to be in the West Division title winner. like you're And you're just like, where where did all this come from? that was my That was my big concern question was like, what's going on? I don't want understand it so some ah To your comparison with Clay Helton, I think Louisiana, i don't know if this is, i I mean, Matt, weigh in. Is this a better or worse situation? Because with Desermo, you get like a Louisiana guy, right? He played quarterback there. He was the OC. He's been on the staff forever.
Speaker: Like, does that, do you give him more grace for that reason? Does he deserve that more grace? Or is it kind of vice versa? We saw with, or we're seeing right now with Dowell Loggins at App, it's like, We're finding out very quickly this probably ain't going to work, but they love him there because he's an app guy.
Speaker: Yeah, you know, it's interesting, right? in In most situations, I would say no. you you You don't give him extra grace just because he's a he's a local guy. But, um you know, I keep going back to the way that Billy Napier just absolutely gutted the program when he left. And look, I've never faulted Billy for that. Yeah.
Speaker: That is the coaches and the players that he brought to Louisiana. I mean, that he built Louisiana into the program that it was. He was allowed to take it with him, right?
Speaker: um But that made things incredibly difficult for Michael Desermo and his staff when they when they took over. um So you you give them a little bit of grace early, but at what point do you stop with the grace?
Speaker: Mm-hmm. right like in In my experience, it depends on how how in love the AD is with the head coach. And look, you for for all the reasons, Zeke, that you brought up, Dez played quarterback for us. Dez was a good quarterback for us.
Speaker: um Has been an assistant coach for 12 years with multiple head coaches. like the The story would write itself if it was successful.
Speaker: yeah But so far, i wouldn't i wouldn't categorize it as as a success. as a success right yeah You have three, six, and seven seasons. You haven't won a bowl game yet.
Speaker: he He has not won a bowl game. um Because I'm i'm sorry, you can people can put the 2021 New Orleans Bowl on his resume. That doesn't count.
Speaker: That Billy Napier's team. That doesn't count. um So you haven't won a bowl game. You've hosted the conference championship once, which is solid, but you got your ass kicked. Yeah. Thoroughly.
Speaker: um And then you've gone six and seven three times. Like, I just... there There comes a point where you have to realize that the safe hire
Speaker: didn't work.
Speaker: And you have to say, So going back to it, you know, again, six and seven, three years in a row, and then you had the one solid season where you finished 10 and four. At some point, like I said off the at the beginning, a conversation is going to have to be had where you admit that the the safe hire,
Speaker: Just didn't pan out. um And you're going have to go in a different direction. Again, I hope that this team finds success under Mike because, again, that's a great story.
Speaker: An author could sell hundreds of thousands of copies of that book. But, again, if it doesn't work, you have to be able to admit that it doesn't work.
Speaker: Yeah. ah We talked about this a little off air, Matt, but as I understand it, after um the butt whooping, I don't know if it was before or after, but after that 2024 season where they got butt whooped by Marshall in the conference championship game, ah they extended DeSormo through 29. So you've got him for this year plus three more seasons.
Speaker: And as we're coming to find out, there is no money in the piggy bank at all. Like we're talking like millions of dollars deficit. yeah Like what's what's going on? where Where's that money going and how does that play into this at all?
Speaker: So it really goes back to, and and I hate to keep bringing up Billy Napier like he was a bad thing for the program, but it does it does go back to Billy Napier.
Speaker: um During his time here, he was the highest paid coach in the conference. We had the highest paid assistants in the conference. um And we were we were paying these coaches money that we really didn't have.
Speaker: um we were We were banking on you know donors to show up because we were winning and um you know these big advertising revenues to come in and it it just never quite panned out.
Speaker: Then you tack on the $65 million dollar stadium renovation. Now look, most of that was generated by private donation, right?
Speaker: However, that $65 million dollars raised in private donation would have gone a lot further in terms of general operation of your football program, right?
Speaker: yeah oh Now, look, do not get me wrong. Did Cajun Field need a facelift? Absolutely. It hadn't been touched other than a couple areas since it was built in the 70s.
Speaker: Like it needed a facelift. Do not get me wrong. um But I just think that we made some really poor financial decisions along the way.
Speaker: um Probably added a few amenities and whatnot that might not have been necessary. And ah yeah, now now you're operating in the red and you're also being audited by the state government for apparently a misappropriation of funds.
Speaker: So I have a question. um Like James Madison has some of the highest like student fees um in the conference as far as like what they charge students for the athletic, you know, athletic fees and all that sort of stuff. Is there any chance that Louisiana puts forth a vote to up the student fees to help cover the, I don't know what the deficit is, but I mean, it might be like a giant crater that they're just throwing money into, but is there any chance of that?
Speaker: could they put forth a vote absolutely um would the vote pass probably not right um prime example the university of new orleans they wanted to get a football program but they were going to need student fees to do it students heavily said no And did you know that the school is no longer called the University of New Orleans?
Speaker: Yeah, they were just absorbing the LSU, right? It's LSU New Orleans now. LSU Nome. l l LSU bought it. So that that that's kind of – and look, I'm not saying LSU is about to buy But – ah but No, I don't see a world where we're going to ask or or students are going to agree to pay even more in in fees than they than they already do.
Speaker: Fair enough. All right, so let's let's jump into the actual kind of football results um from last year, and then we can kind of talk about what Louisiana has coming back this year, returning as far as talent, and and you know what may lie ahead. so One thing that I found interesting was this past season, and I understand the the thing with the offensive line and the injuries and the quarterbacks and like everything like that.
Speaker: This was the first season since 2022, or 2025 was, the first season since 2022 where Louisiana did not exceed 30 points per game as ah as an offense.
Speaker: ah Also, what that was Desiree's first year, right? Right. When he was coming in and the team was like gutted and everything. um I found it interesting that you guys scored 32 points per game in 2023 and still found a way to go six and seven. night That seems borderline impossible, I think. ah But it it's just... I think the the larger overall question is Desremo's an offensive guy.
Speaker: he's been He's called plays Do you think the offense, I mean, Phil Steele has has Louisiana listed as one of the top offensive lines in the Sun Belt going into this season.
Speaker: Do you think that the offense turns around and gets back on the right track? if the If the defense ends up being the problem, we can talk about that in a minute, but ah do you think the offense turns it around?
Speaker: I think so. um Because because you've gone you've had this whole offseason where Lunch Winfield knows he's the guy. It's his team. right you're you're You're adjusting the playbook to fit his style. Right? um He's got chemistry with some of his weapons, especially Shelton Sampson, who's his top returning receiver from last year.
Speaker: i really like Russell Babineau, the redshirt freshman receiver from Lafayette, was a multi-sport athlete in high school. ah really good track star, just a ah fast guy, right? Raji Dennis is is kind of the same way. He's taller than Babineau, but when he was in high school, he actually set the state record for the 100-meter dash.
Speaker: he he is he is He is the fastest man in the state currently. um he is He is freaky athletic. um So I think he gets a bigger a bigger role in this offense now um here in 2026. The offensive line has improved on paper um You know, we'll we'll see how how that plays out on the field. um But I think having that security at quarterback is going to play a huge part in this offense's success.
Speaker: My biggest question mark about this offense, and it's really surprising that this is the question mark, because for so long, it's been the strong suit, right? Who is going to play running back?
Speaker: And who's going to play as well? Yeah, it's an inexperienced room. Right. I mean, for sure. Zylan Perry transfers to Tennessee. Bill Davis transfers to Virginia Tech. Like, where where are you going to get the experience on the carries sh from?
Speaker: yeah I'll be interested to see what they decide to do with that running back room. um but But other than that, no, to answer your question, I do think that the offense improves. How much, we'll have to wait and see. But I do think they are better than they are a year ago the The last thing before we we get into like individual players and stuff like that, i think it's... And I think this is this is the case for a lot of teams in the West just because of how the Sunbelt West seems like it's a total rebuild outside of like Troy this year.
Speaker: You guys have a very favorable schedule. like I just looked at it. That's one thing that could be definitely in you guys' favor is like... You play, and we don't we don't have to go line by line yet, but you get you play USC in week two.
Speaker: And then the other toughest team on the schedule is Troy. yeah Like everybody else is is worse than Troy is or was last year, at least on paper. Like maybe somebody shows up and and just totally blindsides us and we don't see them coming.
Speaker: A la kind of Troy last year. But that this schedule is extremely favorable for, i mean, a lot of the West teams, like the West division just in general is not even what it was last year. yeah,
Speaker: well wols we'll see kind of how that goes. You talked about lunch off the top. the reason Another reason I compared them in coastal, Louisiana and coastal last year was because of how Samari Collier played like a similar style to lunch where it was like mobility, very run heavy, know, not your stereotypical like drop back passer where you're going to like drop him back 38 times a game and just let him kind of take it over.
Speaker: um yeah know You talked about Davis and Perry both departing. I think both of those guys were like good last year, but definitely weren't to the level that we expect Louisiana running backs to be at. And I think a large part of that is the offensive line.
Speaker: So theoretically, let's say the offensive line is better. How much better do you anticipate lunch to play this year behind an offensive line? That's not totally like patchwork. Well, I love that you brought up Samari Collier because he actually transferred to Coastal from Louisiana.
Speaker: okay he was a third stringer um and at at Louisiana. um Look, the the thing that's special about lunch is that he is so dynamic in in the things that he can do. He's so athletic. He's so um agile. He's so smart with the football.
Speaker: um And it's one of those things where, you know, if the offensive line is stronger and gives him, you know, that extra second, right to make a decision there there's just so much danger that that he can give to the other team um whether it be with his legs or with his arm um so yeah if the offensive line is better i think it It directly improves lunch's ability and and the entire offense's ability, because, again, we know how important that extra second can can be in terms of a quarterback's decision making. That's the difference between, you know, I'm a run for three yards and step out of bounds or I'm going to fire the 30 yard pass down the middle of the field to the crossing route.
Speaker: Right. um So just just huge differences there. So I really like, like I said, the the changes that they've made in terms of the offensive line. um But again, it and I've talked about this ad nauseum with you guys, even in recent years, you got to put it together on the field first.
Speaker: we we can talk about how we We can talk about how great it looks on paper and how great it sounds. Last season was a perfect example, right? With with this team coming off of a 10-4 season. But until you put it together on the field,
Speaker: ah we we have to wait see. Yeah, and that's another reason why I'm just keeping kind of Louisiana at like an arm's length, I would say, as far as like trusting them this year.
Speaker: Zeke, go ahead. No, I mean, i concur on like the general outlook for the team, but ah Lunch Winfield, is he's just one of those guys that's so electric and so fun to watch. It's like he can he's one of those guys. like we Jalen Rayner, Colton Joseph, like those are the guys that can win you games to a degree on their own.
Speaker: um He's obviously got some room to grow as a passer. It was like touchdown interception last year. But, I mean, this is a guy who, if he had played all 12 games, is Louisiana's leading rusher last season.
Speaker: Like, quite literally. yeah so i I don't know. It's it's hard. like He gives this team like a definite floor right of four or five wins. It's the rest of the team that's got to form around um just because of how electric. and I mean, if you no one's this far into an episode if they okay ah no one's far this far into an episode if ah they don't watch the conference already.
Speaker: But if you're not watching, it's like this is one of those guys that you need to make sure you know If you're a big-name program team, you've got that list. All right, I got to check out this team at some point. you know ah It was like Boise was that wish with Ashton Janty was a little bit ah when they were doing some of that go-go offense stuff. like the the Lunch Winfield is one of those guys you have to see at some point this season.
Speaker: i I think also to support the point that like if Lunch plays a full season behind better protection with with weapons that can like actually help him out, how much better he could be. um Matt, we we dipped into like PFF ah analytics last year, and consistently, right or correct or not, Louisiana last year was a bottom two offensive line in the conference, grade-wise.
Speaker: and had a bottom three like receiving core as a team around lunch. So it was just like, yeah, if you gave him... I pick a pick average offense. If you gave him Arkansas state's offense last year, he's way better off than he, than he was. So I I'm like, I'm like, yeah, if you, if you put an average ah offensive line in front of them and have guys that can just catch some passes and get open, then we're looking at a totally different offense. But well, that ah again, I, I very hesitate to trust anybody's word coming out of Louisiana because
Speaker: it could just as easily be like, oh, well, actually the offensive line is about the same, just with different faces, and we don't have time to throw, and the receivers don't have time to even get open because the the rushers are in Lynch's face before he can, sure say, hike. um So, yeah. And then we we talked about a little bit. The running back room is very young. um So the way that Phil Steele lays out the the depth chart, you guys have...
Speaker: Daryl Smith, a redshirt freshman, is the supposed starter. we'll see We'll see if that ends up playing out. J.J. Garner, another redshirt freshman, is the backup.
Speaker: And you have a sophomore as the third stringer. The only person who's like an upperclassman is a junior transfer ah from Howard, Anthony Reagan.
Speaker: um So do you think they're going to put more on lunches plate hypothetically because of how young these running backs are? Do you think they're going to kind of be like, listen, man, we would love to do the three headed monster we did with like Elijah Mitchell and Regis and like all these other guys. But really lunch is going to be like what makes this ah offense go.
Speaker: Yeah, I mean, everything's going to revolve around lunch, um at least until you can figure out what you have in that running back, right? um It's going to take a couple of games where, you know, you are going to see a three-headed running back monster because you have to.
Speaker: um You have to figure out what each of these guys can do and what each of these guys can bring to the table um in a game situation. Because, you know, again, practice and training camp and and whatever and the game on Saturday, two completely different things.
Speaker: um So, you know, J.J. Garner might shine in practice, but if he's only averaging two yards a carry on Saturday, well, you know, you're not you're not going to see the field at time.
Speaker: um So, yeah, it's one of those things where I think that they're going to spend some time early on figuring out what's what. um And that's always the the fun part, especially when you have this this inexperienced room where you're two you're one and two are both redshirt freshmen.
Speaker: What can they bring to the table? What can they provide? But yeah, everything's going to go around lunch Winfield. And I think that that's going to be important for lunch also to take on that leadership role and to take on that. It's got to go through me role ah because it'll make him, you know, maybe pay attention. And then not again, not sitting here saying he doesn't pay attention in film, but like maybe he looks at more parts of the film than he did last year.
Speaker: Maybe he breaks it down a step further than he did last year. Takes that extra step. I think that's going to be really important for this offense's success. Something I've observed across all of football is coaches seem a lot more comfortable going to these like by committee, both receiving and rushing in that, like there was a period of time where I was, it, everyone had an RB one, even if you didn't really have one, you had a guy who's going to take those like, you know, 15 to 20 carries a game.
Speaker: Uh, but like in the conference, we, at least, you know, locally in our conference, we've been seeing, Teams are a lot more, unless you have like a Wayne Knight last year, Kentrell Bullock, um unless you have one of these guys, we're seeing a lot of coaches willing to go two back, three back.
Speaker: We're seeing in the receiver room, unless you are having a guy like ah Bo Sparks or or Ted Hirsch or Cam Brown or whatever, like they're they're spreading out. Everyone gets 40 receptions.
Speaker: um I think that's been a trend that that's been favoring a lot of these less pedigreed offenses or offenses that really lack like a true, true stud. And I think if Louisiana follows that script, it'll serve them well. They kind of did last year with Bill Davis and Zylan Perry. Those guys split snaps like pretty much equally. Yeah.
Speaker: Yeah, and that that's ah that's been a ah calling card for for this program. Going all the way back to, 2014 when you had Alonzo Harris and Elijah Maguire, um who who both spent time in NFL training camps. Yeah, the the split carry method works really well. Then you went from there, you went to Elijah Mitchell and Trey Regas. And then you went to Elijah Mitchell and Chris Smith. And then it was Chris Smith, then Zylan Perry, and you know so on and so forth. um But now, you know, and one thing that those groups all had that this group doesn't,
Speaker: was that veteran guy, right? It always worked out to where, hey, we have a redshirt junior and a freshman. Let's, you know, now you have two redshirt freshmen.
Speaker: So what's that going to look like? How is that going to be different? And in what ways do they combat that? um But again, there's talent. There's no question about that. It's just how can it all gel together on the field?
Speaker: um Because you don't have that experience factor. you You don't have that guy to put under your wing. So that's going to be the the interesting thing to see. And that's why this group is my biggest question mark for this offense.
Speaker: Yeah, so transitioning to the receiving weapons, we talked about ah this a little bit at the top, but it's it's headlined by Shelton Sampson, who led the team in catches, ah yardage, touch receiving touchdowns last year, caught more than half of Lunch Winfield's touchdown passes, caught six of them.
Speaker: And then from there, it's like, Caden Jensen, your tight end, was the fourth leading receiver with 231 yards last year. um And then Brock Chappell was like seventh with 108 yards. yeah It's just a very, ah it's like Samson, and then it's a pretty ah inexperienced, it seems, unit beneath him.
Speaker: But i always hesitate to say this, but it's almost like, ah again, like when we look at like PFF grades, right like they're not just grading like, hey, this guy didn't make a sideline catch, like F. They're like even watching you know the the route running on plays where like a pass isn't thrown and seeing, like does the guy get open? How long does it take him to get open? like Stuff like that. And they were consistently like one of the bottom units last year along with ULM and Coastal.
Speaker: So it was it was like... I'm interested to see if this is kind of addition by subtraction. Like, you lose Robert Williams and Charles Robertson from that receiving core, but I'm almost like, could it be worse than it was last year? Because it was really, really bad. So I'm like, I'm interested to see how that all plays out.
Speaker: You see, that's that's the thing. you had Like you said, you had Shelton Sampson, who at the beginning of the season had more drops than he did catches. ah Robert Williams was...
Speaker: Such a great player in this ah offense. He was just riddled by injuries, especially last year. um And then, you know, you brought up losing and Charles Robinson.
Speaker: Again, another player who had a ton of talent, but but also couldn't stay on the field. ah And so it's really interesting to see how this group's going to play out. I think the extra year for Shelton Sampson, where he has that full year under his belt, the full off season with this program will help a lot to to kind of be that veteran presence in this group. But like I said, I really like Russell Babineau, the redshirt freshman. I think he's going to have an increased role this year. Raji Dennis, kind of the same thing. Caden Jensen.
Speaker: Back at the tight end spot, I think he'll have a big year. And but so I think that this group is going to be improved. But like I said about the offensive line, just how much is going to be a wait and see because you have to have so many new faces in this group.
Speaker: get Get into the offensive line because this is really like the Achilles heel. i mean, or or what would be the Achilles heel of this year's team? Like if it doesn't work, it's going to be because, again, they couldn't block for lunch and the the running backs and all of these guys.
Speaker: I mean, we can only, ah especially with offensive line play, we can really only go off of what the experts are telling us, especially when we haven't actually seen it on the field.
Speaker: um And, you know, if you're new to the show, Phil Steele is kind of our Bible as far as this preseason stuff goes. He likes this group.
Speaker: He says this quote, this is one of the Sunbelt Conference's top O-lines. I... i I have no reason to disagree with him, but I am very cautious in hearing that. because that might say more That might say more about the state of the Sunbelts offensive line play than it does in Louisiana specifically. I know that this was a group that was really, really hit by injuries really hard last year, and I know that contributed a lot to some of their shortcomings, but it's like...
Speaker: Unless I see this team actually start for start blocking for lunch and mind you, again, a guy that's ah as electric as him is going to make you look better as an offensive line because you can let a guy through and he's still able to, to scramble out or still able to make something happen on the run.
Speaker: So as bad as it may have been, who knows it could have been worse last year. And we were just all being kind of, ah there was some sort of facade being put on by ah lunch. I'll see it when I, believe I'll believe it when I see it.
Speaker: And, you know, I, I, I feel bad every year when we go through these previews and like, that's all you can say. But with the offensive line, when you have one that was so poor last year, that was blocking for two really good rushers.
Speaker: um But by all accounts kind of underperformed what we were anticipating. Mind you, both of these guys ran for like seven 50 last year. So it's not like they underperformed and were bad. We just thought they could have been even better um and was not giving lunch anytime to throw the ball.
Speaker: I'll believe it when I see it, man. i'm veryll I'll take what you're saying, Phil Steele, and I'll keep it in my back pocket, and I'll be happy to give you your applause when you're right at the end of the year, but I am not going to take that as gospel quite yet.
Speaker: Yeah, you know, I really – I'm not going to take too long on this because I 100% agree with you, Zeke. I really like George Jackson being back as kind of like the anchor of this offensive line, but just about everywhere else is a question mark for me.
Speaker: ah But look, you know, Phil Steele knows way more about the X's and O's of football than I do. um If he says he really likes this group, I'll i'll cautiously take his word.
Speaker: um And like like we said, like we've been like the message of this podcast has been today. We'll see how it plays out in September. Yeah, run through the depth chart real quick. At left tackle, it's Zay Alexander.
Speaker: ah Two games at Louisiana over the past two years. That doesn't inspire a ton of confidence. Left guard, Caden Moreau. 11 starts last year. you know ah You talked about maybe could have won it. been Maybe wanted him to be one of the guys that was addition by subtraction. Maybe not, but we've learned through this offseason.
Speaker: ah Brian and I both really value like it starts above all as a metric for measuring offensive line play, um at least moving forward. ah You get Cooper Fordham, who started 11 games last year at center at right guards. Jace Mitchell, who did not play last year at Tulane.
Speaker: ah You also have Matthew Broussard, who had nine starts on the line at right guard ah for Louisiana last year. And then, as you mentioned, George Jackson, who 34 starts over the last hit four years. He's been just, I mean, he's been the face of that offensive line for some time now.
Speaker: um And, you know, Caden Morrow, another another name that I that I failed to mention. that That's a guy that's going to help out a lot on that opposite side. Cooper Fordham has some experience.
Speaker: um he He's been up and down so far in his collegiate career. um You talked about Jason Mitchell, the Tulane transfer. I'm interested to see what he can bring to this offensive line. And then you you said, say, Alexander, who has only two starts in in his time with Louisiana. So you've got a good mix of experience and inexperience, but is all the experience necessarily positive experience?
Speaker: Right. That's the question, yeah. not so So, okay, so let's transition to the defense. ah This was an embattled unit, I would say, last year, and I don't know if that has more to do with the level of talent versus how much time they were on the field ah because the offense couldn't do very much of anything. I mean, like, you guys' as saw offensive numbers and South Alabama's are almost, like, identical.
Speaker: as far as like what you were able to do scoring-wise, yardage-wise, all that stuff. And they were a 4-8 football team. So that wasn't like a great one-to-one comparison to have. But it's like, defensively, you allowed almost 30 points per game last year, 29.2. 187 rushing yards per game allowed. I know Rice tore you guys up playing triple option ball. That was something else to have to deal with. And then, as a pass defense...
Speaker: allowed 66.5% completion percentage. it If you had taken the quarterbacks that just played Louisiana's defense and statted it out, they would have been one of the best quarterbacks in the conference last year.
Speaker: um Statistically. So it's just like, where Where do we start with this defense, Matt? like what Who are the guys that we need to be like aware of ah to look out for? Because last season, like couldn't stop the run, couldn't stop the pass.
Speaker: And then offensively, it was like its whole other bag of issues. So like who are we to look at this year and say, oh, that's the guy? Brent Gordon.
Speaker: At the safety spot, local product, was a ah played both sides of the ball in high school, was a wide receiver and a safety, playing safety here at UL, started 10 games, I believe it was, as a true freshman last year, um and and was absolutely fantastic.
Speaker: And, um you know, take take EA College Football 27 rankings with ah with a grain of salt. But he's the highest rated player on the Cajuns for 2027. They have him as an 88 overall.
Speaker: um So he is he is a dynamic player on the back end. i really like what he did as a freshman. And obviously he had huge growth ah with with the ah with another offseason under his belt. I think he's going to be the guy to watch on that back end.
Speaker: And then I'm really excited to see what Princeton Malbru can do in the linebacker spot. He's an LSU transfer, ah spent a lot of time, didn't didn't play much at the linebacker spot for LSU just because they've had so much depth of that spot over the last couple of years, but was a big special teamer for for LSU.
Speaker: um I'm interested to see what he's going to be able to do with the opportunity to actually play some linebacker. at Louisiana, what what he can bring to the table. Again, another local kid played his high school ball at at Lafayette Christian Academy. So interested to see what what he can bring to Jim s Salgado's defense.
Speaker: But yeah, they they have to they have to be better than they were a year ago. I mean, 30 points and 190 yards on the ground per game is just it' it's just flat out unacceptable.
Speaker: ah They're going to have to be better in 2026 with the easier schedule that ah that that you talked about. Well, sadly, I think a lot of defenses are on that level from last year. i mean, when we since we've been recapping, I know we've only done like the bottom of the conference because we're kind of working our way up, but it's like, I think outside of JMU and Old Dominion, it was bleak as far defense in play.
Speaker: it was but It was bad last year. um So let me run through some of these guys who are returning, ah at least are are listed out by Phil Steele. Fitzgerald West, nose tackle, started eight games last year, had two sacks, 23 tackles. um Then you have...
Speaker: Is it Murray and Elam? Is that how you pronounce his name? Murray and Elam. yeah there's ah There's a typo. So I was like, that's a weird last name. ah He started ah six games last year, had 47 tackles, three pass breakups at the star linebacker position. ah So we'll we'll see. I don't know if this is correct or not, Matt, but he Phil Steele has Brent Gordon listed as the starting corner for this team. So...
Speaker: that that's the That's the fun thing with with Brent Gordon as well. He can play both spots. um if If you need him at corner, he can fill in at corner. If you need him at safety, he can play safety. um So i don't I don't know that he has a set position. i think I think he just plays football.
Speaker: um they're they're gonna They're going to put him wherever they need him at at the time, and he he's going to excel either way. That's fun. Um, ah ah outside of that, you kind of listed everybody that, I mean, it's a, you it's an, a defense that didn't get a, even a ton of experience last year. Like even when you go through and look, it's like, okay, Lance Williams, your defensive end, uh, had seven tackles and appeared in all 13 games.
Speaker: I mean, it's just stuff like that where it's like, okay, even the guys that are returning, that aren't so weren't starters last year have like very little production to speak of. So it it'll be interesting to see if those guys took, take like another step or if it's just unfortunately more of the same as it was last year where it's like, we just can't do anything. Right. yeah and And that's, and and that's the, that's the huge question is that there are so many question marks on this defense because of like you just said, there is no really returning production other than, other than a couple of players.
Speaker: ah So tons of question marks on this defense. I think it's going to be a ah year where the offense is going to have to score 30 plus points a game if they're if they're going to have a shot to to be successful in the Sunbelt Conference. Again, I hope I'm wrong.
Speaker: I hope this defense surprises me. I would be i would be thrilled about that. But I think it's one of those situations where, you know like I said, the offense is going to have to produce way more if they want to have a shot.
Speaker: And then one last guy to shout out here, ah Jake St. Andre, a senior ah listed as the starter at middle linebacker, ah had four starts last year, appeared in 13 games, and had 50 tackles. So was one of the, I mean, one of the, what, top seven ah tacklers for this defense last year? So, well I mean, they they're probably asking a lot out of him and and Gordon to kind of bring this unit together and and play together, which is was struggle last year.
Speaker: Yeah, Jake St. Andre is a really good player. Like you said, 50 tackles last year. just Just a go-getter. Started his career as a walk-on. Eventually earned his his way to a a full scholarship. Just a a phenomenal kid, phenomenal football player. And he's going to be a great leader in that middle linebacker spot, along with Brent Gordon, who's obviously taking a big step forward and filling a huge role for this defensive secondary.
Speaker: Is this going to be from a tackle perspective? And you've both heard me heard my tackle takes plenty of times. But last year, Jaden Duggar, 125, Terrence Williams, 95. Is that just going to be Gordon and St. Andre this year? Yes.
Speaker: Yes. That was easy. but Yeah. I mean, and now, will will we 125? Maybe not. but but could those two guys respectfully have you know one oh five and eighty five
Speaker: Okay, cool, cool, cool. um And then let's go ahead and talk about the schedule, which again, I think is incredibly favorable when you look at it. I mean, this if if you had given, i feel like we say this every episode, if you had given this schedule to like an average team in the East, this would be like an 8-9 win team.
Speaker: team like just the way that it's laid out. It's like you start off with Lamar, ah who is what an FCS team, correct? Yes. ah So you play them in the opener. That should be an easy one.
Speaker: USC week two, you're going to take your pounding. Everybody, everybody plays these money games where it's like, yeah you You just get paid to show up. Sounds like UofL needs the payday, so you know you kind of take your licks and and move on. Southern did the exact same thing with USC last year. the California sunshine.
Speaker: enjoy the enjoy the california sunshine Take your Yeah, Jordan Myvia on the other side is no joke. So good luck with that. ah Week three, you play UAB team who – there's another team that plays UAB in the conference this year. UAB – I think it's South Alabama maybe. UAB has been terrible for the last couple years under Trent Dilfer.
Speaker: I know they're handing it off to Mortensen who was elevated from ah interim. I still have serious doubts they're going to be able to feel like a a decent team with one-year turnaround. Like, Dilfer did nothing for them for like three, four years. Which is so surprising to me. and I know that sometimes the the NFL guys that become coaches doesn't always work out.
Speaker: ah But, man, I really had high hopes for for Trent Dilfer. I really thought that he would pan out after a couple of years, and it just never did. well i note about He was a high school coach. I mean, they galaxy-brained that hire. He just jumped up in competition level without hitting any of the normal steps like a coach hits on the way.
Speaker: So it's ah in consecutive weeks, actually, for UAB, they host ULM and then travel to Louisiana. Oh, that was what it was. like um And then you get September 26th at Charlotte. Charlotte's not a good football team. I'm sorry. like ah They were 1-11 last year.
Speaker: Right. We talked about it with Aikman on the the App State episode. like They just weren't good. there's There's no way to slice it. like Maybe they'll be better moving forward, but I don't i don't see So on on paper, we're we're at Yeah.
Speaker: yeah yeah Four weeks into the season. Yeah. ah The next week, October 3rd. Dang, y'all's bye is insanely late. It's Halloween. It's the bye week. I'm not bad about it.
Speaker: Well, we we'll see. you well ri already see a true we might mind bad about it you might be you already had injury attrition last year. Don't count our chickens for the hatch.
Speaker: October 3rd, Arkansas State, another West team that's rebooting. You don't have to face Jalen Rayner. You don't have to face Jaquez Cross. You don't have to face Corey Rucker, who were who were the three stars of that that literally kept that team. They're all gone.
Speaker: Yeah, cross Cross got hurt early, so it didn't really matter. But Rainer and Brooker literally anchored that team. ah so And Zeke already doesn't believe in Butch Jones. I just remember the pre-Rainer-Butch Jones quarterbacks, like James Blackman and JT Shrout and those guys. And I'm like...
Speaker: We know Z Kate's Butch Jones for whatever reason. No, i i I'm salivating for Arkansas State because we're going an Arkansas State person on, and I get to hear someone confirm everything I've been saying as long as we've been doing this. It's a sickness. It's going to feel so good.
Speaker: It's a disease, Zeke. You can get help. He just needs someone to pat him on the back and go, you know what? You're right about all of this Arkansas State stuff. That's all he needs to hear. He just needs validation. Hey, Texas State's going to the playoff.
Speaker: ah Texas State's going undefeated. They might lose two games. ah October 10th. That was a real callback for anybody that anybody that is just tuning in is probably like, what are y'all talking about? ah Matt, you you might have better insight. We have not had good luck trying to get a Louisiana Tech person on to come talk to us.
Speaker: Oh, I got you. Well, okay, great. Hook us up because we we desperately need somebody to talk about this team. We have not watched them. We did not watch KUSA last year. well you i couldn't unless you were pumping gas.
Speaker: yeah Next up on Gas Station TV, it's Louisiana Tech and UTSA. like Sick! Oh, no, I stopped pumping the TV cutoff. oh but Okay, so what it what is their overall like outlook for the season? Because we truly have no idea. like we We haven't dove into it yet. We have no historical context to go off of. like what are they Their win total is like five and a half, which is like ah with a bunch of other teams like right in the middle of the Sun Belt. Are they going to be good, you think, or are they going to be just kind of average, like whatever?
Speaker: i don't know, and I don't care.
Speaker: I can't stand Louisiana Tech. I hate Louisiana Tech with every fiber of my being. I'm so glad that they're in the Sun Belt so that we can whoop on them every single season. Don't care.
Speaker: right But I can get you somebody to talk about them Yeah, great. got be awesome please That'd be awesome. ah October 17th, this is, again, the second hardest team you play all year in Troy. ah ah I'm going to go ahead and put that down as an L for Louisiana. yeah I think Troy troy has a...
Speaker: ah solid um A solid quarterback situation. It was better than it was two years ago. I mean, both of those guys are still here, but they've both improved in that time. ah They were pretty good last year as a unit, especially Goose, ah who was who was really gutting out some games at the end of the season, especially like the the conference championship game. He was taking a beating against JMU. ah Southern Miss, October 24th, another team that's totally rebooting.
Speaker: New head coach, new everything except running back room, which I was like, you brought the running back room back? like They were bad last year. yeah but like blake Blake Anderson has our number.
Speaker: there was a there was a stretch There was a stretch of seven years when he was at Arkansas State where the the record between us and Arkansas State was like four and three. Like every other year, you you were just trading wins. um So that that that Southern Miss r automatically scares me because they have Blake Anderson.
Speaker: there's There's also a chance, though, that this isn't the Blake Anderson that you remember. True. that true That's very true. He coached, what, Utah State? Utah State. Yeah. they lot A lot has happened since Arkansas State was good. You're very right about that. Well, it was just like they weren't good, like even toward the end of his tenure. Like I know he got fired for the off-the-field stuff, but like they also weren't a good football team like at the end. So, ah you know, there's a chance that – not only are they rebooting the entire team, but also he's not the level of coach that he was, like, say, back in 2016 or whatever. um
Speaker: Okay, so then you finally get your desperately needed by the week of Halloween. Maybe guys can go trick-or-treating, like, while they have the little one-legged scooter, like, roller things, like, when you when you have to cock your leg up. Could you imagine? Maybe they'll have one of those. Yeah.
Speaker: Oh my God. Could you imagine having a pirate? No, just just do a team like trunk or treat at the, at the stadium where, where everybody just hobbles around from car to car.
Speaker: Yeah, they all they're all in like traction, like ah extras on SpongeBob. They're like, my leg! It's just like, my leg! Full body cast. um All right, so November 7th, you come back in again. You play South Alabama, who was not good at all last year, bringing back a lot of the same players outside of their best offensive player in the at the running back spot. um So that's going to be interesting. That's homecoming for y'all. November 12th, you play you at ULM on a Thursday. ULM is probably closer to firing Brian Vincent than they are keeping him around for another season, especially with Aiden Armenta back again. And they have nobody to blame but themselves.
Speaker: Guys, it is 2026. What D1 head football coach is also the athletic director? Well, he's not anymore.
Speaker: understand. Didn't they hire one? They hired SJ Tui, if you've ever seen The Blind Side. They hired the son. but But my point is is that they have ruined Brian Vincent as a coach because they made him be the AD for a year.
Speaker: You don't think he can rebound from that? Oh, God, I don't know I mean, maybe, but I don't know that he'll ever be the same. And also, you never know when you bring a new AD in or they they have the old coach on the chopping block. Like, do they want their guy there?
Speaker: Correct. um No. that when when When they go 5-7, 4-8 again, Bryant Vincent's going to be the scapegoat, and it's not even his fault. Hmm. 5-7.
Speaker: That's a i mean, I know that's generous. That's a lot of But you you you know what I'm saying. when when they're bad enough When they're bad enough to fire their coach, it won't even be his fault. Right.
Speaker: Yeah. they that That and the hard-headedness with Aiden Armenta are the two things that I don't... It just seems like, again, we we hit on this a lot during our ULM episode, but it just they're doing the same thing over and over and over again and expecting it to go differently. And that's what I don't really get. What?
Speaker: Right. ah Okay, and then your last two games are Coastal Carolina with a new head coach. ah They were average last year. No Samari Collier. i I think his eligibility, he's like been protesting with the NCAA, but with the new rules, they keep passing about like five years max. like he's probably He's probably done. They already have somebody else ready to go, ah presumably a quarterback, but that's a new coach that's starting over.
Speaker: um Bobby Petrino's son-in-law. we'll We'll see how that all goes ah in Conway. And then in the finale, you get Zeke's ah Panthers, who, ah again, Del McGee might have been out of the state for a month and a half by the time that game rolls around. I give you good odds that that's a Hugh Jackson coach Georgia State team ah you know in the final week of the season.
Speaker: rap oh I don't think he's going to last until the end of the season. No, I'm saying, yeah, that's that's a Hugh Jackson coach team right there. Yeah, Hugh Jackson. Oh, God. Shout out to Hugh Jackson, baby. Well, look, he's the most logical interim on on paper.
Speaker: This team should be. And, you know, when you when you factor everything in, when you factor in the roster, you factor in the schedule. This team should be nine and three. Yeah. Yeah.
Speaker: they'll be 7-5. that's That's where I landed. And that's and that and and that might be a tad generous.
Speaker: I think 7-5. I can't give them the benefit of the doubt like with what they did last year. they're they're They're going to lose a game or two where you're going to sit there as the clock hits zero and go, what the hell just happened?
Speaker: Right. how how did they will How did South Alabama run for 200 yards correct today? One of those where it's like, wreck I just don't get it. Yeah, i fully I fully foresee losing one of these like South Alabama, Arkansas State like type. It's like they are better on paper, but it doesn't add up.
Speaker: How did Bishop Davenport throw for 275 and three touchdowns? Well, he's not throwing for 200 yards in a game, man. That's not how it works. Who would who who would he do it against? Yeah, that's true. No, there the wait the way that you guys' defense lines up, he would pad that completion percentage, but it would would end up with like 187 yards one Carlos Del Rio Wilson special.
Speaker: Some folks... i A tangent aside, or rather this is a tangent, folks are having him as like all-conference first team. Athlon just review ah announced their… That's nuts. Is it not Lund? He's on the name team. He's on the name team.
Speaker: He got benched at the end of last year for Zion Turner. In the Southern game at the last game of the season, both Southern and ah Marshall were 5-6. Both teams needed to win to make a bowl game. and The other team was getting eliminated going home for the year.
Speaker: Southern had been getting just walloped by every good team. And I i came on the pod and I was like... marshall's gonna cut through us like a hot knife through butter our team has already like thrown in the towel marshall quit harder than southern did del rio wilson wouldn't throw the ball further than five yards down the field and what he did it was like ugly so i'm just like yeah i don't know that you guys watched the same marshall games that like we saw last year All right so this just came out. It was the Athlon Sports all preseason for the conference.
Speaker: I'll just run you through the quarterbacks. First team is Carlos Del Rio Wilson. Second team is Goose Crowder. I'd probably have Goose at first team. Third is lunch. You get lunch at third.
Speaker: And then fourth team, Max Johnson, who's not going to make it through the whole season. No. I i agree with Brian. I would have put Goose Crowder first. I'd put Lunch Wilson, Lunch Winfield second. I'd put Del Rio Wilson third.
Speaker: And then, yeah, I mean, you could leave Max Johnson fourth team.
Speaker: that's why my home my My only gripe with that at all would be, is Goose going to stay healthy? yeah That has always been the question with him. Is like sure is he going to take a dumb hit?
Speaker: Is he going to be rolling to his right, try to throw to a guy on the sideline, and just get absolutely smashed and like break a rib? Is that what's going to happen at some point? that's always been Or separate shoulder or whatever else. Yeah.
Speaker: for sure yeah Is he going to stay healthy has always been the question. It's not really, is he good enough? Like, yeah, in a down year where everybody that had good quarterbacks last year is rebooting those teams.
Speaker: Yeah, he's he's good enough to be first team. But yeah, I don't, i unless there's doing something totally different with Del Rio Wilson, like, I don't know. i don't see it. We watched the games last year. It was it was not good. Yeah, um i'm not a I'm not a fan. I don't agree with that list at all.
Speaker: Yeah. But we'll see. All right. So as we wrap up here, Matt, do you want to let people know where they can find you on socials? And then we'll throw it to Zeke and then to me, and then we'll get out.
Speaker: You can always find me at social on social media at Miguez Matt.
Speaker: And that was it. That was beautiful. That's all there is to it. Sure, speak to the point. At Zeke Palermo, Z-E-K-E-P-A-L-E-R-M-O. As always, you can find the show on X, TikTok at Warm Weather Fans. You can find me on X at WatchTheStone. We will be back next week for a new round of Sunbelt team previews. This has been Warm Weather Fans.
