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2025 Sun Belt Football Previews: Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
68 Plays2 months ago
Brian, Zeke, and Matt are back with their final Sun Belt preview for 2025, with Matt's Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns as the focus. Offensively, how will the team change under new QB Walker Howard?
Will the Cajuns be able to avenge last season's conference title game loss? Find out those answers and more on this episode of Warm Weather Fans!
Email questions to the show at warmweatherfans@gmail.com!
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Transcript
Introduction to Warm Weather Fans
00:00:15
Speaker
Welcome everybody into another edition of Warm Weather Fans, the Sunbelt Podcast. My name is Brian Stone, joined this week again by Matt Miguez and Zeke Palermo to talk about Matt's Louisiana Raging Cajuns, specifically Matt, I'm going throw it to you first.
Tyler Shuck's Performance Review
00:00:31
Speaker
How's it going? ah First off, Saints look like they're in midseason form already with Tyler Shuck.
00:00:37
Speaker
ah So I guess you're glad you've got the Cajuns as favorites this season. Don't you even start Shuck looked pretty good today. ah he he made He made one really bad decision um that that you know kind of cost them seven points.
00:00:54
Speaker
But ah ah other than that, I thought he was efficient. I thought he took care of the football and made some really strong decisions. It's week one of the preseason. I'm not here to to to make season-long judgments after after one preseason game where you were missing multiple starters on your offense.
00:01:11
Speaker
um So, you know, Week two in the regular season, if they still look like crap, you know, then then we can have a conversation. But, you know, one one bad preseason game, I'm not um not going to say anything.
Louisiana Raging Cajuns Season Outlook
00:01:25
Speaker
But, yes, going back to the Cajuns, i there is a lot of hope and a lot of promise in Lafayette about what the Cajuns are going to be able to do this season ah coming off of a 10-4 season and an appearance in the Sunbelt Conference Championship game. So excited to get into it.
00:01:41
Speaker
And Zeke, throwing it over to you, how's it going? It's going pretty good. where ah High school football is about to start where I am. First games of this this upcoming Friday.
00:01:52
Speaker
As everyone listens to it this episode, it will be this upcoming Friday as well. So pretty pumped for that. um that That starts a really busy fall for me with a lot of unfree weekends, but I'm looking forward to it.
Podcast Schedule Overview
00:02:06
Speaker
Also, really quick before we jump into the Cajuns, just a programming note. We do realize that we're doing our last two previews, oh and there is a week before the season begins.
00:02:19
Speaker
So the idea this week we're doing Louisiana and Marshall, and then next week the interview that I did with Phil Steele will come out on the 19th. team Uh, and then that Friday we will put together and do our all names team episode, uh, to, to give you two episodes of that week.
00:02:40
Speaker
And then the week after we'll just have the one where we preview week one, and then we'll kind of have a normal, release schedule from there. But Matt, let's start off with
Recap of Raging Cajuns' Previous Season
00:02:50
Speaker
your Cajuns. So let's do a little bit of a recap of last year.
00:02:54
Speaker
ah very good season in the West. Um, with, uh, what was it 10 and two now i know the way that you guys went out in the in the sunbelt title game was about as unideal as it gets i mean to have your first string quarterback already hurt with a collarbone injury and have your backup come in and then immediately basically get hurt. And basically the game is over at that point. And you're just, you're just sitting there watching your team basically get bled out for four quarters.
00:03:31
Speaker
It's not fun. I, I totally recognize that. Uh, I will say tease for the field, Phil steel episode. Uh, he was very high on the Cajuns this year, uh, and, and has a pretty high expectations for them. so What is the overall sentiment from last season after we now have wrapped that up and and heading into 25th?
00:03:54
Speaker
It was a really strong season that ended the worst way imaginable. um you know You start out 2-0 in two games that you should have won right against Grambling and on the road at Kennesaw.
00:04:08
Speaker
And then you welcome Tulane on a day where, I'm going to be honest with you, I've lived in Louisiana my whole life. That might have been the hottest day I've ever experienced. It was 125, 130 down on the turf.
00:04:22
Speaker
It was absolutely brutal. And the Cajuns fought hard. They fell eight points short of the green wave. And from that game, they ripped off six straight wins, including one on the road at Wake Forest.
00:04:34
Speaker
And then you drop a really close heartbreaker to South Al, finish off strong, beating Troy and ULM before you know getting your face crushed by Marshall and TCU in the title game and the bowl game, respectively.
00:04:47
Speaker
ah But look, you know you talked about the injury to to Ben Wooldridge, who's going to be the next starting quarterback for the for the New England Patriots. had ah Had a really strong showing in the ah in the in the preseason game the other night.
00:04:59
Speaker
um Shout out shout out to ben seventeen we used to call him Ben 10 and laugh yet, but you know, uh, anyways, you can't, yeah, New England, but go ahead. No. Yeah. Kind of ah and kind of a no, no.
00:05:09
Speaker
But anyways, like I said, uh, a really strong season that, that, like you said, ah it ended really poorly. They've got a lot of critical pieces from that team returning.
00:05:20
Speaker
Um, I know there's only three starters back on offense, uh, But you you got to have a lot of guys last year that got experience that are going to be starting this year. um So I really like where they're at. I like the expectations
Phil Steele's Expectations and Team's Favorable Outlook
00:05:32
Speaker
that are set.
00:05:32
Speaker
Their schedule is really favorable. We'll dive into that a little bit deeper um as as we get through it. But yeah, i agree with Phil. I think the expectations should be sky high for this team. Yeah, I mean, you know, we've we've talked about it on previous episodes, but Zeke, their their win total, stepping on it, I guess, heading into 2025 is tied with a bunch of other teams that are really high up at seven and a half.
00:05:57
Speaker
Yeah. Also, I forgot to tell you guys this. We got a comment from a South Alabama fan that said, stop calling them South Al. Nobody calls them that. so Everyone calls them that. um'm I'm just saying they were like, nobody in Mobile calls them that.
00:06:11
Speaker
So um I'm just relaying the message. Don't kill the messenger. um Zeke, what was your overall kind of sentiment as last season wrapped up and then you know what you kind of expect high level coming into this season?
00:06:25
Speaker
for Yeah. I mean, the quarterback injuries obviously soured the end of the season, as Matt said, and that leaves a really bad taste in your mouth, uh, from an outside perspective throughout the entire off season, because your lasting impression of the team is not, um, the impressive wins that they had.
00:06:45
Speaker
It wasn't the stomping of Arkansas state or the stomping of Troy that stands out. It's how flat out embarrassed they got by Marshall and TCU. Um, and that is ultimately unfair to the team as a whole because, you know, that, that wasn't fully representative of their season, but that's for the taste that we've been left with, uh, throughout the off season.
00:07:07
Speaker
Uh, it was good to see DeSormo. I would say, I mean, I wouldn't say this. It was for fact, his most successful season, uh, since taking over for Billy Napier,
00:07:18
Speaker
and It was the first time since Napier's departure that we saw the Cajuns really look like the Cajuns that they were in like the early 20s, leading into the early 20 teens.
00:07:32
Speaker
um So I think there's a lot to be optimistic about, like Matt said. I know we like to dunk on Matt a lot for being a homer, but he ah he's got reason to be optimistic. there There are a lot of critical missing pieces, quarterback, wide receiver, defensively, a lot of really critical positions that are missing, but they filled the gaps or late last season we saw guys um begin to fill those gaps really, really well.
00:07:59
Speaker
And I think Louisiana stands in the preseason as ah as the favorite in the West.
Team's Position and Expectations in the Conference
00:08:07
Speaker
Absolutely. I don't think there's any anybody disputing that. I mean, it seems to be like a clear cut Louisiana is up here and then it's kind of like, where does everybody else fall on the spectrum of the West?
00:08:19
Speaker
And so, you know, it really does kind of put the emphasis on Louisiana to go out and kind of do basically the same thing they did last year, which is, you know, run through most of the conference, if not all of it, and just kind of Again, hope hope all your quarterbacks or you know the the playable quarterbacks are healthy heading into the presumed conference title game.
00:08:42
Speaker
So Matt, um talk to me a little bit about Walker Howard. He transfers in, having played at Ole Miss and LSU very, very, very sparingly behind guys like Jackson Dart.
00:08:56
Speaker
What are your kind of expectations? No, never mind. Let me rephrase that question. Not what are your expectations. What are realistic expectations for Walker Howard this season?
Walker Howard's Transfer and Quarterback Depth
00:09:07
Speaker
So, ah you know, that's that's a really interesting question because...
00:09:11
Speaker
You know, being a local kid was a was a highly touted recruit out of high squad of St. Thomas Moore, went to LSU, followed the same route as his dad, which a fun fact, in case you didn't know this, his father holds the SEC record for most interceptions in a game.
00:09:31
Speaker
but He threw six against Auburn in the ninety s So, ah you know, fun fun fact there. But anyways, Walker goes to LSU, sits behind, you know, some great quarterbacks and Jane Daniels and Garrett Nussmeyer never really sees the field and, you know, decided to to transfer to Ole Miss where, you know, he was presented or it was believed that he was presented the opportunity to compete for the job with Jackson Dart.
00:10:02
Speaker
And, you know, that never really came to fruition. Jackson Dart started for the next two seasons and Walker just kind of sat around, waited his turn that never came. um And so again, back to the transfer portal, looking for an opportunity and decides to come back to Lafayette.
00:10:21
Speaker
And, you know, I've heard from multiple people in large part because of the fact that he was homesick. um You know, he he enjoyed his time in Oxford and Baton Rouge, but it wasn't it wasn't home.
00:10:33
Speaker
He wasn't five minutes away from his parents or, you know, whatever it might be. ah He wanted to come back home. And so he he wanted to come back home. He found a good opportunity here with the Cajuns.
00:10:45
Speaker
Realistic expectations on the field in year one. I just want him to... You know, how do I want to put this? Be comfortable, right?
00:10:57
Speaker
um This is the first time the he is going to start every game of a college football season. I want him to get comfortable being that guy, right?
00:11:09
Speaker
um You know, if he can if he can throw for 2,500 yards and 20-something touchdowns in the process, fantastic. um But look, get comfortable, um lead this team the the right way.
00:11:24
Speaker
And you know if that happens with the skill players that he has in the offensive line that he's going to have protecting him, I think good things can happen for this Cajun's offense. So I have a quick question, Matt, just to follow up.
00:11:39
Speaker
I have done no high school scouting on Walker Howard. I have not watched any of his, what was it, two starts at Ole Miss last year or two games he had participated in at Ole Miss.
00:11:52
Speaker
Does he profile as more of a ah dual threat guy or is he just strictly kind of a pocket passer? No, he's a dual threat guy. Okay. he's He's got a rocket of an arm, and he's athletic enough to to break away from the pocket and take off with his feet if he needs to.
00:12:10
Speaker
um Again, highly touted out of out of high school, had offers to to Notre Dame, LSU, ah several high-profile programs.
00:12:21
Speaker
ah before ultimately deciding to follow in his dad's footsteps and go to LSU. ah But no, he does both really well. His arm strength is his you know calling card.
00:12:33
Speaker
um That is his his forte, but he does have the athletic ability to break away if need
00:12:41
Speaker
So before I, Zeke, I do have a question for you that doesn't directly relate to Walker Howard. But before we transition away from the quarterbacks, Matt, it is interesting to me that two of the quarterbacks on this roster are apparently the founder of OpenAI, i Sam Altman.
00:12:58
Speaker
So that's good. you got You got some real financial boosting backing there. also with a set guy And then a guy named Lunch Winfield. Yeah, DeWanya. Yeah.
00:13:10
Speaker
who sounds like a goon in Batman. um So you got a lot of interesting names behind Walker Howard ah and in the quarterback spot.
00:13:22
Speaker
Yeah, don't forget about Daniel Beal. Don't forget about Daniel Beal. I'd like to forget about Daniel Beal. I saw the Sunbelt title game. i I'd rather just forget him.
00:13:33
Speaker
He was a true freshman. Let's settle down. Dude, he was bad. He was actively bad. Let's settle down. Let's settle down. Why? He's not starting. He's on the bench for a reason.
00:13:46
Speaker
Yeah, but he's going to be the backup. He's the second strength. Okay. Okay. I mean, that's a big deal. Have you seen how many quarterback injuries this team has had over the last couple of years?
00:13:58
Speaker
Yeah, but who's to say that someone doesn't land on his collarbone and then you're you're starting a guy named Lunch? but well And and why are we why are we knocking lunch? Lunch is fantastic. Best meal of the day.
00:14:10
Speaker
second Because he couldn't beat Daniel Beal out for the backup job. Well, there was there were some off-the-field issues last year. there were there were some there were there were There were some issues off the field.
00:14:21
Speaker
But anyways. This is going way deeper than I ever thought it would. I was just making a on the names. Don't do that, though. but lunch Lunch got to eat. He should be a lineman.
00:14:32
Speaker
He should be a lineman. He's not big enough to a lineman. I know he's not, but he should be. Let's move on. All right. So, Zeke, I want to ask you this. So you've got Zylan Perry coming back as the the main running back, who I expect, Matt, you nod yet nod your head yes or no. He's going split time with Bill Davis at running back.
00:14:56
Speaker
Okay. um Zeke, do you think from a coaching perspective, considering that Walker Howard has played very little college football, that it would be smarter to do kind of what Matt said and and limit the amount of kind of attempts that Howard has, get him kind of ingratiated among the the team, you know, on the field, and then also as a college football player and really just run the heck out of the football with Bill Davis and and Silent Perry?
00:15:25
Speaker
You'd hope so. um Matt, I don't know the offensive coordinator situation, but over the past two years, Louisiana's passed the ball about 65% of the time over the past two seasons.
00:15:38
Speaker
So i you'd be hard-pressed to imagine that that shifts – really too much, you know, dipping below 60 even feels like it would be a stretch. Just looking looking at the trend of ah this regime and even under Billy Napier, this was a ah very pass heavy team split wise.
00:15:56
Speaker
So I think Walker Howard walks into a really good situation with two, like those are two starting caliber running backs and Bill Davis and Zylan Perry, both were exceptional, um both incredibly efficient.
00:16:11
Speaker
ah You've got Draylon. No, is Draylon Washington is not back? Is he, Matt? I was going to say, because that was a third guy that last year was really, really impressive as well. um But you've got two guys there in Perry and Davis who can take just so much pressure off Neither do a ton in the receiving game, as I recall.
00:16:31
Speaker
i As I recall, Louisiana doesn't really lean on those guys a lot. And so, you know, it would be interesting to see what they'll offer Howard in terms of checkdowns or protections in that sense. But this this is a really good situation skill-wise for a guy who, despite the pedigree and despite having played at bigger, more prestigious schools, is really only now getting his feet wet.
00:16:58
Speaker
Perry did have, I mean, according to Phil Steele, you know, sometimes the ah numbers are a little off. Perry did have 423 yards receiving last year.
Strengths of the Receiving Core
00:17:07
Speaker
So if Walker Howard, that's what it says. It says 423 rec last year.
00:17:14
Speaker
um i That could be wrong. Again, I'm just citing his numbers. that's not right at all. Yeah, i I was like, the more I was saying it, I was like, that doesn't seem right. It's all right. It's a big book. he had...
00:17:27
Speaker
46. Okay. okay Yeah, that's a long way from 423. ah All right, so Matt, I'm throwing it to you. Talk to me about this kind of new receiving core.
00:17:38
Speaker
Who do you kind of expect to step up? And I mean, in years past, it's kind of been receiver by committee, including at the tight end spot. It's just been ah collection of guys, and it might be one guy's day on one Saturday, and then the next Saturday, that guy has two catches for 21 yards, and it's somebody else's day.
00:17:58
Speaker
So kind of talk to me about the receiving core and how that kind of looks this year. Yeah, I mean, I'll start with Robert Williams. He's the he he's the best returner um from last year. Had 26 catches for 290 yards a year ago. Really dynamic playmaker.
00:18:14
Speaker
He's going to get the opportunity to put that on full display this year as the number one receiver. ah Jaden Johnson is a talented ah junior as well, 6'2", about 230 pounds.
00:18:26
Speaker
ah Again, another just dynamic receiver. guy that that can really do whatever you ask him to do, right? um You send him on a deep route, he'll be able to make a play intermediate across the middle of the field.
00:18:39
Speaker
He's got the body to to really haul in those tough catches. um ah But I think the guy that a lot of people are really excited about is Shelton Sampson. Had a great high school career at Catholic of Baton Rouge, went to LSU, and was just kind of buried under an insane depth chart of receivers.
00:18:57
Speaker
um at LSU never really saw the field and you know similar to Walker Howard just looking for the opportunity to play ah came an hour west down down I tend to Lafayette and at 6 4 190 he's he's gonna be an elite playmaker in this offense.
00:19:14
Speaker
um So again, ah in terms of returning production, there's not a lot there, right? You lost a ton ah with Lance LeJean, Terrence Carter, Harvey Broussard. but But you really have a dynamic ah group of wide receivers that can do a lot of different things. And then at tight end, I'm really happy about Caden Jensen.
00:19:32
Speaker
Only a sophomore had 19 catches a year ago and two touchdowns. he's going to be a guy that ah that they rely on because you know contrary to belief um ah over the last couple years, Louisiana does like to get the tight ends involved.
00:19:48
Speaker
um they are that that They like to call themselves tight friends you. I'm not sure. They need to work on the branding. for yeah i mean What does that mean?
00:20:01
Speaker
and and Instead of tight ends, tight friends. I'm what's the joke there's no joke that's just what they say I don't I don't know man I'm not in that building every day I don't know um but no skill skill player wise you know tying in the running backs as well with Bill Davis and uh and Zion Perry I really like this group for a uh for a new starter and Walker Howard I agree with you about getting Carter involved last year.
00:20:33
Speaker
i think among the Sunbelt tight ends, he was the most involved in the passing game. 48 catches, 689 yards. Yeah, I mean, we've done a lot of these previews up to this point.
00:20:45
Speaker
There aren't many guys that had over 300, 400 yards. I mean, i like when we were doing the the Georgia Southern preview, I was like, oh, Tyler Fromm was involved in the offense. He didn't even get to 300 yards last year.
00:20:56
Speaker
like it was It was really kind of like interesting to see that Louisiana is the only one that utilizes the tight end spot. Zeke, we we were poking a little bit of fun in our Texas State episode about how short their receiving core is.
00:21:10
Speaker
Mm-hmm. Louisiana is the exact opposite. I mean, their three receiver sets on on paper are 6'2", 6'2", 6'4", with a 6'6", tight end.
00:21:22
Speaker
That's got to be huge for them, like literally, for Walker Howard to have these big body targets that he knows he can throw it to. Yeah, it's just like with the running backs. This is a good situation ah for a guy getting his feet wet because – ah With shorter receivers, you're forced into certain parts of the field.
00:21:42
Speaker
ah But with guys that are 6'4", in the case of Jensen, who's 6'6", that's basketball height. um And as Matt said, this guy's biggest asset right now is his arm strength.
00:21:55
Speaker
If you get in trouble... We're not going to tell you to chuck it, but you have a better chance of chucking it and finding a guy than a team that's got six foot tall receivers. Right.
00:22:06
Speaker
So in the world where he gets caught out of the play or structure breaks apart, I think that's a really, really big asset that also brings a really important part of the ball game. That being, uh, you get a lot of blocking out of those guys that are so big.
00:22:22
Speaker
Jaden Johnson is two 27. Uh, I mean that that's darn near, uh, tight end signs. Like you're, you're, that's a fringy tight end type weight. Uh, and so with that, that further allows your running back to succeed.
00:22:36
Speaker
That allows you to run some tight stuff and get an extra blocker in for Howard. Um, and so, Again, i i feel like the theme I keep coming back to is just like Walker Howard has a crew around him that is inexperienced to some degree, especially as we look at the returning starters and those numbers.
00:22:55
Speaker
um But from a skilled position, you're in a really good spot. One other receiver that I want to throw in before we move on, look out for Raji Dennis. He's a red shirt freshman, 5'11", 175 pounds, went to Edna Carr High School in New Orleans, multiple time track and field champion in the state of Louisiana.
00:23:18
Speaker
ah His senior year of high school, he was the fastest athlete in the state of Louisiana. He has insane speed. So look look for him to but to maybe get some gadget plays in as a redshirt freshman this year and really just be a menace once once he gets the football out on the flat.
00:23:39
Speaker
And to your point earlier, Brian, Terrence Carter led the Sun Belt in tight end receiving yards last year by over 100. Yeah, I mean, it it was he he was, like I said, the most involved. I mean, he was getting targets down the field, Matt. I know I bring this up all the time, but the one that really sticks in my mind was the th throw that Woldridge made to him to beat basically beat Coastal Carolina. oh yeah They iced it. He was i mean he was down 30, 40 yards down the field, and Woldridge got to him in the air. So, I mean, there weren't a lot of teams that were utilizing the tight end in that way as like kind of a –
00:24:14
Speaker
a vertical scene type threat. So, yeah, I mean, this is the team to go to. If you're Caden Jensen and you're you're wanting to get involved in the passing game, hell yeah, pull up to Louisiana.
00:24:26
Speaker
um So, Matt, going to the offensive line, you guys get two starters back, ah a right guard in Jax Harrington, who was fourth team Sunbelt last year, and the right tackle, George Jackson, who started 12 games last year.
Offensive Line Experience and Development
00:24:43
Speaker
What's your comfort level with replacing three pieces of the offensive line, including left tackle, ah you know, the center played in six games, but wasn't like a full-time guy.
00:24:55
Speaker
and then, you know, Bryant Williams at left tackle made three starts. What's your kind of comfort level with the rest of the line? So career starts wise, obviously that number drops a lot when you lose guys like AJ Gilley and Landon Burton and and even King McGowan. But,
00:25:11
Speaker
like like i talked about earlier the though billy napier kind of started this and michael desremo has and has continued it everybody plays um and so when it comes time for your number to get called for for 12 games a year you're you're not completely oblivious to to to what's going on right um so all of these guys have seen time cooper fordham as a redshirt sophomore has some starts under his belt he talked about jacks harrington had a really good year last year ah George Jackson as well.
00:25:41
Speaker
You bring in Caden Morrow who had three starts um a year ago as well at 6'4", 294. 294 is the second smallest guy on the offensive line, by the way, um behind your center who is at 286.
00:25:56
Speaker
You've got a right guard at 327, a right tackle at 329, a left tackle at 329.
00:26:03
Speaker
So a lot of size up front for this team. They're going to run the ball very well. Walker Howard's going to have time to make smart decisions in the backfield. And again, the the number of starts goes down, but I don't think that the experience level necessarily decreased ah for for this offensive line. I really like where where this team is at offensively going going into 2025, and they should put up a ton of numbers.
00:26:31
Speaker
Yeah, i think I think this is the weakest group of the offense, which is crazy to say, considering your starting quarterback has played two career games. um But having lost both Gillian Burton, who were first team all conference last year,
00:26:46
Speaker
that That really, really scares me. um I think I like what Matt said about this being a team that wants to get guys reps in blowout games, but not in blowout games as well, just rotating pretty regularly. I think that sets you, your offensive line or any position group um up for success long term.
00:27:05
Speaker
But those those first couple weeks of the season are going to be really telling about if the guys, you don't expect them to be first team all conference level, but how, at what point are these guys at?
00:27:17
Speaker
And that those first couple weeks are really to be telling. um I imagine they'll certainly figure it out because this is a really good Louisiana program, but um up until like week three, week four,
00:27:32
Speaker
you know, maybe the sack numbers, especially with a guy like, especially with Walker Howard, who unproven at this point, um those sack numbers could get kind of high. I mean, but yeah, we'll have to we'll have to see how you know they start the season, see if they make any adjustments.
00:27:49
Speaker
I think it'll be interesting to see, Matt, ah you don't really have to add anything to this, but you mentioned the size among the offensive linemen individually. It's always interesting to me when an offensive line has is like very big on the edges, but then we'll have like one guard who's a little smaller yeah because typically that will be your pulling guard in cases of like...
00:28:14
Speaker
you know you're running like sweeps or anything like that like getting a guy out in space to block somebody on an island it'll be really interesting to see if they kind of utilize uh Moreau in that kind of fashion given that you know Louisiana has always been proficient at running the ball to my memory of of them in the conference so it'll be interesting to see there um So, Matt, on on the defensive side of the ball, let's let's transition over there.
00:28:41
Speaker
ah do you guys run more of a 3-4 or like a 3-3-5 type de defense?
Defense Lineup and Secondary Concerns
00:28:48
Speaker
So it really, on paper, it kind of looks three four um But more times than not lining it up, it's a 4-3.
00:29:00
Speaker
um but because Cam Whitfield really plays as kind of a a stand-up rusher, right? He had six sacks a year ago at 250 pounds.
00:29:13
Speaker
ah Chase Edwards, ah look, i gotta i got to brag on Chase Edwards a little bit. um He is a sophomore, only had ah one sack last year in 12 games as a redshirt freshman.
00:29:25
Speaker
ah But when he arrived on campus two years ago, he was 225.
00:29:30
Speaker
He's now 300. Um, so, you know, that, that work ethic to, to get to the, the size of a D one defensive tackle,
00:29:41
Speaker
has been really impressive to see. I'm really excited to see him get the opportunity to to to let it all hang out and and and play at full force this year. Kadarius Miller and Jordan Lawson both had great years a year ago. Jordan Lawson, second team off Sunbelt a year ago. And then at the linebacker spot, ah you got Terrence Williams, a running back conversion.
00:30:04
Speaker
um played played a lot of linebacker in college in ah in high school, and they were able to make the switch with him. Jaden Duggar is a good transfer from Pitt, came in last year with three tackles for a loss.
00:30:17
Speaker
I really like this group. um you know I know I haven't said a ton of negative things, so far about this team but there there really is a lot to like at uh at every level um they bring back experience they have youth as well um jim salgata was his it was his first year's defense coordinator a year ago i thought they did a really a bunch of nice things as a defensive unit last year and uh hopefully that it can continue to grow in uh in 2025.
00:30:48
Speaker
So defensively, we've Matt just kind of went over the front seven. Yeah. Are you going to save your concern for the defensive side of the ball for the secondary, or do you have concerns among the front seven?
00:31:02
Speaker
ah It's definitely in the back, the secondary. ah You're losing some really good guys. ah Casey Asai, although he I guess he's front seven, but he's back seven as well as a linebacker. That's obviously a huge, huge loss being a the only defensive player to make all-conference first team last year.
00:31:23
Speaker
There are a couple guys. Tyree Skipper is one. uh, who last year was all conference second team, uh, and missed the back half of the year with injury. Um, but this is a relatively unproving group.
00:31:37
Speaker
Uh, you're looking at a cornerback that played at Richmond last year, looking at a corner with 11 tackles last year. Uh, you're looking at a safety opposite skipper and Jalen Clark, uh, who had 14 tackles last year. So it's a pretty fresh group.
00:31:52
Speaker
Um, Again, I trust Matt's intuition in that these guys have reps and that these are not necessarily unproven, just not yet had the chance type guys.
00:32:07
Speaker
But of the group, of the defensive side, it's that back back seven as opposed to the front seven that really gives me concern. I don't know how you're going to replace Casey aside. I thought he was excellent last year.
00:32:20
Speaker
don't. You really can't. Um, he had 115 tackles last year. i mean, the guy was just a vacuum at times. Uh, I really, really liked him. I thought he was, I mean, it's hard when you're looking at, um, Jason Dominguez, when you're looking at, um, Carlton Marshall, guys like that, who have been in the conference lately, some, some really, really good tacklers, but Casey Asaias stood out as a name that doesn't come up in those conversations, but really should have been.
00:32:46
Speaker
Um, and so that, that, that hole uh on the second level and then everyone really outside a skipper uh gives me a little bit of pause yeah i know hold hold on real quick matt you know a guy is good when zeke is citing tackle numbers considering tackle numbers his favorite football stat is is how many tackles a guy has and talks about how fake it is and then he's like man kcsi a aside lot of tackles you have no idea what he's gonna what you know man that's what i mean some guys like
00:33:19
Speaker
115, I don't really care. But it's just like the guy really was everywhere. And i really i don't think I saw him miss a tackle all of last year. ah Granted, I wasn't watching every snap like Matt was, ah but he's not going to bring up the times that I didn't see when KCSI missed a tackle.
00:33:36
Speaker
correct Shout out to Casey Osai, by the way. Had a fumble recovery for the Houston Texans last night in the preseason. So he's he's making some noise in H-Town. His older brother is Joseph Osai, the defensive end for the Cincinnati Bengals.
00:33:51
Speaker
But anyways, moving moving moving along from that. Yeah, I agree with you. I think that back seven is a little concerning just because of how much you lost. um You brought up KCOSI. You lost Tyrone Lewis Jr. You lost Keon Martin at cornerback, who who was just really dynamic.
00:34:08
Speaker
um Trey Tomlinson has some nice numbers from his time at Richmond, but again, haven't really watched a lot of Richmond Spiders football. I'm just going to be honest with you. ah So I don't really know what he brings to the table.
00:34:20
Speaker
um I like Lorenzel Dubose. He's waited his turn in this program. He's finally going to get an opportunity to to see the field. Tyree Skipper had four picks last year, and they list Jalen Clark as the starter free safety. I like Jalen Clark's game, but Cody Jackson's going to get a lot of touches.
00:34:39
Speaker
um in that defensive backfield as well. Had three picks last year, a really strong player at 6'195 as only a sophomore. ah So keep an eye on him to to get some rotational time for for for this Cajun secondary.
00:34:54
Speaker
Matt, you said you didn't watch a lot of Richmond football last year. ah Between Tomlinson and the JMU offense, we're going to get a real taste to see if Richmond football is is ready to compete at this level because JMU's got three Richmond transfers on their offense, including, i think it was two receivers, and you guys got Tomlinson in their corner. So we'll we'll see they're ready for prime time. Can the spiders transfer ah accordingly?
00:35:21
Speaker
and'll be That'll be fun to find out. Yeah. All right, so let's go ahead and move off of the roster and get into scheduling.
Key Games and Challenges for the Season
00:35:32
Speaker
Manscaped special teams entirely. Well, Almanderas isn't there anymore. Yeah, I know. It's incredibly disappointing. I hate it.
00:35:43
Speaker
ah Phil still had the special teams as the number two group in the country last year. um I mean, when you have the Lou Groza award winner, kind of ah kind of helps. but Who did he yeah to me he catch on with in the pros?
00:35:57
Speaker
ah where I saw his name one at one one day, but I can't remember who he was playing for. Anyway, ah yeah, so let's while you look that up, we'll move on to the...
00:36:08
Speaker
Niners. Okay. what That's a tough team to catch on with. They got a kicker they drafted in the third round ahead of them. um All right. So let's transition to the the schedule here.
00:36:19
Speaker
ah It sets up really nice ah for the Cajuns. To me, there seems to be three games on the schedule that I think might give you some issues.
00:36:31
Speaker
um And the three that I'm talking about are obviously at Missouri, September 13th. now to To Matt's team's credit, they have been known to beat a ah Power 5 team or two with Wake Forest last year.
00:36:46
Speaker
Going back a couple of years, that Iowa State team with Brees Hall and Brock Purdy, that win looks better every single year that passes. so So great. Such a great day.
00:36:58
Speaker
ah But, okay, so Missouri is game one that gives me pause, obviously. james madden At James Madison, October 11th, that's going to be a ah real showdown for you guys.
00:37:10
Speaker
And then the third is the week after you guys get Southern Miss at home. So a real back-to-back, you know, one it one two punch with James Madison Southern Miss.
00:37:21
Speaker
the the The fact that you so blatantly overlooked first the special teams, I'll let you slide for that. um But then you come again and you don't even talk about Rice and McNeese.
00:37:32
Speaker
How dare you? Who cares? How dare you? Who cares, dude? I'm sorry. Well, we had ah we had a commenter on our Southern Miss video get very upset that we didn't go in deep on Jackson State's chances on being of of beating Southern Miss. And I was like, I'm sorry. that's You're looking for a different podcast.
00:37:52
Speaker
Yeah, yeah, you you really are. um But no, you know, I only bring that up because... the last time youll and rice played each other was 2022 and ul struggled in that one they lost 33 to 21 um now look i think the cajuns are a much better team than they were three years ago and uh you know i think i think rice has probably fallen off a little bit since then um they had luke mccaffrey at the time and uh
00:38:25
Speaker
but No, i jo joking aside, I agree with you. I think Missouri is the first game that you really, you know, you're really going to get tested and, you know, really figure out what you're made of there.
00:38:36
Speaker
And then that two-week stretch after the bye at James Madison and Southern Miss is going to be tough. I've got the Cajuns winning at least nine games. um But, you know, I could really see 10 because I could see them splitting one of the one of those James Madison Southern Miss games.
00:38:55
Speaker
Yeah. And then and then're running the table the rest of the way. So I've i've actually got them going, you know, floor, let's be realistic and say ceiling is 10-2. Mm-hmm. ceiling is tenant two
00:39:10
Speaker
i I think with the over-under, I'll take the over pretty comfortably. um i said got Seven and a half? Yeah. yeah think you guys went eight, no problem. I mean, with this schedule, the the thing, too, is, Matt, you can correct me if I'm wrong on this, and then I'll throw it to Zeke right after this.
00:39:28
Speaker
It seems like Louisiana... the last couple years has just had the West, like ah other than the Troy years, those, those aside when, when the Troy hasn't had John Summerall, it felt like Louisiana has just had the West kind of at a headlock.
00:39:44
Speaker
And another thing to Matt, there was a game last year. i think it was Arkansas state where you cited that they get that Louisiana really gets up for games where they feel like they're, I got extra motivation or or whatnot.
00:40:01
Speaker
There's going some real extra motivation September 27th when you guys play Marshall at home. You think you guys want to beat the heck out of them for what happened in the conference title game? And they are just they're just on the train track. Like, look, I'll be like, oh, does anybody hear whistles? like Yes and no.
00:40:18
Speaker
um Obviously, you know, that was the school that did it to you, but that's not going to be the team that did The team that did it to you is going to be wearing black and gold on on October eighteenth um because you know they have Braylon Braxton they have Charles Huff like that's that's who did it to you um yeah and and not to mention that's already a rivalry of sorts between UL and Southern Miss uh so so look if y'all don't have plans on October 18th y'all might want to come down to Lafayette we could we could have some fun because that's gonna be that's gonna be fireworks
00:40:57
Speaker
thing Zeke, what are your thoughts on the schedule? um My question is, do we know how the Sun Belt picks the out-of-division schedules? Is it just constantly rotating?
00:41:09
Speaker
Because Louisiana is a Marshall exodus away from having to play the two best, arguably two of the three best teams from last year in Marshall and James Madison.
00:41:23
Speaker
ah Obviously, they have bye in between those games, but in back-to-back matchups. Dodged a real bullet there. I don't know how much, but if it was the same Marshall team or how much they return, if a Marshall loss, say a loss to Marshall and a loss to James Madison really impact you because you're still going to probably run the table or come close to it in the West.
00:41:47
Speaker
I'm not sure like how material of a difference that would make. But that is like ah that could have been the hardest ah what schedule out of the West if it were not for the exodus to Hattiesburg.
00:42:04
Speaker
Well, I think it's six on one, half a dozen on the other, because if if the entire Marshall team doesn't move out, that Southern Miss game on the 18th is a joke. i mean Right, but everyone else in the West has to play the same schedule, save for those two games, right?
00:42:19
Speaker
So as we look at it compar compared to the West, it's like, No one else is to have to play Marshall JMU. Sure. I don't know. Again, this is all because it's not since the entire Marshall roster left for Southern Miss or elsewhere.
00:42:37
Speaker
It's all just what if. But the real question, again, my unanswered question that maybe we'll dig into later is, How do they pick those out of conference? is It just has to be rotation, right?
00:42:49
Speaker
It is. Matt, it is, right? It's a rotation. It's rotating. Yeah. It's like the SEC where it's like, you know Georgia doesn't play Alabama every single year.
Season Predictions and Personal Insights
00:43:01
Speaker
you know It's like once every... eat Although they should. They should. It'd be cinema every every single year, but it's you know unfortunately, you know they got to play the... They got to play Auburn who can't tie their shoes without fall or on their face.
00:43:16
Speaker
and and And Vanderbilt, although you know watching that new SEC series on on Netflix, the the recap of Vandy beating Alabama last year was but phenomenal.
00:43:28
Speaker
yeah There's something to be excited about with Vanderbilt. Diego Pavia, baby.
00:43:36
Speaker
All right. So as we as we wrap up, I think this has been maybe the least contentious episode we've ever done. It feels like it this has been just kind of a smooth sailing all the way through. We all pretty much agree.
00:43:51
Speaker
Louisiana is probably going to represent the West, ah you know, barring crazy injury issues or anything like that. Because awesome.
00:44:03
Speaker
Well, again, Walker Howard gets hurt. Then it's open season to see like who who steps in. but dan It's Daniel Beal season, baby. ah All right.
00:44:15
Speaker
So as we wrap up here, ah Matt, give us ah you know your socials, all that good stuff, and then we'll throw it over to Zeke, and then I will close this out. You can find me on all social media at Miguez Matt.
00:44:28
Speaker
I did not complain about the Saints at all today. i told myself I would stay off of Twitter during the Saints game because I just wanted to enjoy the fact the football was back.
00:44:40
Speaker
But there will be plenty of complaining throughout the season, especially now that I'm not an official media member anymore. um Complaints will be had on social media. So follow for that fun at Miguez Matt.
00:44:52
Speaker
Yeah, you can find me at Zeke Palermo, Z-E-K-E-P-A-L-E-R-M-O. Not a whole pun to plug there. Not a whole lot interesting. The Bills HBO series is on.
00:45:03
Speaker
Really excited about that. We've not really dug into the meat of it, but for the first time in my life, really excited about Hard Knocks. The Bills suck.
00:45:12
Speaker
i think they've totally I think they've totally neutered hard knocks. Yeah, it's not it's not what it used to be. No. You don't even get to see, like, because they don't have the cut days anymore. So you don't get to see when they, like, have to call the guy in the office and they act like their dog just died. And they're like, I'm sorry to tell you this.
00:45:29
Speaker
got hand over your playbook.
00:45:34
Speaker
Give back your helmet. Yeah, it's like it's like a guy from a D3 college, Northwestern State, is like, dang it, I really thought I was going to make the Bills roster. It's like, all right, buddy, you're the 13th receiver. Of course did. Yeah, of course. of course you did yeah that's swo that's All right.
Conclusion and Next Episode Preview
00:45:51
Speaker
As always, you can email the show warm weather fans at gmail.com. You can tweet at us warm weather fans on X. You can catch me on X at watch the stone.
00:46:02
Speaker
ah Yeah. Next week we will be back with the Phil Steele interview and the all names team. More of a fun episode, less kind of structured, just kind of us kicking around ideas and things like that.
00:46:16
Speaker
This has been the warm weather fans. so not