( KLFY )– Wrapping up coverage of Sun Belt Conference media days at the Marriott Hotel in New Orleans, News 10 heard a ton from the Cajuns Wednesday, including AJ Gillie, K.C. Ossai and Coach Michael Desormeaux; they all have the same goals: getting on the same page and getting a winning record in 2024.
“2023 for us was you know, it was a year of near misses, a year of some highs and lows, you know, at times a little bit disappointment and frustration,” Desormeaux said regarding last season. But as you go through it, you know, ultimately was a year of growth for us.”
After a heartbreaking season in 2023, the Cajuns are looking to turn the page. In 2024, Louisiana football lost five games by one possession last year and knows they have to finish games to compete in a constantly improving Sunbelt Conference.
“You know the difference in finishing in the middle of the pack in this league and at the very top is how you handle these one-possession games,” Desormeaux said referring to the state of the Sun Belt Conference. “You’re going to be in a lot of them. You know the best stretch we’ve ever had. You go 24-2 and we were 13-1 in one-possession game. So, they’re going to happen. You’ve got to handle them, manage it. You’ve got to find a way to come out and win and make plays in critical situations.”
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On the offense, a lot of things will remain the same. They return a trio of running backs with Zylan Perry, Dre’lyn Washington and Elijah Davis. There will be another quarterback battle through fall camp between Chandler Fields and Ben Wooldridge, with Fields having an advantage due to the amount of reps he’s had and his leadership. One key difference will be in the trenches. Steve Farmer was hired in February to take over as the offensive line coach and run game coordinator, and he thinks this core is close to being elite.
“He came in and changed a couple of techniques and showed us a couple of different things of why we weren’t as successful as we could have been in the past, and we’ve worked on that all spring and all off-season to get better,” Gillie said regarding new Offensive Line Coach Steve Farmer.
On the defense, things will look slightly different. The Cajuns hired Jim Salgado as their new defensive coordinator in March. He has 30 years of experience across collegiate football and the NFL, and although he arrived halfway through spring camp, the defense has been impressed with his attention to detail.
“He’s very refreshing,” Ossai said regarding his new Defensive Coordinator. “You know, he’s a guy that harps on details, guy that doesn’t like gray area, and that’s been refreshing to see as a defense because we need that as a defense.”
The Ragin’ Cajuns are set to open up the season on Aug. 31 against the Grambling State Tigers.
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