Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns look to remain at the top of Sun Belt Conference in 2022

The Alabama Crimson Tide, Ohio State Buckeyes and Oklahoma Sooners are three teams that have shown themselves to be consistent powerhouses. Within the Power Five conferences, there is much in-fighting as teams try to replicate their opponents' success by acquiring resources.

Joining the Crimson Tide, Buckeyes and Sooners from the Sun Belt Conference are the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns, who have made huge strides with Billy Napier as head coach.

The Sun Belt Conference has seen rapid growth in the past few years as it openly challenges teams in the Power Five conferences.

In each of the last four seasons --except in 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic -- the Ragin' Cajuns have won the West Division and participated in the Sun Belt Conference Championship.

In the past four seasons under Napier, the Ragin' Cajuns have accumulated an overall record of 40-12. In three of the last four years, they have challenged the Appalachian State Mountaineers for the Sun Belt Conference title. The Ragin' Cajuns won the Sun Belt Conference title in 2020 (shared with Coastal Carolina with the championship game cancelled) and last season when they defeated Appalachian State 24-16.

Last season was expected to be a tough one for the Ragin' Cajuns as they lost their two leading rushers in Elijah Mitchell and Trey Ragas. Both running backs combined for 1,636 yards and 18 touchdowns on 272 carries, playing vital roles in the offense. However, the Ragin' Cajuns powered through their best season as a division one team in program history to finish with an overall record of 13-1.

The Ragin' Cajuns have not only become a program that can win on the field, but they have also shown they can develop NFL-caliber talent over the past four years. The Ragin' Cajuns have had six of their players get picked in the NFL Draft since 2020.

Among the most noticeable players drafted were guard Robert Hunt in the second round of the 2020 Draft, guard Kevin Dotson in the fourth round of the 2020 Draft and Mitchell in the sixth round of the 2021 Draft. Hunt is starting for the Miami Dolphins, Dotson for the Pittsburgh Steelers and Mitchell for the San Francisco 49ers. Additionally, offensive tackle Max Mitchell, who was selected in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft, has a great chance to start as a rookie for the New York Jets this year.

Just before the Ragin' Cajuns were set to finish the 2021 college football season in the 2021 New Orleans Bowl against Marshall, Napier took the head coaching job at the University of Florida. His departure for a more established power five team in the Gators was not necessarily a surprise as he was one of the hottest head coaching candidates in the sport. Napier was rumored to be in talks for a head coaching position at LSU before finalizing a deal with Florida.

Long-time Napier assistant Michael Desormeaux is taking over the Ragin' Cajuns program as head coach after leading the team to a 36-21 win over Marshall in the 2021 New Orleans Bowl. He will lead a Ragin' Cajuns team who are having to replace another set of talented playmakers and starters. The Ragin' Cajuns have to replace their long-time starting quarterback Levi Lewis, their star offensive tackle and several elite defensive playmakers.

Overall, the Ragin' Cajuns are returning five offensive starters and four defensive starters from last year. They still have three players returning who were named to Athlon Sports' Sun Belt 2022 Preseason First-Team. The offense of the Ragin' Cajuns will be led by running back Chris Smith, who is one of the most dynamic backs and kickoff returners in the Sun Belt. Zi'Yon Hill returns as a redshirt senior as one of the most experienced defenders in the Sun Belt.

Louisiana is going through a large series of changes this off-season and they are expected to decline in efficiency as a result. The Ragin' Cajuns are still favored to be West Divisional champs thanks to their program being well-established and the rest of the West being weaker. It also helps that they will not have to face Coastal Carolina or Appalachian State during the regular season.

Even with these huge changes, the Ragin' Cajuns expect to be back in serious contention for the Sun Belt Conference title.

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