The 2019 Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns football team represented the

University of Louisiana at Lafayette The University of Louisiana at Lafayette (UL Lafayette, University of Louisiana, ULL, or UL) is a public research university in Lafayette, Louisiana. It has the largest enrollment within the nine-campus University of Louisiana System and the s ...

in the

2019 NCAA Division I FBS football season The 2019 NCAA Division I FBS football season was the highest level of college football competition in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in 2019. The regular season began on August 24, 2019, and end ...

. The Ragin' Cajuns played their home games at

Cajun Field Cajun Field is a football stadium located on the South Campus of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette in the city of Lafayette, Louisiana. Nicknamed The Swamp, it is the home field of Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns athletics. Cajun Field is primaril ...

Lafayette, Louisiana Lafayette (, ) is a city in the U.S. state of Louisiana, and the most populous city and parish seat of Lafayette Parish, located along the Vermilion River. It is Louisiana's fourth largest incorporated municipality by population and the 234 ...

, and competed in the West Division of the

Sun Belt Conference The Sun Belt Conference (SBC) is a collegiate athletic conference that has been affiliated with the NCAA's Division I since 1976. Originally a non-football conference, the Sun Belt began sponsoring football in 2001. Its football teams partici ...

. They were led by second-year head coach

Billy Napier William Hall Napier (born July 21, 1979) is an American football coach currently serving as head coach at the University of Florida. From 2017 until 2021, he served as head coach at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, amassing a 40–12 rec ...

. The Cajuns made it to the Sun Belt Conference Championship Game for the second consecutive year by winning the West Division, ultimately losing to Appalachian State by the score of 45–38. The Cajuns then defeated Miami (OH) in the LendingTree Bowl, to end the season with an overall record of 11–3. Following the season, head coach Billy Napier's contract was extended by two years, going into the 2025 season.

Previous season

The Ragin' Cajuns completed the 2018 season 7–7, 5–3 in Sun Belt play to finish in a two-way tie for first place in the West Division, along with

Arkansas State Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the Osage ...

, in their first year of Divisional play in the Sun Belt Conference. The Ragin' Cajuns, winning their regular season game to Arkansas State, won the chance to play in the inaugural Sun Belt Conference Championship Game, losing to Appalachian State 30–19. The Cajuns, finishing second in the Sun Belt, were invited to play in the Cure Bowl, their first time. They played in-state rival

Tulane Tulane University, officially the Tulane University of Louisiana, is a private research university in New Orleans, Louisiana. Founded as the Medical College of Louisiana in 1834 by seven young medical doctors, it turned into a comprehensive pub ...

and lost 41–24.

Preseason

Recruiting class

Award watch lists

Listed in the order that they were released

Sun Belt coaches poll

The Sun Belt coaches poll was released on July 18, 2019. Louisiana was picked to finish 1st in the West Division with 46 total votes and picked to finish second in the conference with 6 1st place votes behind Appalachian State's 7.

Sun Belt Preseason All-Conference teams

Offense ''1st team'' * Ja'Marcus Bradley - R-SR, Wide Receiver * Kevin Dotson – R-SR, Offensive Lineman * Robert Hunt - R-SR, Offensive Lineman ''2nd team'' *

Elijah Mitchell Elijah I. Mitchell (born May 2, 1998) is an American football running back for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Louisiana. Early life and high school Mitchell grew up in Erath, Louis ...

- JR, Running Back * Trey Ragas – R-JR, Running Back Defensive ''2nd team'' *Zi'Yon Hill - SO, Defensive Lineman *Jacques Boudreaux - SR, Linebacker *

Michael Jacquet Michael Jacquet III (born January 29, 1997) is an American football cornerback for the Los Angeles Chargers of the National Football League (NFL). He was signed by the Philadelphia Eagles as an undrafted free agent in 2020 following his coll ...

- R-SR, Defensive Back

Roster

Schedule

The 2019 schedule consists of 6 home and 6 away games in the regular season. The Ragin' Cajuns will travel to Sun Belt foes

, Coastal Carolina, Georgia Southern, and South Alabama. The Cajuns will play host to Sun Belt foes Appalachian State, Louisiana-Monroe, Texas State, and

Troy Troy ( el, Τροία and Latin: Troia, Hittite: 𒋫𒊒𒄿𒊭 ''Truwiša'') or Ilion ( el, Ίλιον and Latin: Ilium, Hittite: 𒃾𒇻𒊭 ''Wiluša'') was an ancient city located at Hisarlik in present-day Turkey, south-west of Çan ...

. The Ragin' Cajuns will host two of the four non-conference opponents at

, Liberty Flames, and Independent school in Division I FBS Football and the

Texas Southern Tigers The Texas Southern Tigers represent Texas Southern University in Houston, Texas, in intercollegiate athletics. They field sixteen teams including men and women's basketball, cross country, golf, and track and field; women's-only bowling, soccer ...

of the SWAC, will travel to

Mid-American Conference The Mid-American Conference (MAC) is a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I collegiate athletic conference with a membership base in the Great Lakes region that stretches from Western New York to Illinois. Nine of the twe ...

(MAC) member

Ohio Ohio () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Of the List of states and territories of the United States, fifty U.S. states, it is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 34th-l ...

, and will play host to the

Mississippi State Bulldogs Mississippi State Bulldogs is the name given to the athletic teams of Mississippi State University, in Mississippi State, Mississippi. The university is a founding member of the Southeastern Conference and competes in NCAA Division I. Sports sp ...

of the

Southeastern Conference The Southeastern Conference (SEC) is an American college athletic conference whose member institutions are located primarily in the South Central and Southeastern United States. Its fourteen members include the flagship public universities o ...

(SEC) at the

Mercedes-Benz Superdome The Caesars Superdome, commonly known as the Superdome (formerly known as Mercedes-Benz Superdome), is a multi-purpose stadium located in the Central Business District of New Orleans, Louisiana. It is the home stadium of the New Orleans Saints ...

. :Schedule Source:

Game summaries

Mississippi State

Liberty

Texas Southern

At Ohio

At Georgia Southern

Appalachian State

At Arkansas State

Texas State

At Coastal Carolina

At South Alabama

Troy

Louisiana–Monroe

At Appalachian State (Sun Belt Championship game)

Vs. Miami (OH) (LendingTree Bowl)

Rankings

Postseason

All-Sun Belt Conference Football Team

Offense ''1st team'' * Kevin Dotson - SR, Offensive Lineman * Robert Hunt – SR, Offensive Lineman ''2nd team'' *

– JR, Running Back * Ja'Marcus Bradley – SR, Wide Receiver ''3rd team'' * Raymond Calais – SR, Running Back * Trey Ragas – JR, Running Back Defensive ''2nd team'' *Zi'Yon Hill – SO, Defensive Lineman *Joe Dillon – JR, Linebacker *

– SR, Defensive Back Special teams ''1st team'' *Raymond Calais – SR, Return Specialist ''2nd team'' *Rhys Burns – SO, Punter ''3rd team'' *Stevie Artigue – SR, Kicker *Raymond Calais – SR, All-Purpose Honorable Mention *Jacques Boudreaux – SR, Linebacker *Jarrod Jackson – R-SR, Wide Receiver *Chauncey Manac – R-JR, Linebacker * Nick Ralston – GR, Tight End References:

Louisiana Sports Writers Association All-Louisiana Team

Offense ''1st team'' * Kevin Dotson - SR, Offensive Lineman * Robert Hunt – SR, Offensive Lineman *

– JR, Running Back ''2nd team'' * Ja'Marcus Bradley – SR, Wide Receiver Defensive ''1st team'' *Jacques Boudreaux – SR, Linebacker ''2nd team'' *Zi'Yon Hill – SO, Defensive Lineman Special teams ''1st team'' * Raymond Calais – SR, Return Specialist *Rhys Burns – SO, Punter Honorable Mention *Joe Dillon – R-SR, Linebacker References:

Postseason Personal Accolades

References:

Players in the NFL

Players Drafted

References:

Players Signed (Undrafted Free Agents)

References:

References

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Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a U.S. state, state in the Deep South and South Central United States, South Central regions of the United States. It is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 20th-smal ...

Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns football seasons

Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns football The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns football program is a college football team that represents the University of Louisiana at Lafayette at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) level as a member of the Sun Belt Conference. Since 1971, the t ...