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 ...
in
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
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 ...
,
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
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 ...
,
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''
*
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
*
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
*
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 ...
– 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
*
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
''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
{{Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns football navbox
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 ...