What we learned about Louisiana football at Sun Belt Media Days

Louisiana football's attention now fully turns to preseason practice and the 2023 college football season.
Represented by head coach Michael Desormeaux, senior tight end Neal Johnson and senior linebacker K.C. Ossai, the Ragin' Cajuns made their appearance at Sun Belt Conference Media Days on Tuesday at the Sheraton Hotel in downtown New Orleans, previewing what's to be expected this season.
Here are five things we learned at Sun Belt Media Days about Louisiana:
QB Ben Wooldridge fully healthy, expected to be starter for Louisiana football
The biggest news of the day was Desormeaux revealing that senior quarterback Ben Wooldridge is not only 100% percent healthy but that barring something unforeseen, he's expected to be the starter for the Cajuns in 2023.
Wooldridge went down with an ACL tear during a team practice last November ahead of the Florida State game and it's remarkable that the 6-foot-3, 211-pounder has recovered in eight short months.
Last season, Wooldridge started five games in the middle of the season, passing for 1,661 yards and 15 touchdowns before getting hurt.
Lance LeGendre won't just effect the game at receiver or wildcat QB
Former quarterback and star of Netflix's QB1 show Lance LeGendre notably switched positions to wide receiver during the 2022 season. And it was a move that's proven to be fruitful for the former Maryland signee as he was the leading receiver for Louisiana the last two games of the regular season last year.
But receiver and a role as wildcat quarterback won't be the only roles he'll have a shot to put his stamp on games. Desormeaux told The Daily Advertiser that he wants to see LeGendre return kickoffs for the Ragin' Cajuns.
"Lance is a unique athlete," Desormeaux said. "I feel like he's good, that if we can give him a crease, he can do some things."
At 6-2, 223, LeGendre has plenty of speed to go with his big frame.
Michael Desormeaux now feels program is fully his entering year 2
"In year two, I just feel like it's mine," Desormeaux said. "Last year, I kind of felt like I just had to reins."
Johnson said that entering the second year under Desormeaux that he's noticed some tweaks and more an individualism of that program that more mirrors the team's head coach.
"He's made a few tweaks," Johnson said.
How adamant Desormeaux has been about rolling with Wooldridge as QB1 so far this preseason has signaled a stark difference from how he handled the QB situation a season ago.
Continuity along offensive line to be key for Cajuns in 2023
Entering the 2022 season, four of the five starters had missed most of the prior spring. And a couple younger players factored into the picture while some other guys were on the mend.
That won't be a concern this season as four of UL's five starting offensive linemen are back and the unit is in a much better position with experience. Guys such as Nathan Thomas at tackle, Jax Harrington at guard will be counted on more to help Louisiana's run game get going, which it struggled to get off the ground in 2022.
Junior A.J. Gillie was a Second-Team All-Sun Belt selection while Landon Burton and James Ohonba are back to make up one of the more experienced O-lines in the conference.
Ragin' Cajuns positioned for breakout season
Talking with Desormeaux, as well as the players at the media days, some names a little less known at this point kept popping up.
Junior college transfer defensive lineman Antoine Baylis is set to make noise up front on defense. Ossai said that Baylis has been sticking out to him during workouts.
Two young linebackers that have caught the eye of the coaching staff has been SMU transfer freshman Trey Fite and sophomore Kailep Edwards. Edwards appeared in 10 games for the Cajuns in 2022, recording six tackles. Both Fite and Edwards won't start but they've performed consistent throughout offseason workouts and had solid springs.
The one name on offense that Johnson and Desormeaux mentioned more than once was freshman tight end Terrance Carter. He's a big target at 6-2, 242 and he's good with the ball in the air. UL likes to play a plethora of tight ends and Carter should factor into the fold for Louisiana's offense.