Here are takeaways from UL football's 2026 SBC Media Day appearance

NEW ORLEANS — Louisiana football took the main stage at the 2026 Sun Belt Conference Media Day, giving Cajun Nation a bit to chew on as they await the start of the season.

>Fifth-year coach Michael Desormeaux and players Lunch Winfield and George Jackson represented the Ragin’ Cajuns and discussed what fans can expect this fall. Here are two things we learned about UL football from Media Day.

For Louisiana football, youth is driving the shipEvery season is a new chance to rebuild a team and for Desormeaux, that rebuild this offseason will be fueled by young guys at skill positions on offense. After losing running backs Bill Davis and Zylan Perry to the transfer portal, younger backs are looking to fill those gaps.

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>While a younger squad may make fans nervous, Desormeaux and his staff are eager for the challenge as development is a core of the Cajuns program.

>“In the last two years we signed 41 freshmen and I think we have a lot of talented young players that are going to have to step up,” Desormeaux said. “It’s a group that I’m excited about and I think this team has a chance to be a real good thing if we can handle some things with maturity and grow our team up fast.”

>In the running back room, sophomore Steven Blanco is the oldest returner while incoming transfer from Howard, junior Anthony Reagan Jr., has the most gameday snaps. Redshirt freshmen Darrell Smith and JJ Garner make up the other backs looking to carry the rushing load this fall.

>“Darrell was probably the most consistent player in terms of production and assignment discipline from the course of the spring,” Desormeaux said. “Steven has a chance to be unique for us in the type of back he is as a big, physical downhill guy. JJ is truthfully the most talented top end, now he’s just got to grow up in maturity and understanding the offense.”

>Defensively, the Cajuns’ strength could lie in their secondary despite it also being on the younger side. Headlining the that group this fall will be sophomore cornerback Brent Gordon Jr., who led the team in pass breakups (11) in 2025.

>On the defensive line, UL has more gaps to fill with guys like Jaden Dugger and Jordan Lawson gone. Desormeaux will look for some young returners to step up and fill those roles such as sophomore defensive lineman Priest Ashe, junior defensive edge Lance Williams and more. He looks for UL’s D-line to be its strength on defense.

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UL’s heart and soul lies within its returnersWinfield and Jackson joining Desormeaux at this year’s SBC Media Days to represent the Cajuns was fitting as they have spent their offseason embodying the UL standard.

>“Between Lunch and George, these are two guys that I don’t think anyone on our team would question who exemplifies what it means to be a Cajun,” Desormeaux said. “George is a sixth-year Cajun and has played a lot of really good football for us. Lunch gave our team life last year when we were on life support at the midway point of the season.”

>Both returners will look to be the heart and soul for the Cajuns this fall. For Jackson, this year is nothing but a blessing as it’s his final year of college ball following an adversity=filled 2025. Listed at 6-foot-5 and 315 pounds, Jackson started the first four games of last year before suffering a season-ending injury.

>“It’s a redemption year, victory lap, it’s all of those to be honest because I feel like we have a lot of unfinished business we need to handle on the field,” Jackson said of the upcoming season. “We have a lot of returning guys such as me, Cooper (Fordham), Kaden Moreau, Matt Broussard. Then we also have guys like Zay (Alexander), who has made huge strides at left tackle.”

>Along with Winfield and George, UL will look for its core returners to continue the foundation setting for the 2026 team.

class="exclude-from-newsgate">Shannon Belt covers high school sports and the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns for The Daily Advertiser as part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow her high school and Cajuns coverage on X, formerly known as Twitter: @ShannonBelt3. Got questions regarding HS/UL athletics? Send them to Shannon Belt at sbelt@gannett.com.

>This article originally appeared on Lafayette Daily Advertiser: Here are takeaways from UL football's 2026 SBC Media Day appearance