The 2023 season wrapped up this past weekend for the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns football team in a disappointing fashion. The team fell to Jacksonville State in the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl by a final of 34-31 in overtime.

With the loss, the Ragin' Cajuns finished with a record of 6-7 overall in Head Coach Michael Desormeaux's second season. It's the same record the program had in 2022.

A lot of fans are calling the hiring of Desormeaux a mistake and want the university to make a change at head coach. But that's a conversation for a different time because that is likely not happening at this time.

R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl - Jacksonville State v Louisiana
Jonathan Bachman, Getty Images
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So, Cajuns fans can turn their attention to the offseason. The coaches are hot on the recruiting trail in the high school ranks and maybe more importantly, in the transfer portal.

Last year, the program lost several key players to the transfer portal. A total of nine players transferred to other schools.

Some of the big names to leave included cornerback Trey Amos (Alabama), safety Kam Pedescleaux (Tulane), and wide receiver Dontae Fleming (Tulane).

The lone notable player to transfer to UL for the 2023 season was linebacker Trey Fite, who was previously at SMU. The redshirt freshman saw limited action, notching a total of 14 tackles on the year.

So far this offseason, it has been quite busy with players coming and going. Here are the players transferring in and out of the UL program.

TRANSFERRING OUT

Kendre' Gant - Linebacker

The 6'3" 195-pounder out of Port Saint Joe, Florida has announced he's heading to play for the University of Houston Cougars.

This will officially be the fourth school that Gant has attended. He signed with Florida International out of high school and redshirted there in 2019.

Gant then went to Independence Community College in Kansas in 2020. He joined the Cajuns in 2021 and was with the program for three years in total.

In 2023, Gant had 64 total tackles, 6 sacks, 3 pass deflections, and 3 forced fumbles. He will have one year of eligibility remaining.

Cejae Ceasar - Safety 

A Redshirt Sophomore in 2023, Ceasar saw limited action in 2023 for the Ragin' Cajuns. He tallied only 5 total tackles (2 solo). An Iowa High School commit in 2021, Cejae is the son of LSU basketball great Clarence Ceasar.

Ceasar has yet to announce if he's decided on where he'll be transferring to in 2024.

Nijel McGriff - Defensive Lineman

A redshirt junior this past season, McGriff has been with the program for the past three seasons after transferring from Northwest Mississippi Community College.

McGriff appeared in all but one game in 2023 for the Cajuns, tallying 18 total tacklers with 2 fumble recoveries.

Zeon Chriss - Quarterback

A huge blow to the Cajuns program was the announcement that Chriss had entered the transfer portal.

A dual-threat QB, Chriss entered the season as the backup to Ben Wooldridge. However, in the second game of the season at UAB, the latter got hurt and Chriss was thrown in, and played wonderfully in that game.

For the 2023 season, Chriss threw for 1,222 yards and 11 touchdowns while rushing for another 492 yards and 6 touchdowns.

He will have three years of eligibility remaining.

TRANSFERRING IN

Ashley Williams Jr. - Defensive Lineman (Arizona State)

Zachary, Louisiana native Ashley Williams Jr. announced last week that he will be transferring to play for the Ragin' Cajuns.

A 6'5" 245-pound defensive lineman, Williams redshirted in 2023 for the Arizona State Sun Devils, so he will have four years of eligibility left.

Carmycah Glass - Linebacker (Missouri)

A 6'4" 226 pounder from Monroe, Louisiana, Glass was a three-star recruit out of Ouachita Parish High School and has been with the Missouri Tigers the last two years.

However, Glass has not seen any on-field action. He was medically redshirted in 2022 and didn't get into any games in 2023. Glass will have three years of eligibility remaining.


Naejaun Barber - Defensive Tackle (South Carolina State)

A 6'3" 290-pounder out of Hopkins, South Carolina, Barber has been an anchor for the South Carolina State Bulldogs defensive line the last two seasons. In 2023, he was named the second-team defense All-MEAC team.

This past season, Barber notched 22 total tackles with eight of them for loss while tallying five sacks. He will have two years of eligibility remaining.

Jaden Dugger - Safety (Georgetown)

A 6'4" 200-pound safety out of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Dugger has seen playing time the last two years for the Hoyas.

In 2023, Dugger tallied 41 total tackles, 2 interceptions, 3 sacks, and 1 forced fumble.

He appeared in all 12 games of the season and made the All-Patriot League Second Team.

Fitzgerald West Jr. - Defensive Lineman (LSU)

The 6'3", 285-pounder out of Lafayette Christian Academy played sparingly in his two years at LSU. He appeared in a total of seven games over that span and tallied only two tackles. West will have three years of eligibility remaining.


We'll continue to update this story as new announcements are made by players and/or the university.

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