Day one of spring football entering year four for head coach Billy Napier as Louisiana took to Cajun Field Tuesday for the first of 15 practices.

UL unveiled its full 2021 staff, and tight ends coach Mike Desormeaux and wide receivers coach Tim Leger have been elevated to co-offensive coordinators.

Coach Napier will still be calling the plays as usual, and this year his offense will feature some young running backs, as both Elijah Mitchell and Trey Ragas declared for the NFL Draft.

The Cajuns will continue to have a running back by committee type of attack.

“Running back is the position where we have an opportunity to for a young player to really emerge,” Napier says. “I think Chris Smith is the only player with significant experience in that room. The Emani Baileys, the Jacob Kibodis, TJ Wishams of the world, I think those guys are going to get their opportunities this spring. Then you throw the three high school rookies into the mix this summer. That’s going to be a very competitive situation there to determine who plays.”

New year, same expectations for the Cajuns as the team has set its sights on winning a Sun Belt championship outright.

And the work put in now, pays off later.

“We still really haven’t won a conference championship here,” junior center Shane Vallot says. “It’s a big deal to us, because we really want to go out with a conference championship. It’s big to have a spring to go into the fall knowing a little more than you did.”

“I feel like this spring, this is our chance to turn it up a notch, fix the little things like I said and just make sure everyone is all on board with the game plan,” junior defensive lineman Zi’Yon Hill says.

The Cajuns spring game will be at night under the lights on Thursday April 22nd.