UL's Vice President of Intercollegiate Athletics, Bryan Maggard, posted a letter that provides some details about the departure of Head Football Coach Billy Napier today.
Yesterday it was announced that Napier has accepted the job to be head football coach for the University of Florida after leading the Ragin Cajuns for four years.
UL's team is slated to play in the Sun Belt Conference Championship game on Saturday, and Napier will be coaching that day, Maggard's letter states. Whether he will coach the team through any bowl game has not been determined, but will be in the coming days, Maggard wrote.
"Rest assured our coaching staff will work diligently to prepare our team for Saturday's contest against App State while also focusing on the academic success of our student-athletes and our recruiting efforts leading up to the December 15th early signing date," Maggard wrote. "Our attention will now be given to a thorough search process that will allow us to identify the next Head Coach of Ragin' Cajuns Football."
Maggard says UL is "committed" to finding a coach who fits in with the culture of the University and the Cajun culture, and someone "who prioritizes the academic success of our student-athletes, builds positive relationships with those he coaches, is a relentless recruiter, establishes tremendous rapport with Louisiana high school coaches, places a strong focus on player development, and is a proven winner."
That being said, Maggard said he won't be talking about the search at all.
"To protect the integrity of our process, I will have no further public comments until such time we announce our new coach. Understanding there will be great interest and speculation associated with this search, as I shared with our student-athletes yesterday, unless you hear information directly from me, please do not assume it to be true," Maggard wrote.
To read the whole letter, click here.
