NEW ORLEANS — Expectations are high for Louisiana entering the 2026 football season, but head coach Michael Desormeaux knows preseason projections mean little without results on the field.
The Ragin' Cajuns were picked to finish second in the Sun Belt Conference's West Division in the league's preseason coaches poll. While encouraged by the talent on his roster, Desormeaux said the focus is on developing consistency from a young team that reminds him of his 2023 squad.
The Cajuns take the stage in New Orleans #cULture | #GeauxCajuns pic.twitter.com/FetKryNLp3
— Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns® Football (@RaginCajunsFB) July 16, 2026
Led by returning standouts such as quarterback Lunch Winfield, wide receiver Shelton Sampson and cornerback Brent Gordon, Louisiana believes it has the pieces to contend for a conference championship.
"We've got to be able to get this group to play consistently," Desormeaux said. "If we get the most out of this group, we'll be right back in it, but that's a challenge every year."
Although many of the team's young players were part of last season's roster, Desormeaux noted they are now stepping into much larger roles.
"Now they're going to be in the spotlight," he said. "We've got a good group. We've got a great group of coaches and players, guys that have worked really hard. When you have a group of good people that work really hard for something, I think you can go get what you want."
Desormeaux said the standard at Louisiana remains unchanged.
"We know the expectations in Louisiana," he said. "It's to play in the conference championship and to win it. Anything less than that is subpar."
The fifth-year head coach also pointed to lessons learned from the 2023 season, saying that team struggled to handle success consistently. He hopes this year's group can avoid repeating those mistakes.
Winfield enters the season healthy after battling a high ankle sprain late last year. The redshirt junior underwent surgery in January and said he is fully prepared for the challenges ahead.
After taking over as Louisiana's starting quarterback during last season's game against Marshall, Winfield finished the year with 2,200 all-purpose yards and 20 total touchdowns. Now, he embraces the responsibility of leading the offense.
"Looking at last season, it was a little tough, but I got the same mentality, same goals, same vision," Winfield said. "The whole team has the same goals and the same vision. We're just trying to win. That's the biggest thing — finding a way to win and bettering our team every week."
Winfield said he understands the expectations that come with being Louisiana's starting quarterback and is eager to lead a team with championship aspirations.
Louisiana opens the 2026 season Sept. 5 at home against Lamar.
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