NEW ORLEANS — Louisiana earned four selections to the 2026 Preseason All-Sun Belt Teams, while the Ragin' Cajuns were picked to finish second in the Sun Belt West Division in the league's annual preseason coaches poll, the conference announced Monday.
Wide receiver Shelton Sampson Jr. and defensive back Brent Gordon Jr. were named to the Preseason All-Sun Belt First Team, while offensive lineman Kaden Moreau and defensive lineman Fitzgerald West Jr. earned Second Team honors.
Louisiana was selected second in the Sun Belt West with 75 points and received one first-place vote. Troy topped the division with 96 points and 12 first-place votes, while Arkansas State was picked third with 69 points.
Sampson, a redshirt junior from Baton Rouge, headlines Louisiana's first-team selections after emerging as one of the conference's top playmakers. Gordon, a sophomore from Cecilia, joins Sampson on the first team after establishing himself as one of the Sun Belt's premier defensive backs.
Moreau, a redshirt senior offensive lineman from Pineville, was recognized on the second team alongside West, a redshirt senior defensive lineman from Lafayette, who anchors the Cajuns' defensive front entering the 2026 campaign.
Marshall led all Sun Belt programs with nine preseason all-conference selections, while Arkansas State and Georgia Southern each had seven. Louisiana was one of eight schools with multiple first-team selections.
In the East Division, defending Sun Belt champion James Madison was selected as the preseason favorite after receiving 11 of 14 first-place votes.
The 2026 Sun Belt Football Media Days will take place July 15-16 at the New Orleans Marriott Warehouse Arts District, with coverage airing live on ESPN+.
Louisiana's 2026 Preseason All-Sun Belt Selections
First Team
- WR Shelton Sampson Jr.
- DB Brent Gordon Jr.
Second Team
- OL Kaden Moreau
- DL Fitzgerald West Jr.
2026 Sun Belt West Preseason Coaches Poll
- Troy – 96 points (12 first-place votes)
- Louisiana – 75 points (1)
- Arkansas State – 69
- Louisiana Tech – 55
- Southern Miss – 47 (1)
- South Alabama – 31
- ULM – 19
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