With focus shifting nearly entirely to the upcoming football season, it is time to take a look at where Louisiana looks on the recruiting trail.
Recruiting is such an inexact science from judging what players will turn into great players to even getting a consensus of what players have even committed to what programs. The Louisiana Ragin Cajuns have anywhere from six to 14 commits at this stage of the summer depending on what recruiting service is used. Rivals currently has the Ragin' Cajuns with only six commitments for the 2016 recruiting class, the fourth highest total in the Sun Belt. 247 Sports has Louisiana with eight commits while Scout has the number all the way up to 14 commits for the upcoming class.
Let's take a look at the recruiting class with every commit from all three services added to the the list for a total of 16 commits.
Quarterback:
Jake Arceneaux: Ascension Episcopal (Lafayette, LA), Pro-style QB, 6-2/175: 3-star (247), 2-star (Scout). This pro-style quarterback was the first commit for the 2016 Ragin' Cajun class. 125-of-227 passing for 1,886 yards with 19 touchdowns and nine interceptions as a junior passer in 2015. This commit is being reported by 247sports and Scout but not by Rivals. Not listed in the Rivals database at all.
Tyler Brown: Donaldsonville (Donaldsonville, LA), Quarterback, 6-3/195: 2-star (Rivals), 3-star (247). Currently only being reported by Rivals as a commit, Brown had over 3,200 yards passing and 33 touchdowns in 2014. Ranked as the #72 pro-style quarterback in the nation for the 2016 class.
Offensive Line:
Phabian Woodard: Gentry (Indainola, MS), Offensive Tackle, 6-4/265: No rating (Scout), No rating (Rivals). Woodard, expected to make the move to defense at the college level is currently an unknown to recruiting services with Scout, 247, and Rivals having him unranked. Only Scout and Rivals have the 2015 senior as a current commit.
Akkai Ward: Brusly (Brusly, LA), Offensive Guard, 6-3/300: No rating (Scout). This 300 pound lineman is another player with very little information from the recruiting services. He is currently shown as a commit on Scout but does not even show up in the databases for Rivals or 247. Had interest from Louisiana Tech and Southern Miss but Louisiana was his only scholarship offer.
Tight End:
Austin Davis: Klein Oak (Spring, TX), Tight End, 6-3/220: 2-star (247), 2-star (Scout). Getting Davis as a commit was an impressive haul for the Ragin' Cajuns coaching staff with Davis ranked as the #101 tight end in the nation for the 2016 class. Davis committed to Louisiana over offers from Duke, Iowa State, Nevada, North Texas, and Utah State. Made 48 catches for 723 yards and 3 touchdowns as a junior in 2015.
Wide Receiver:
Calif Gossett: Pensacola (Pensacola, FL), Wide Receiver, 6-5/185: No rating (Scout). At 6-5, Gossett would immediately be one of the tallest players on the Ragin' Cajuns squad and have a chance at contributing early. While still a bit under the radar, this commit could turn into an important player for Louisiana in the future. The only other team to offer Gossett is FCS program Jacksonville State.
Defensive Line:
Jahaziel Lee: Ponchatoula (Ponchatoula, LA), Defensive End, 6-3/245: 2-star (247), 2-star (Scout), 2-star (Rivals). Lee is one of the very few players to be named as a commitment from all three recruiting services and chose Louisiana over offers from FCS programs McNeese State and Norfolk State. Lee is the #108 strongside defensive end in the nation and the #128 ranked recruit in Louisiana according to 247 sports' composite rankings.
Baron Poole: Hinds C.C. (Raymond, MS), Defensive Tackle, 6-2/280: 2-star. Poole is a JUCO commit that had originally committed to Tennessee State University out of high school but due to a grades lost during a high school transfer, he instead went to Hinds CC. Pool has shot of the recruiting boards and committed to Louisiana in May.
Tra'vontae Booker: East Feliciana Parish Enrichment (Clinton, LA), Defensive Tackle, 6-4/310: No rating (Scout), No rating (Rivals). Booker is a massive player that has FBS size already and should be able to garner more interest this fall on the recruiting trail. Currently, the Ragin' Cajuns have his commitment and are the only FBS school to offer him a scholarship. Alcorn State, Grambling, and Nicholls State have also offered.
Brett Granger: Helena (Helena, AL), Defensive End, 6-4/220: 2-star (Scout). Granger is a 2-star recruit according to Scout but is not in the database for 247 or Rivals yet. The senior defensive end chose Louisiana over offers from Arkansas State and Troy.
Linebacker:
Tanner Holmes: Newton (Newton, TX), Linebacker, 6-2/215: 2-star (247), 2-star (Scout). Holmes, from Newton, Texas, picked the Ragin' Cajuns over offers from Central Arkansas and McNeese State. Baylor, Louisiana Tech, and Texas A&M have shown interest in the middle linebacker. Credited with 11.7 tackles per game in 2015 as a high school junior.
Jacques Boudreaux: Holy Cross (New Orleans, LA), Linebacker, 6-1/222: 2-star (247), no rating (Scout). The up and coming linebacker prospect was credited with 80 tackles in 11 games as a junior for Holy Cross High School in New Orleans. Louisiana was his only offer at the time of his commitment.
Korey Louis: Breaux Bridge (Breaux Bridge, LA), Linebacker, 6-1/190: No rating (Scout), 2-star (Rivals), 3-star (247). A big time recruit at outside linebacker, Louis committed to the Ragin' Cajuns over an offer from Utah State. The talented Louis is the #95 outside linebacker in the nation and the #70 player in the state of Louisiana according to the 247 sports' composite rankings.
Defensive Back:
Edward Hayes: Coldspring-Oakhurst (Coldspring, TX), Safety, 6-2/190: 3-star (247), 2-star (Scout), 2-star (Rivals). Another great find from the state of Texas, Hayes turned down offers from Minnesota, New Mexico State, Oregon State, Texas State and Toledo in order to commit to the Ragin' Cajuns. Hayes is the #145 ranked safety in the nation and the #242 player in the state of Texas according to 247's composite rankings.
Blair Brooks: Thibodaux (Thibodauz, LA), Safety, 6-2/190: No rating (Scout), 2-star (247). Brooks, a safety, is ranked as the #166 safety in the nation and the #109 player in the state of Louisiana according to 247 sports' composite rankings. He recorded 107 total tackles (69 solo, 38 assists), four tackles for loss and two interceptions as a junior. Brooks chose Louisiana over offers from Tulane, Nicholls State, Southeastern Louisiana, Kansas, and Western Kentucky. He has started to get looks from LSU heading into his senior season.
Athlete:
Damarren Mitchell: Magnolia West (Magnolia, TX), Athlete, 5-11/177: 2- star (247), 2-star (Scout), 2-star (Rivals). Mitchell, another commit from the state of Texas, chose the Ragin' Cajuns over offers from FBS programs Georgia Southern, Colorado State, and Texas State. Mitchell is the #158 ranked athlete in the nation and the #322 player in the state of Texas according to the composite rankings from 247 sports.