UL-Lafayette begins fall practice today. The Cajuns finished 6-7 last year but closed the regular season on a four-game win streak. Head coach Michael Desormeaux says preseason camp is when he finds what his players have to offer and establishes an identity.
“I’m incredibly proud of the work our guys have done from January up until this point, but this is where it’s real. It’s every day; it’s hot; it’s hard; it’s difficult; It is a good thing, in a lot of ways, because this is the only time of the year where it’s truly just about the football part,” Desormeaux said.
Quarterback Lunch Winfield was a big reason UL was able to turn its season around and reach a bowl game. The redshirt junior returns as the full-time starter this season, and Desormeaux says he has put in a lot of work in the offseason.
“I’ve been pleased with him through the summer so far. I think the consistency in the throw game has been a lot better, which certainly is going to help us a lot; but he’s always had the ability to do that. When you have a situation where your starting quarterback is the starting quarterback for a whole offseason and a whole year, that just settles some things into place a little bit. So hopefully, and usually, that pays off for you,” Desormeaux explained.
Winfield has held numerous throwing sessions with a receiver room led by redshirt junior Shelton Sampson Jr., who made 32 catches for 537 yards and six touchdowns last year. Behind him, Desormeaux says he’s relying on a group of inexperienced pass catchers to take the next step.
“You’ve got a handful of those guys that, they’ve been working for their turn and their opportunity. I’m excited to see who rises to the top. You hope that all of those guys raise their games to the level you need them to, but certainly we need a handful of them to,” Desormeaux noted.
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