UL football positional previews: Who will be Cajuns starting quarterback?

Ragin Cajun nation has been itching with anticipation with the 2025 college football season a month and a half away.Excitement will be at an all-time high as fans have a ton to look forward to after last season exceeded their expectations and are on the heels of seeing the newly renovated Our Lady of Lourdes Stadium.

UL was the lone college football team to record a double-digit win season in the state this past season, finishing with a 10-4 record.The Cajuns capped off the season as the 2024 Sun Belt Conference runner-ups after falling to Marshall in the championship game, followed by a New Mexico Bowl Game appearance.

Now, Michael Desormeaux and his staff are aiming for even more this season with some new personnel and key returners.Over the next few weeks, the Daily Advertiser will run positional previews asking two questions related to the given position as the 2025 Cajuns squad prepares for the fall.

These will lead up into SBC Media Days, with the Cajuns scheduled to appear on July 22 in New Orleans.Here's a look at the quarterbacks entering 2025.Will Walker Howard earn the starting spot?Fans likely wont know who the Cajuns' starting quarterback is until closer to the fall, similar to last seasons position race between Ben Wooldridge and Chandler Fields.

Between those two, Desormeaux went with who executed the offense best, and this years QB1 will likely have to do the same to earn the spot.Frontrunner for the job so far this offseason is Ole Miss transfer and St.

Thomas More alum Walker Howard, who saw the first snaps of the Cajuns' 2025 Vermilion & White Spring Game.

At that scrimmage, Howard showcased his mobility and his arm, connecting with fellow transfer out of LSU, Sheldon Sampson Jr.Howards game-time snaps at his previous stops were pretty limited as a backup for Ole Miss and LSU, but thats a similar theme for the Cajuns' other possible starting quarterbacks in Lunch Winfield and Daniel Beale.

Out of the three, incoming sophomore Beale has had the most game experience running ULs offense, starting in three games in the 2024 season.Despite that, Beale will likely be the backup and Winfield as a close third string, with the potential and expectations for Howard as high as theyve been since returning to his hometown.REQUIRED READING: 'Fruits of their labor': Northside football's star players earn first D1 offersREQUIRED READING: Enemy territory: UL baseball pitching coach Gunner Leger heads to Southern MissCan the Cajuns starting QB reach 3,000 passing yards this season?For some seasons now, the Cajuns' starting quarterbacks in the past have been flirting with throwing for more than 3,000 yards.

The last time a UL quarterback reached this milestone was in the 2019 season by Levi Lewis, who threw for 3,050 yards.

Since then, the Cajuns' starters have come oh so close to it, even last season, Wooldridge threw for nearly 2,500 yards despite missing games due to injury.With Howard likely to be the starter and clutch receivers like Sampson, Rahji Dennis and Robert Williams there is a strong shot at 3,000 passing yards this fall, but its unlikely.

Howards ability to move outside of the pocket will cause some drops in his passing yards.Plus, keeping quarterbacks healthy has been difficult for the Cajuns in the past few seasons, making a signal caller parring for more than 3,000 yards unlikely.

Desormeaux and offensive coordinator Tim Leger dont live and die by the long ball either, but can be more flashy this season with an arm like Howards.Shannon Belt covers high school sports, the Louisiana Ragin Cajuns and LSU men's basketball for The Daily Advertiser as part of the USA TODAY Network.

Follow her high school and Cajuns coverage on Twitter: @ShannonBelt3.

Got questions regarding HS/UL athletics? Send them to Shannon Belt at [email protected] article originally appeared on Lafayette Daily Advertiser: UL football positional previews: Starting quarterback race continues.

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