NEW ORLEANS (KLFY) – Paced by Offensive Player of the Year Ben Wooldridge and Coach of the Year Michael Desormeaux, the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns placed a league-high 15 players on the 2024 All-Sun Belt Conference Football team, released Thursday by the league office.

The team and specialty awards was selected in a vote by the league’s head coaches and panel of media members.

Louisiana (10-2, 7-1 SBC), which hosts Marshall (9-3, 7-1 SBC) in the Hercules Tires Sun Belt Conference Championship Game on Saturday, placed six players on the first team – its most in league history and surpassing five players named in 2011, 2013 and 2014. Wooldridge was joined on the first team by offensive linemen Landon Burton and AJ Gillie, tight end Terrance Carter, linebacker K.C. Ossai and kicker Kenneth Almendares.

Three players – defensive lineman Jordan Lawson and safeties Tyrone Lewis and Tyree Skipper – were selected to the second team with wide receiver Lance LeGendre and cornerback Keyon Martin named to the third team.

Seniors Jax Harrington (offensive line) and Mason Narcisse (defensive line) were two of four Louisiana players named to the honorable mention squad, joined by all-purpose back Zylan Perry and linebacker Carmycah Glass.

Wooldridge, a redshirt senior, led the Sun Belt Conference in passing efficiency (159.42) and was third among SBC quarterbacks in passing yards (239.2). The Pleasanton, Calif., native ranked fourth overall in total offense (258.4) and was ranked 11th among FBS quarterbacks in passing efficiency and 12th in completion percentage (.683).

The signal-caller led one of the top offenses in FBS passing for 2,392 yards with 17 touchdowns and five interceptions in 10 games. Wooldridge, who added five touchdowns on the ground, recorded a career-high 373-yard passing performance (27-of-36, 189.5 efficiency) at Coastal Carolina and completed 20 or more passes in a game four times.

Carter led Louisiana in receptions (48) and was second in both yards (689) and touchdowns (4) for the Ragin’ Cajuns. The Killeen, Texas, native caught at least one pass in all 12 games during the regular season and recorded nine receptions of 20 yards or more.

His 74-yard TD reception against App State marked Louisiana’s longest offensive play of the season. Carter posted back-to-back 100-yard games against Southern Miss (107 yards) and Coastal Carolina (149), where he helped seal Louisiana’s 34-24 win with a 59-yard TD reception.

Burton, a Lafayette native and former St. Thomas More product, joined Gille as the lone offensive linemen to start all 12 games for Louisiana during the regular season. The senior served as the anchor of an offensive line which helped Louisiana rank fifth among FBS programs in tackles for loss allowed (3.58), 18th in total offense and 44th in rushing offense.

His seven allowed quarterback pressures across 389 pass blocking snaps through the first 11 games of the season were rated highly among FBS interior linemen did not allow a sack during the regular season according to PFF.

Gillie, a third-team All-SBC pick in 2023 and preseason first-team pick this season, started all 12 games at left guard for the Ragin’ Cajuns and reached the 50-game career mark in Louisiana’s 37-23 win last week at ULM.

Ossai, a second-team preseason pick, led the Ragin’ Cajuns and was third among Sun Belt Conference defenders in total tackles (103). The Conroe, Texas native ranked 31st among FBS players in tackles per game (8.6) and recorded four games with 10 or more tackles.

He posted a season-high 17 stops with a pass breakup in a road victory at Coastal Carolina and totaled 13 tackles with his first career interception in a win at ULM in the regular-season finale.

Almendares, the national FBS leader in field goals made (26) and field goals made per game (2.17), led the SBC and was eighth nationally in points scored with 124. The Lou Groza Award finalist finished ninth in the country in field goal percentage during the regular season converting of 26 of 28 attempts (.929).

The Clute, Texas native, who is on pace to become the third kicker since 2008 to lead the nation in field goals while maintaining 90-percent accuracy, went 24-for-24 on the season in field goals from under 50 yards with his lone misses coming from 53 (right) and 60 (left) yards.

Almendares holds the UL and SBC career record for most field goals made (67) and holds the UL record for career scoring (359) and PATs (158). He set the UL single-season record in field goals made and points and is tied for the Sun Belt record for most field goals made in a season.

Desormeaux, in his third season as head coach, led Louisiana to its fourth 10-win season in six years, finishing 10-2 overall and 7-1 in Sun Belt Conference play.

After back-to-back 6-7 records in his first two seasons, the New Iberia native and former UL quarterback guided Louisiana to the SBC West Division title and its SBC-leading fifth appearance in the Hercules Tires Sun Belt Conference Championship in the seven-year history of the contest.

Desormeaux became the second coach in school history to lead his team to a 6-0 record on the road and earned a P4 win at Wake Forest – the Cajuns' first since knocking off Iowa State in 2020

Under Desormeaux’s guidance, Louisiana finished the regular season ranked second nationally among FBS programs in red zone offense (.947), second in total fumbles lost (2), third in turnovers lost (8), ninth in turnover margin (+12, 1.00), 11th in team passing efficiency (161.98), 15th in scoring offense (35.6), 18th in third-down conversion percentage (.464) and 18th in total offense (445.7).

Lawson came on strong over the final third of the season with 5.5 sacks and 7.5 tackles for loss in a four-game span. He ranked eighth in SBC in sacks (0.84/game) and recorded 36 tackles on the season with 5.5 sacks and 9.5 tackles for loss.

Lewis served as the vocal leader in a secondary for the Ragin’ Cajuns, which ranked 29th in passing yards allowed nationally. The Hammond, La., native, tied for the team-lead with four interceptions on the season.

Skipper, a New Orleans native, totaled 41 tackles and tied for the team lead with four interceptions on the season. The redshirt junior earned his way into the starting lineup against Wake Forest and posted five tackles with a critical fourth-quarter interception to preserve a lead in an eventual 41-38 victory.

LeGendre had a breakout season for Louisiana, finishing second during the regular season in receptions (44) while leading the team in both receiving yards (733) and touchdowns (6). A converted quarterback in 2022, LeGendre caught at least one pass in all 12 games for the Ragin’ Cajuns and was credited with a pair of 100-yard games, highlighted by six-reception, 123-yard performance in P4 victory at Wake Forest.

Martin, the Cajuns’ top cover corner, finished the regular season with 47 tackles, two interceptions and six pass breakups. The Fort Lauderdale, Fla., native allowed one touchdown in 10 games.

Harrington, a redshirt senior from Erath, started in all 10 games he played in at right guard during the season and was a member of an offensive line which helped Louisiana rank fifth among FBS programs in tackles for loss allowed (3.58), 18th in total offense and 44th in rushing offense.

Narcisse started all 12 games in the interior line for Louisiana and finished with 28 tackles, 5.0 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks. The former St. Charles Catholic product added two quarterback hurries, two pass breakups and one forced fumble on the season and recorded a season-high six tackles game in a road win at Kennesaw State.

Glass finished as Louisiana’s second-leading tackler on the season behind K.C. Ossai with 69 stops. The Monroe native and Missouri transfer started all 12 games in his inaugural season at Louisiana and had five or more tackles in nine of the last 10 games of the season with a season-high eight coming against both App State and Texas State.

Perry led Louisiana and ranked seventh among SBC players in all-purpose yards (1,084) and ranked second in the SBC and 16th among FBS players in kickoff return average (24.9). The Franklin native finished as the team’s second-leading rusher with 621 yards and four TDs. He recorded two 100-yard games on the season, capped by a career-best 150-yard rushing performance with a pair of TDs against ULM.

2024 SUN BELT CONFERENCE FOOTBALL POSTSEASON AWARDS

Offensive Player of the Year

• Ben Wooldridge, Louisiana (RS Sr., QB – Pleasanton, Calif.)

Coach of the Year

• Michael Desormeaux, Louisiana

Player of the Year

• Mike Green, Marshall (RS So., DL – Williamsburg, Va.)

Defensive Player of the Year

• Marques Watson-Trent, Georgia Southern (RS Sr., LB – Pittsburgh, Pa.)

Newcomer of the Year

• Braylon Braxton, Marshall (RS Jr., QB – Frisco, Texas)

Freshman of the Year

• Ahmad Hardy, ULM (Fr., RB – Monticello, Miss.)

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