The Book: 2003 Louisiana's Recruiting

This is the complete look at the 2003 recruiting wars. Wins Losses and Washes.<hr width=350>

Here were the first players that listed Louisiana as one of the schools on their short list.

Jeff Tatford QB 6'3" 210 4.5 (Cajuns, LSU, Mississippi, Tulane)

Matthew Flynn QB 6'3" 218 4.54 (Cajuns, LSU, Arizona, Colorado, Indiana, Purdue, Baylor, Alabama, Texas A&M, Texas Tech)

Jordan Jackson WR 6'6" 200 4.47 (Cajuns, LSU, Colorado, Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee)

Austin Hall OL 6'3" 265 5.2 (Cajuns, LSU, Arkansas, Northwestern, Texas)

Tommy Jones OL 6'2" 275 4.8 (Cajuns, Auburn, LSU, Arkansas, Louisiana Tech)
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ADVERTISER-Dan McDonald
Posted on September 10, 2002<blockquote><P align="justify">
LAFAYETTE - Chad Beck wasn't under any pressure to give the UL Lafayette football program a commitment last Saturday, but he decided he'd seen enough.

The tight end from Woodville, Texas, gave a verbal commitment to Ragin' Cajun head coach Rickey Bustle on Saturday following the Cajuns' 35-11 loss to Minnesota at Cajun Field.

"He (Bustle) told me to take my time and look around," Beck said, "and to make sure it was the right decision for me. But after I saw the campus and met the coaches, I knew it was a place that I liked a lot. I liked the facilities, and they've got good fans."

Beck, a 6-foot-4, 226-pounder, became the Cajuns' third verbal commitment for the 2003 signing class and the second from Texas. Woodville is located between Lufkin and Beaumont, about 40 miles from the Louisiana border.

"He's a big part of our football team," said Woodville High head coach Mike Bass. "A kid his size and ability is pretty rare in a 3A school, and he does a great job for us."
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Beck caught only 10 passes out of Woodville's Wing-T formation last year, but his squad has since changed its offensive outlook despite making the state playoffs last season.

"We were more run-oriented last year," Beck said. "I think opening up more will help us a lot. I'll probably catch more passes in the first three or four games than I caught all of last year. But I still have to make a lot of key blocks just about every play."

Beck's blocking is vital in the Wing-T, according to Bass.

"He establishes the corner for us," he said. "I think blocking is his strong point, but he has great hands. He can go up and catch the ball. We're trying to get him the ball more since he gets a lot of mismatches with his size."

Beck first came to the attention of Cajun assistant coach Mike Gibson, who recruits the East Texas area, during the spring. "He (Gibson) came down and visited, and I showed him some film," Bass said. "He called back later and said they were really interested."

Beck met with Gibson, tight end coach Troy Wingerter and Bustle during his weekend visit.

"They all seem like they get to know their players really well," he said. "I was really looking for a place where I could come in and play. I figure I'll redshirt in my freshman year, but after that I wanted a place that I could expect some playing time. The tight end there (Josh Joerg) will be a senior next year, so I'd be coming at a perfect time."
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Anybody know who the Cajun's are recruiting for football? High School or Juco? I think you guys have some pretty good talent, and I think Bustle will be able to get some pretty good players too.

So far we have three verbal commitments for 2003

Zach Leger OL 6-4, 287, Bishop Sullivan (Baton Rouge)
Marcus Ross DB 5-11, 170, Sterling (Houston, TX)
Chad Beck TE 6-4, 226, Woodville (Woodville, TX)

I don't ever remember UL being the early choice before. Of course I don't remember much.

Who are some of the current targets Bustle is after? How about Juco's he's evaluating?

LB-Mark Risher out of St.Thomas More has verbally commited to Louisiana.

Going into his Sr. year he was listed as a LB
6 feet 1 inch tall.
200 pounds
and could run a 4.7-40

Now half way through his Sr. Year he is listed as a LB/DE
6 feet 2 inches tall.
220lbs
(no word on speed)

1) Who are some of Bustle's primary targets out of the state of Texas? I saw that a TE named J.B. Philips was looking at the Cajuns. Anyone else?

2) Do the Cajuns recruit Florida? If so, again any names?

3) Finally, will Bustle try to bring in a lot of Juco help this season or will he rely more on building the team through high school recruits? I think if you guys were able to get a good fast Juco running back and some Juco Linebackers you guys could really make some noise next year.

<blockquote><p align=justify>Advertisers-Dan McDonald

LAFAYETTE - A season-ending setback isn't going to derail the UL program, according to head coach Rickey Bustle.

The first-year Ragin' Cajun head coach has already aimed his sights on the next phase of the year, that being the recruiting wars.

"We've already had two all-day recruiting meetings," Bustle said on Monday, "and we're going to have some more. We're going to hit the road running this week and get players in here that can add to what we're doing."

The Cajuns were humbled 34-10 at in-state rival Louisiana-Monroe in Saturday's finale, an ending that left a bad taste in the mouths of a team that had won two November games and came within a few yards of a potentially huge upset at Arkansas one week earlier.

"We're disappointed with the way we played," Bustle said, "but we're not going to let it dampen the spirits of what we did this year. We're not going to beat ourselves up over the last game or dwell on the negative.

"We just ran out of gas. When we reached into the tank to get something Saturday, it wasn't there. I'm not really sure we ever made it back from Arkansas."

The loss to the Indians left the Cajuns at 3-9 overall and 2-4 in the Sun Belt Conference, but even those could have been considered accomplishments after a 1-7 start and losses in the first three conference games. Wins over Idaho and Arkansas State and the narrow 24-17 loss at Arkansas gave Bustle's squad a big boost late in the season.

"If you judge it by wins and losses, we didn't accomplish what we wanted," he said. "But I feel a lot better about the foundation of our program now. We really didn't know what to expect going in and we were very inconsistent early.

"Saturday would have been a heck of a finish, but we've got to take the positive things and build on that."

The first step in that building is through recruiting, and Bustle said that his staff is looking at signing 22 players in this year's signing period. He said that three of the maximum of 25 scholarships are being held for a threesome that were Proposition 48 absences last year and are expected to be eligible to play next fall.

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In addition, he said that the Cajuns have as many as 10 to 12 scholarship spots reserved for mid-term junior college transfers and players from the current squad who could be added to the scholarship rolls. Mid-term juco signees count against the previous year's maximum numbers and would not affect the spring totals.

"We're going to go heavily after defensive linemen, offensive linemen and defensive backs," Bustle said. "Those are all our top needs, that's where we take the biggest hit. We'll dip into the JC's for some of that, but the bulk of what we sign will be high school kids. I've given our coaches certain numbers at each position that we'll aim at."

The recruiting efforts will be based in Louisiana and Texas, as well as the junior college circuits in Texas, Mississippi and Kansas. But Bustle said it won't be limited to that if the opportunity presents itself.

"We're telling these kids to make their decisions on what this program's going to be, not where it's been," he said.

Meanwhile, the returning players on the Cajun squad began their off-season program Monday under strength and conditioning coach Brad Ohrt. That program will hit full stride next week when the players return from a Thanksgiving break.

"We're starting right away," Bustle said of the out-of-season workouts. "We're going to make the greatest commitment ever in the off-season program. I really think that's where you get better as a football team."

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<blockquote><p align=justify><b>Cajuns get fifth football commitment</b>
Advertisers-Dan McDonald

LAFAYETTE - Never was the saying "his future is ahead of him" more fitting than in Jason Guidry's case.

The 6-foot-3, 220-pound defensive end became the fifth verbal commitment to the UL Lafayette football program Monday, after experiencing his first and only year of high school football this past season.

"I just decided I wanted to play my senior year," said Guidry, who was part of a first-year program at Memorial High in Port Arthur, Texas. "I had played basketball for three years, and several of my friends and I decided to go out this season."

It turned out to be a good decision for Guidry, who started every game at defensive end for a program created with the consolidation of former Class 4A schools Thomas Jefferson and Lincoln and 2A member Stephen F. Austin. The consolidation created a Class 5A school that opened for the first time this fall.

Guidry finished with 67 tackles and five and one-half sacks during the season against a rugged District 22-5A schedule.

"He'd played basketball before," said Memorial head coach Dean Colbert, "He's a tremendous athlete, but he also became a tremendous student of the game. He learned so much in the spring, and he went out there and played full speed every play. That's what caught people's eye."

It caught the eye of Ragin' Cajun assistant coach Brian Jenkins, who saw some of the new school's spring drills.

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"Coach Jenkins saw me in the spring, and he sent me mail every week from then on," Guidry said. "I was being recruited some by other schools and I thought maybe other offers would come, but when I thought about it they were the first people to really recruit me and the first to offer me."

Guidry helped Memorial to a 5-4 inaugural year, and the squad was in a three-way tie for a playoff berth in their first season.

"It's a shame he didn't play all those years," said Colbert. "I think he's a steal. He's got a very bright future. He's always upbeat, always encouraging to be around because of his attitude. We had some adversity this year, and he was the guy that would get us back up and going."

Guidry is the third prep defensive player to commit to the Cajuns, joining St. Thomas More linebacker-defensive end Mark Risher and defensive back Marcus Ross of Houston-Sterling. UL Lafayette head coach Rickey Bustle has also received commitments from tight end Chad Beck of Woodville, Texas, and offensive lineman Zack Leger of Baton Rouge-Bishop Sullivan.

Guidry attended the UAB game, which the Cajuns won 34-0 in a rainstorm to give Bustle his first career victory.

"I could tell it was going to become a top-notch program," he said. "I was just hoping the weather wouldn't be like that all the time."
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