“We are absolutely thrilled to identify a head football coach with the experience and success that Billy Napier brings to the University of Louisiana,” UL athletic director Bryan Maggard said in a statement issued Friday afternoon. Wochit
A heavily recruited defensive lineman who has been offered by multiple SEC schools plans to visit UL in advance of the NCAA’s Feb. 7 National Signing Day.
Emmit Gooden’s plans to meet with the Ragin’ Cajuns have not changed despite the fact the battle to sign him has heated up lately with plenty of SEC attention.
“I will be down this weekend,” Gooden told The Daily Advertiser on Monday via direct Twitter message.
The 6-foot-4, 305-pounder from Independence (Kansas) Community College has been committed at various times to Mississippi State and Arkansas, which he decommitted from last November.
Gooden also was offered last November by Arizona State, where new UL head coach Billy Napier was offensive coordinator in 2017.
Napier’s and the Cajuns’ new defensive line coach is Rory Segrest, who previously was Arkansas’ d-line coach.
More: Billy Napier introduced as new UL football coach
Related: New Cajuns assistant Segrest has SEC, NFL experience
On Monday, Gooden also tweeted that he had just been offered by Tennessee, and VolQuest.com/Rivals.com reported that the Tennessee native, who originally committed to the Volunteers in 2014, “will take an official visit to Tennessee on Feb. 2.”
He’s a product of Haywood High in Brownsville, Tennessee.
Gooden also tweeted that he was offered last Friday by Florida, and GatorCountry.com reported in a story published Monday that he said he was “in the process of setting up a visit now so that I can fly out see them.”
Gooden has a prior relationship with new Florida head coach Dan Mullen and other Gator assistants because Mullen’s old school, Mississippi State, was recruiting him.
His brother is former NBA player Jarvis Varnado, who played at Mississippi State.
Related: After leaving Nevada, STM product joins UL football team
Knight visited
Among those visiting UL last weekend was Tylan Knight, a product of Pearl High in Mississippi — the same Jackson-area school that produced current Cajuns running back Jordan Wright.
Tweeted Knight on Sunday: “Had fun on my official visit!!!”
According to The (Jackson) Clarion-Ledger, the undersized Knight — just 5-7 — is an "athlete" who played at linebacker, defensive back, running back, receiver, quarterback and on special teams for Pearl and scored the game-winning touchdown in last season’s Mississippi Class 6A state-title game.
He was co-MVP of the prestigious Mississippi-Alabama All-Star Game in December, and was named Mississippi’s 6A co-Player of the Year.
According to a recent Clarion-Ledgder story, Knight also has offers from Central Arkansas, Northern Colorado, Jackson State and Alabama State.
More: UL recruiting football weekend yields Magee commitment
Cajuns offer McCaskill
Holmes (Mississippi) Community College linebacker Lorenzo McCaskill tweeted Sunday that he was “Blessed to receive an offer from Louisiana Lafayette.”
The product of Southfield High in Michigan spurned a late offer from Michigan State and originally signed with Cincinnati last year, but he wound up going the juco route instead.
McCaskill received offers late last month from both Ole Miss and Kent State, but tweeted at the time that he did not plan to sign during the NCAA’s early signing period “because I still have offers coming in.”
Lumpkin gets MAC offer
Hutchinson (Kansas) Community College tight end Johnny Lumpkin picked up an offer from Bowling Green of the MAC late last week — one day after he was offered by the Cajuns.
Lumpkin is a product of Douglass High in Atlanta.
Thompson hired
The Cajuns on Monday revealed the hiring of Joshua Thompson as their “director of recruiting and football logistics.”
Thompson previously was a recruiting assistant at Texas A&M, where he earned both his bachelor’s degree and his master’s in sports management.
Related: UL offer too good for recruiting coordinator Leger to pass up