Michael Desormeaux isn’t going anywhere. ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported on Monday that the Louisiana coach agreed to a five-year deal running through 2029 to remain with the Ragin’ Cajuns. Terms of the deal were not immediately released.
Louisiana (10-3) made it to the Sun Belt Championship Game, which they dropped against the Marshall Thundering Herd. Its two regular season losses were by a total of 10 points.
The Ragin’ Cajuns have reached the postseason in each of Desormeaux’s three years at the helm and have become one of the most consistent teams in the Sun Belt Conference.
They will play the TCU Horned Frogs (8-4) at the New Mexico Bowl on Dec. 28 on ESPN. This will be the Cajuns’ sixth consecutive season going to a bowl game. Under Desormeaux, Louisiana has a 1-2 record in bowl games.
Who is Michael Desormeaux, the successful head coach at the University of Louisiana?
Ever since his youth, Michael Desormeaux has been linked to the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns. He played college football at the school, where he passed for 3,893 yards and 23 touchdowns. He also ran for 2,843 yards and 16 scores and was named All-Sun Belt three times.
It's no coincidence then that Desormeraux, who grew up in nearby New Iberia in the heart of Cajun country, began his coaching career in Lafayette. He joined Mark Hudspeth’s staff as a position coach in 2016. However, it would be under Billy Napier that he would jump up the ranks.
While Hudspeth had a successful run at Louisiana, it was Napier who turned the Ragin’ Cajuns into perennial contenders. After he left in 2021 to join the Florida Gators, Michael Desormeaux took over and he hasn’t looked back.
The Cajuns won that year’s New Orleans Bowl over Marshall. Since then, he has a 23-17 record and has led the Ragin’ Cajuns to bowl appearances in each of his three years at the helm.
The 2024 season has been the best of the bunch. Louisiana jumped out to a 9-1 start, dropping an eight-point game at Tulane. During the streak, they also beat Power Four opponent Wake Forest on the road.
The Cajuns lost only one conference game (24-22 to South Alabama). They played the Sun Belt Championship Game at home but were defeated by Marshall 31-3.
The program has had only three head coaches since 2011, when Hudspeth took over from Rickey Bustle. All of the school's 12 Division I bowl berths have landed during that period.
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