Ragin’ Cajuns Football Loses Two Recruits, Adds One JUCO

Recruiting is the name of the game in college football. You can’t win if you don’t have talent.

The Ragin’ Cajuns coaching staff have been hard at work this offseason, trying to plug holes in a ship they’re hoping will see smoother seas this upcoming fall. This year’s recruiting class is full of “big time” talent, as Head Coach Mark Hudspeth likes to say, and the team actually signed a couple extra players. That ended up being a wise move because two recruits encountered a two word demon: academic ineligibility.

Offensive Lineman Randon Haynes (6’3”-330 lbs) and defensive back Edward Hayes (6’3”, 200 lbs) were tantalizing talents, but The Advertiser’s Tim Buckley reported they couldn’t make the cut in the classroom.

There’s no need dangling all Haynes and Hayes’ skills in front of you, Cajun Nation. Coach Hud and his staff gushed about both recruits on signing day, but this stuff happens in recruiting. All you can do is move on from what could have been.

Luckily for the Cajuns, the recruiting cycle never ends.

One of the things the Cajuns need to address is their approach against the pass, and according to The Advocate, they locked down a possible solution from the junior college ranks for the 2017 class.

Linebacker/safety Julius Perkins (6’3”-210 lbs) overcame a car accident earlier in his football career, and he battled through a couple more injuries at Blinn Community College in Texas to earn an offer from the Ragin’ Cajuns. His SAT scores kept him from playing Division-I football out of high school, but he’s on his way to Lafayette to find a role on the Cajun defense now. He's a hybrid defender with athleticism and burst, which gives Melvin Smith and Charlie Harbison options on the defensive side of the ball.

Football season is a few months away, but that doesn’t mean you can’t start getting excited. Two young men are looking for a new football home, and another is finally getting his chance at the highest level of collegiate athletics. Welcome Julius to Lafayette when he gets here, Cajun Nation, and wish Haynes and Hayes well in the future.