Wes Neighbors to Join UL Football Staff

The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns will apparently be adding a new face to their coaching staff during the 2021 college football season.

Wes Neighbors, who spent last season as the safeties coach at South Florida, is reportedly joining coach Billy Napier's staff as a defensive assistant.

Napier, who was an assistant coach at Alabama from 2013-2016, is very familiar with Neighbors, as the latter worked as an off the field graduate assistant, defensive graduate assistant, and defensive analyst during the same time for the Crimson Tide.

A former college football player at Alabama, Neighbors played safety from 2008-20011, helping the Crimson Tide to BCS National Championships in 2009 and 2011.

Neighbors began his coaching career as an Alabama student assistant, before serving as an off-field graduate assistant, a defensive intern, a defensive graduate assistant, and as a defensive analyst, helping the Crimson Tide to three national titles (2012, 2015, and 2017).

In 2018 and 2019, Neighbors worked as the safeties coach at FAU, before moving to USF for the 2020 campaign.

The specific duties for Neighbors are unknown, only that he will join the staff as a defensive assistant.

Patrick Toney, UL's defensive coordinator, also handled the responsibilities of safeties coach last season, while LaMar Morgan coached the cornerbacks.

Staff reshuffling is always a possibility though.

Louisiana, who was ranked number 15 in the final Associated Press poll, finished the 2020 season with an overall record of 10-1, including a 31-24 win over UTSA in the First Responder Bowl, a triumph that extended their win streak to seven games to end the season.

The 2020 season followed a 2019 campaign in which the Cajuns won 11 games, a school record.