Sun Belt West: Can Anyone Unseat Louisiana at the Top?
The Ragin' Cajuns have dominated the West Division, but will that come to an end in 2025?
Is 2025 The Year of the Breakout in the Sun Belt West?
For the last several years, the East Division has been the bar room brawl, while the West has been comfortably controlled by Louisiana, and to a lesser extent Troy. This year, though, Texas State, Arkansas State, and South Alabama all have their eyes set on dethroning their rivals in Lafayette. The West looks like it could be incredibly dynamic this season, a true win for college football fans.
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Arkansas State Red Wolves
2024 in Review
Have yourself a year, Red Wolves! Not only did Arkansas State get their touchdown waterfall into the CFB25 video game, they enter the 2025 season riding the momentum of their first winning campaign and bowl victory since 2019. Butch Jones had worked hard to build something in Jonesboro, and we’re finally seeing the dividends. Now in his fifth year, Jones aims to build upon their 8-5 record from 2024, which included a 38–31 win over Bowling Green in the 68 Ventures Bowl.
Key storylines
All eyes will be on third year QB Jaylen Raynor. Entering his junior season, Raynor has been a dynamic force for the Red Wolves. In 2024, he threw for 2,783 yards and 16 touchdowns while adding 387 rushing yards and 3 scores on the ground. He has 1,000+ receiver Corey Rucker back in the fold, along with newcomers JJ Harrell (Miss State) and Nana Burris (FIU).
Defensively, the Red Wolves are replacing a ton (122nd in returning production). New DC Griff McCarley was promoted from LBs coach a season ago. The Red Wolves ranked as one of the worst teams in the country and scoring and rushing defense, an area that McCarley hopes to improve right away with multiple front seven transfers like Gavin Ransaw (DL,Coastal), Quincy Wright (DL, UNT), Aaron Alexander (LB, Mich State), Daniel Demery (LB, Ole Miss), and many more.
“Must watch” game
Did you know Arkansas and Arkansas State have NEVER played each other? They will meet for the first time on September 6th in War Memorial Stadium (Little Rock, AR). Evidently, Arkansas’ athletic department had made it a point to not schedule other teams in the state. How about that?
Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns
2024 in Review
In many ways, 2024 was a success for the Ragin’ Cajuns of Louisiana. The Cajuns clinched the Sun Belt West Division title with a 7-1 conference record for the fifth time in the last six years. Ben Woolridge was exactly what UL needed at QB, they wracked up wins against rivals in App State, Coastal Carolina, Troy, and ULM, and made another in the Sun Belt Championship Game. Unfortunately, the good times came to a screeching halt with a 31-3 loss to Marshall in the conference title game and a 34-3 defeat against TCU in the New Mexico Bowl.
Key storylines
There’s a new sheriff in town at QB…except he’s a familiar face. Lafayette native Walker Howard (Ole Miss, LSU) comes back home to pilot the Ragin’ Cajuns offense in 2025. He’s joined by fellow Boot native WR Shelton Samson Jr (LSU). Add in productive RB Zylan Perry and a veteran group up front, and the Cajun offense could be a whole bunch of fun again (30+ ppg in ‘24).
The defense ranks 83rd in returning production, per the SP+, and will look to improve on their 56th ranked scoring defense from a season ago. Sack artists Cameron Whitfield (6.0 in ‘24) and Jordan Lawson (5.5 in ‘24) both return to hunt off the edge, while the secondary adds new faces like Curley Reed III (Wash) to try and sneak their passing defense inside the top 30.
“Must watch” game
UL was run off their own field in the Sun Belt Championship game last season. They’ve got a chance to return the favor on September 27th when Marshall comes back to Cajun Field. No, it’s not even close to the same Marshall team, but it could be a cathartic win all the same.
ULM Warhawks
2024 in Review
Year one under Bryan Vincent was objectively a step in the right direction, despite the heartbreaking way it ended. After starting the year 5-1 (yes, that really happened) They lost their next six games to miss the program’s first bowl game since 2012. One score losses to Marshall and Arkansas State were the closest they came to that elusive sixth win, but it does give fans a lot to hope for under Vincent’s leadership.
Key storylines
QB Aiden Armenta threw for almost 1300 yards last season and cemented himself as the starter over General Booty (portal) and Hunter Herring. He and Herring are back for another year, but they’ll need to find a new star running back to balance the load. Ahmad Hardy ran for 1351 yards and promptly transferred to the SEC to play for Missouri. Jake Godfrey and Tyler Griffin return in the receiving corps, while the Warhawks return four of their five presumed starters along the offensive line.
Expect the defensive line to be a strength for the Warhawks with three seniors anchoring the line of scrimmage. The law firm of Hamlin, Howell, and Wells will look to pair the linebackers (3-4 system) to stop the run, something they struggled with last year. If they can do that, the defense might feel incredibly well balanced after they finished 22nd in passing defense last season. Despite low SP+ totals (116th), the Warhawks aren’t as far away from a bowl game and beyond as one might think.
“Must watch” game
ULM beat Troy last year, 13-9. They welcome the Trojans to Monroe this year and I’d like to see if the Warhawks can make it two in a row, especially given the comeback trail that I’m hoping the Trojans find themselves on. It should be a good measure of ULM’s run prevention.
South Alabama Jaguars
2024 in Review
Remember when Gio Lopez led South Alabama to 87 points against Northwestern State? Good times, good times. Major Applewhite led the Jags to a 7-6 record, including a 30-23 win over Western Michigan in their bowl game. True to Applewhite’s MO, the Jaguars had a top 20 scoring offense to the tune of over 34 points per game.
Key storylines
Unfortunately, the Jags were absolutely slammed by the transfer portal. USA lost 36 players, including star QB Gio Lopez to North Carolina. The Jags brought in over 20 new faces in response, including poaching QB Zach Pyron from Minnesota in the spring window. LB Caleb Dozier (Georgia Tech) and Edge Tre’Mon Henry (Southern Miss) join deep units in the front seven, while Anthony Brown (Purdue) and Dallas Young (Arkansas) are new faces amongst the presumed starters in the back end.
Can the Jags get it done on the ground again? The Jags finished 22nd in rushing yards a season ago thanks to Fluff Bothwell (Miss State), but will now be tasked with replacing over 900 yards of total offense. Fortunately, Kentrel Bullock also rushed for 800+ yards last year. It will be his backfield this year next to Pyron.
“Must watch” game
The Jaguars take on Tulane in the second game of the year, providing a fascinating test for both programs. With so many new faces at key positions, we’ll learn a lot about both squads early on.
Southern Miss Golden Eagles
2024 in Review
2024 was an unbridled disaster for Southern Miss. A 1-11 record saw the dismissal of Will Hall and an entire renovation in Hattiesburg. The Golden Eagles were in the headlines this offseason, however, as they hired Sun Belt champ Charles Huff away from Marshall after a contract dispute. Huff promptly took a massive chunk of the Thundering Herd’s roster with him, leading us to wonder if we should call them the Southern Marshall Golden Thundering Eagles Herd. Thoughts?
Key storylines
By my count, Southern Miss has welcomed a whopping 39 new transfers to campus, completely overhauling the roster. In fact, Ourlads projects new starters at 9 of 11 positions on offense and at least 6 of 11 on defense. Several of those transfers are from Marshall, of course, so names like QB Braylon Braxton, WRs Elijah Metcalf and Carl Chester, DT Isaiah Gibson, and CB Josh Moten are all too familiar to Huff.
Overall, we’re excited to see the reset button get hit for Southern Miss. Huff brings recent success and a locker room full of players that love playing for him. The Golden Eagles deserve to be a program that contends on a weekly basis in the Sun Belt. While 2025 is truly “wait and see” mode, we like their trajectory.
“Must watch” game
Hosting Jacksonville State on Sept 27th should be a game that tells us a lot about two programs who have had to hit the reset button this offseason. With new staff and rosters, we’ll be using this game as a barometer for progress in year one.
Texas State Bobcats
2024 in Review
The #TakeBackTexas movement kept rolling along last year under GJ Kinne to an 8-5 record and a bowl win over North Texas. No, the Bobcats didn’t reach their goals of winning the Sun Belt or being a playoff dark horse, but Texas State continued to solidify their brand as one of the most up-and-coming G5 programs. Kinne achieved the first back-to-back winning seasons in San Marcos since the 08-09 seasons.
Key storylines
Jordan McCloud is gone, but the fun doesn’t stop at the QB position for the Cats. Nate Yarnell (Pitt) and Holden Geriner (Auburn) are expected to take their battle into fall camp. As of writing this preview, Gervani McCoy (Or St) had transferred in and spent the Spring with Texas State, but decided to “test the waters”. It remains to be seen if he will stay or leave.*
*Editor’s note: Gervani McCoy has since transferred to Temple to battle for QB1 of the Owls.
The WR room has reloaded in San Marcos. WR Chirs Dawn Jr had over 400 yards receiving and six touchdowns last year. He’ll be joined by Tyrin Smith (Cincy) and Marvin Anderson (Cal) as the primary weapons as the offense looks to repeat as a top 10 (7th) scoring offense in the country.
Conversely, the defense aims to level up from an average record of points prevention. They’ve added depth along the defensive line and in the secondary, but we’re most excited to see the LB group take a jump forward. Terrance Cooks (TCU) and Chantz Johnson (A&M) will be the names to know throughout the season.
“Must watch” game
We’re cheating here by naming the road games at UTSA and at Arizona State, but it’s our preview so mind your business. The Cats vaporized the Roadrunners at home last year, while they lost a classic to Arizona State. Act II, for both opponents, should be a fun watch.
Troy Trojans
2024 in Review
Most of us expected Troy to take a step back in Gerad Parker’s first year, but the 4-8 mark was beyond disappointing. Troy started a dismal 1-7 before winning three of their final four to give a slight glimmer of hope heading into 2025. Troy’s primary issue was a lack of offense for the first half of the year. They found some progress in the second half when the fewest points scored in a game was 28.
Key storylines
Parker will be under a lot of pressure in year two to show marked improvement. With new faces up and down the offensive lineup, they’ll need to reaffirm their offensive identity on the ground behind a trio of young running backs.
On the defensive side of the ball, the biggest upgrades came on the back end. Troy welcomed safeties David Daniel-Sisanvanh (UGA) and Steven Sannieniola (Vandy), as well as a pair of new corners from the FCS and DII. Locking down the secondary against conference opponents who continue to upgrade at QB will be key for Troy to get back to reaching the SBC title game.
There are not a lot of breaks on the schedule for the Trojans. We’re curious to see how Troy stands up to a loaded schedule that includes Clemson, Memphis, and Buffalo. The Trojans could likely take more positives away from their week-to-week progression outside of just wins and losses.
“Must watch” game
The game at Buffalo (Sept 20th) will be a great test for the Trojans. Buffalo is expected to be a favorite in the MAC, but the Trojans could certainly play spoiler if the running game and defense travel well.
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