The Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns have become a perennial Sun Belt challenger, but 2022 was a difficult season with significant upheaval impacting on field results. In his second college football season as the head coach, can Michael Desormeaux and his Louisiana coaching staff return the program to the summit of the Sun Belt?
Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns Coaching Staff
Head Coach, Michael Desormeaux
When Louisiana needed to find a replacement head coach for Billy Napier as he departed to the SEC, they didn’t have to look far. That’s not to say they didn’t look elsewhere, but as athletic director Dr. Bryan Maggard stated in his introductory presser, “Not only is Michael Desormeaux ready to be a head coach, but he is the right head coach for our program now.”
A perfect marriage of being in the right place at the right time led Desormeaux to his first head coaching role at the FBS level. But ultimately, the New Iberia native has Ragin’ Cajun blood coursing through his veins. Not only was he the right man for the job, but right now, he’s in the place he was almost always destined to be.
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While Napier was seen as the architect of recent Ragin’ Cajun success, Desormeaux is the poster boy for Louisiana’s offensive wizardry. As the program’s QB between 2005-2008, he set Louisiana records for single-season passer efficiency while being named to All-Sun Belt teams three times and Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Year once.
While he started his coaching career at his high school alma mater as the offensive coordinator and QB coach, and spent time as the head coach at Lafayette’s Ascension Episcopal School, the majority of his coaching career has been spent at Louisiana. Joining the program as the RB coach in 2016, he served as the TE coach for four years and OC for one before becoming the HC in 2022.
Offensive Coordinator, Tim Leger
After serving for four years on the Louisiana coaching staff, Tim Leger was promoted to offensive coordinator for the 2022 college football season under new head coach Desormeaux. In addition to his role guiding the offense, Leger continues to coach the Ragin’ Cajuns’ wide receiver room while also multitasking as the program’s recruiting coordinator.
Leger is no stranger to offensive success. As a QB at McNeese State, he led the Southland Conference in passing yards in 1996, also setting the school record for total offense per game. Meanwhile, he led the 1997 Cowboys to the FCS National Championship Game. Previously, he had been a fourth-round selection of the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 1992 MLB Draft.
Transitioning to coaching with his alma mater, he spent two seasons with the Cowboys as an assistant before having tremendous success as the offensive coordinator and QB coach at St. Thomas More High School. A return to McNeese began his college coaching career, the details of which can be found below.
- McNeese State (student assistant, 1999; graduate assistant, 2000; offensive coordinator and WR coach, 2007-2005)
- Louisiana-Monroe (WR coach and recruiting coordinator, 2016-2017)
- Louisiana (WR coach and recruiting coordinator, 2018-2021; OC, WR coach, and recruiting coordinator, 2022-2023)
Defensive Coordinator, LaMar Morgan
Another member of the Louisiana coaching staff with extensive ties to the Ragin’ Cajuns, LaMar Morgan returned to Lafayette in 2022 as the defensive coordinator under head coach Desormeaux. Additionally, the former standout safety coaches the program’s playmakers in the secondary as the safety coach, having previously worked with cornerbacks in multiple roles.
A four-year player for the Ragin’ Cajuns between 2003 and 2007, Morgan was a standout both on and off the field. On the field, he was a highly productive ballhawk who tallied four interceptions and nine pass breakups while excelling against SEC opposition such as Texas A&M. It was in that conference where he got his coaching break, working as a graduate assistant at Vanderbilt from 2012-2013.
His latest assignment at Louisiana is his second coaching stint with the Ragin’ Cajuns. Morgan worked with the program’s cornerbacks in 2019 and 2020, contributing to the success of players like Eric Garror and Mekhi Garner. After a year away from the program, he returned to continue his college coaching career. The full résumé of his coaching experience can be found below.
- Vanderbilt (graduate assistant, 2012-2013)
- Western Carolina (defensive backs coach, 2014-2015)
- Louisiana-Monroe (defensive backs coach, 2016-2017)
- Houston (safeties coach, 2018)
- Louisiana (CB coach, 2019-2020)
- Vanderbilt (CB coach, 2021)
- Louisiana (DC and safeties coach, 2022-2023)
Special Teams Coordinator, Luke Paschall
A former walk-on at Middle Tennessee, Luke Paschall has trodden a long and winding path to becoming the special teams coordinator on the Louisiana coaching staff. Beginning his coaching career as the WR coach at Mississippi Gulf Coast CC, he has spent time at Oklahoma State, Ole Miss, North Carolina, Arkansas State, and UMass, seeing success in every stint.
Tight End Coach, Jorge Munoz
Another member of the Louisiana coaching staff returning for another stint with the program, Jorge Munoz serves as the tight end coach and associate head coach.
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His previous roles for the Ragin’ Cajuns include QB and WR coach, and OC, while he spent time working with the 2019 national title-winning LSU team and was also the WR coach and passing game coordinator at Baylor.
Running Back Coach, Matt Bergeron
After originally joining the Louisiana coaching staff as a graduate assistant working with the WR room in 2018, Matt Bergeron was promoted to running back coach ahead of the 2022 college football season. He began his coaching career at his alma mater, Southern Miss, before spending two seasons with former Ragin’ Cajuns head coach Napier at Arizona State.
Cornerback Coach, Jeff Burris
A 10-year NFL veteran at CB, Jeff Burris joined the Louisiana coaching staff in 2021 to coach the Ragin’ Cajuns’ talented stable of ballhawks. He got his first coaching job with the Miami Dolphins before transitioning to the FBS level with Notre Dame in 2016. He has also spent time at Northern Iowa and Louisiana Tech, coaching future Super Bowl winner L’Jarius Snead.
Outside Linebacker Coach, Mike Giuliani
Another member of the Louisiana coaching staff with NFL experience, Mike Giuliani worked with the New York Jets and Buffalo Bills before landing his first college role at Arkansas. He was a graduate assistant at Louisville in 2018 before heading to Lafayette to work with the team’s inside linebackers. Giuliani was promoted to OLB coach ahead of the 2022 college campaign.
Offensive Line Coach, Bryant Ross
After upgrading the Tigers’ offensive line as the Grambling offensive line coach in 2021, Bryant Ross returned to the Louisiana coaching staff in the same role for the 2022 campaign. Ross worked with standout Ragin’ Cajuns such as Robert Hunt and Kevin Dotson during his first stint in Lafayette. He also spent time at West Hills, Central State, and Mississippi State.
Inside Linebacker Coach, Galen Scott
A three-time FCS All-American at Illinois State, Galen Scott began his coaching career with his alma mater before embarking on an impressive journey through Tulsa, Memphis, Virginia Tech, and North Texas, holding numerous roles including defensive coordinator. Scott joined the Louisiana coaching staff in 2021 as the inside linebacker coach, proving pivotal in Sun Belt success.
Defensive Line Coach, Dennis Thomas
A two-way player at South Carolina from 1997-2001, Dennis Thomas got his first college coaching role with the Gamecocks, learning the nuances of the game under legendary head coach Steve Spurrier. He took that experience to Western Carolina, Tusculum, and Gardner-Webb before joining the Louisiana coaching staff as the defensive line coach for the 2022 season.
