University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
@RaginCajunsFB Take New Orleans At Sun Belt Media Day
7/24/2018 3:00:00 PM | Football
NEW ORLEANS – Louisiana Football head coach Billy Napier, junior offensive linemen Robert Hunt and senior safety Corey Turner made an important stop on the journey towards the 2018 football season when the group attended the 2018 Sun Belt Conference Media Day at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on Monday, July 23.
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The real fun began after as Coach Napier, Hunt and Turner all took their places at their respective podiums, with Coach Napier participating in a 45-minute question and answer session. The leader of the Ragin' Cajuns then appeared live on ESPN3 to discuss the prospects of the upcoming season.
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The day rolled along with all three Ragin' Cajuns bouncing from interview to interview until lunchtime. The day finally wrapped with a live appearance for Hunt with Sun Belt Conference Director of Digital and Social Media Whitney Haworth on Sun Belt Conference Live.
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The Ragin' Cajuns will practice throughout the month of August in preparation for their season and home opener against Grambling on Sept. 1.
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GET THOSE TICKETS THE SEASON STARTS SOON: Louisiana's season opener is growing extremely close on the calendar, with Grambling visiting Cajun Field on Saturday, Sept. 1. Fans are encouraged to join Coach Napier and the Ragin' Cajuns at Cajun Field not just on Sept. 1, but for all six 2018 home games. Tickets are on sale now.
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Both season and individual tickets for the 2018 Louisiana Football season can be bought at RaginCajuns.com/Tickets. Fans can also purchase tickets through the Louisiana Athletics Ticket Office at the Cajundome, by either visiting the office in person or by calling (337) 265-2357.
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QUOTEWORTHY:Â
Head Coach Billy Napier
Opening Statement:
"I'm honored and humbled to be here and represent the University of Louisiana, not only the university, but the community of Acadiana and certainly our football team and our staff. I hope everyone has had a quality summer. I know for us college football is a very seasonal career. We have enjoyed great times, Aly and the kids, my family and her family as well. I want to say thank you to the media, certainly. The media has done a great job covering the Sun Belt Conference and we continue to see the improvement in this conference, and I know we are excited about the future in terms of the Championship game and the division approach. We appreciate what you do for our football players. These players work extremely hard. It is truly a job for these players and they have worked really hard to put themselves in position and we appreciate the gratification that you give them when you recognize the hard work they have done."
Â
On Starting Camp:
"Media day means that training camp is here, and the season is right around the corner. It is exciting for us to be in New Orleans in our home state. We appreciate Karl Benson and the Sun Belt staff. We all know the improvement that the conference has made, the adjustment that Karl and his staff has made over time. The recent success the conference has had, I think it's a league that is full of quality coaches, it is a league that is on the rise. I am excited to be a part of this league as a first-year head coach, with the inaugural championship game and the east and west divisions."
Â
On the Makeup of the Team:
"I am excited about training camp as we get a chance to develop our team for the first time with all 110-130 players together. We have a lot of questions to answer such as to what type of identity team is this football team going to have and what our leadership will look like on the players' level. Those are a couple questions we, as a staff, have to answer. One thing that is evident is our fan base is passionate, have energy and they are excited. To go with that, we have a football team that is anxious to prove themselves."
Â
On the Quarterback Decision:
"The good thing about our situation is that we have two young men who can play winning football, Andre Nunez, a senior, and Levi Lewis, who is a sophomore, both have experience, and both have the skill set to be effective; some teams have insecurities about their positions, but we do not."
Â
Corey Turner, Sr., DB
On Coaching Transition:
"It was really easy because Coach Napier is really a player's coach. He listened to what we had to say, and the team just went from there."
Â
On the New Coaching Staff:
"There's some real intense coaching going on with the new staff. In fact, we've got more coaches on the staff then I can ever remember being here at Louisiana. That means that there is more individually focused coaching happening among the different positions."
Â
On Taking a Leadership Role on The Defense:
"I do not feel any pressure at all with taking the mantle as the leader of the defense. I'm just going to keep doing what I have to do to make my team better and I feel that I'm in this position for a reason. If I have to play a million snaps to get the team going, then that's what I'll do."
Â
Robert Hunt, Jr., OL
On the New Coaching Staff:
"Coach Napier put together a great coaching staff. Coach Mark Hocke has been working us all hard in the weight room, and we've all seen improvement and everyone on the team has dropped body fat, and they've been getting in better shape. Coaches Rob Sale and D.J. Looney have been great as my position coaches, they both know exactly what they're doing and how to get the best out of us."
Â
On Monday's During the Summer:
"We wake up early and have a team run, around six in the morning, to kick off our Mondays. Then around 8:30 in the morning we come back and hit the weight room for one of the team workouts. After breakfast we get a few hours off before returning to the complex for OTAs to complete a full day."
Â
On How Summer Workouts Have Been:
"It's just been a grind, a good grind, but it's definitely been a grind. We've consistently been hard at work all summer long, with a lot of conditioning and that's getting us ready for our first game on Sept. 1 against Grambling."
Â
On How the Team Has Been Bonding:
"Coach Hocke sits us down in meetings and we have family time where we get to know each other better as a team on a personal level. We each learn why we all want to be better teammates and how to do that by talking to each other. It helps us get to know each other better and gel together."
Â
FOLLOWING THE RAGIN' CAJUNS:Â Follow the Ragin' Cajuns on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook (@RaginCajunsFB) to stay up-to-date with Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns Football as the season nears closer every day.
Â
- #GEAUXCAJUNSÂ -
FULL DAY WITH THE PRESS: Coach Napier, Hunt and Turner were busy throughout the day, meeting with members of the media from across the country. The day started with breakfast that included a hearty plate of steak and eggs, followed by Sun Belt Conference Commissioner Karl Benson's State of the Sun Belt Address.Fresh #cULture ?? #GeauxCajuns ?? pic.twitter.com/rjUiGvJho9
— Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns® Football (@RaginCajunsFB) July 23, 2018
Â
The real fun began after as Coach Napier, Hunt and Turner all took their places at their respective podiums, with Coach Napier participating in a 45-minute question and answer session. The leader of the Ragin' Cajuns then appeared live on ESPN3 to discuss the prospects of the upcoming season.
Â
The day rolled along with all three Ragin' Cajuns bouncing from interview to interview until lunchtime. The day finally wrapped with a live appearance for Hunt with Sun Belt Conference Director of Digital and Social Media Whitney Haworth on Sun Belt Conference Live.
CAMP COMES KNOCKING:Â Media Day means that camp is less than two weeks away, with the report date set for Aug. 2 and the first day of camp on Aug. 3. This year's camp marks the true beginning of the first season at Louisiana for Coach Napier.? @coach_bnapier's first #SunBeltFB Media Day is complete!
— Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns® Football (@RaginCajunsFB) July 24, 2018
? Ready for Sept. 1, Louisiana fans? #GeauxCajuns ?? pic.twitter.com/50yeOkfdKC
Â
The Ragin' Cajuns will practice throughout the month of August in preparation for their season and home opener against Grambling on Sept. 1.
Â
GET THOSE TICKETS THE SEASON STARTS SOON: Louisiana's season opener is growing extremely close on the calendar, with Grambling visiting Cajun Field on Saturday, Sept. 1. Fans are encouraged to join Coach Napier and the Ragin' Cajuns at Cajun Field not just on Sept. 1, but for all six 2018 home games. Tickets are on sale now.
Â
Both season and individual tickets for the 2018 Louisiana Football season can be bought at RaginCajuns.com/Tickets. Fans can also purchase tickets through the Louisiana Athletics Ticket Office at the Cajundome, by either visiting the office in person or by calling (337) 265-2357.
Â
QUOTEWORTHY:Â
Head Coach Billy Napier
Opening Statement:
"I'm honored and humbled to be here and represent the University of Louisiana, not only the university, but the community of Acadiana and certainly our football team and our staff. I hope everyone has had a quality summer. I know for us college football is a very seasonal career. We have enjoyed great times, Aly and the kids, my family and her family as well. I want to say thank you to the media, certainly. The media has done a great job covering the Sun Belt Conference and we continue to see the improvement in this conference, and I know we are excited about the future in terms of the Championship game and the division approach. We appreciate what you do for our football players. These players work extremely hard. It is truly a job for these players and they have worked really hard to put themselves in position and we appreciate the gratification that you give them when you recognize the hard work they have done."
Â
On Starting Camp:
"Media day means that training camp is here, and the season is right around the corner. It is exciting for us to be in New Orleans in our home state. We appreciate Karl Benson and the Sun Belt staff. We all know the improvement that the conference has made, the adjustment that Karl and his staff has made over time. The recent success the conference has had, I think it's a league that is full of quality coaches, it is a league that is on the rise. I am excited to be a part of this league as a first-year head coach, with the inaugural championship game and the east and west divisions."
Â
On the Makeup of the Team:
"I am excited about training camp as we get a chance to develop our team for the first time with all 110-130 players together. We have a lot of questions to answer such as to what type of identity team is this football team going to have and what our leadership will look like on the players' level. Those are a couple questions we, as a staff, have to answer. One thing that is evident is our fan base is passionate, have energy and they are excited. To go with that, we have a football team that is anxious to prove themselves."
Â
On the Quarterback Decision:
"The good thing about our situation is that we have two young men who can play winning football, Andre Nunez, a senior, and Levi Lewis, who is a sophomore, both have experience, and both have the skill set to be effective; some teams have insecurities about their positions, but we do not."
Â
Corey Turner, Sr., DB
On Coaching Transition:
"It was really easy because Coach Napier is really a player's coach. He listened to what we had to say, and the team just went from there."
Â
On the New Coaching Staff:
"There's some real intense coaching going on with the new staff. In fact, we've got more coaches on the staff then I can ever remember being here at Louisiana. That means that there is more individually focused coaching happening among the different positions."
Â
On Taking a Leadership Role on The Defense:
"I do not feel any pressure at all with taking the mantle as the leader of the defense. I'm just going to keep doing what I have to do to make my team better and I feel that I'm in this position for a reason. If I have to play a million snaps to get the team going, then that's what I'll do."
Â
Robert Hunt, Jr., OL
On the New Coaching Staff:
"Coach Napier put together a great coaching staff. Coach Mark Hocke has been working us all hard in the weight room, and we've all seen improvement and everyone on the team has dropped body fat, and they've been getting in better shape. Coaches Rob Sale and D.J. Looney have been great as my position coaches, they both know exactly what they're doing and how to get the best out of us."
Â
On Monday's During the Summer:
"We wake up early and have a team run, around six in the morning, to kick off our Mondays. Then around 8:30 in the morning we come back and hit the weight room for one of the team workouts. After breakfast we get a few hours off before returning to the complex for OTAs to complete a full day."
Â
On How Summer Workouts Have Been:
"It's just been a grind, a good grind, but it's definitely been a grind. We've consistently been hard at work all summer long, with a lot of conditioning and that's getting us ready for our first game on Sept. 1 against Grambling."
Â
On How the Team Has Been Bonding:
"Coach Hocke sits us down in meetings and we have family time where we get to know each other better as a team on a personal level. We each learn why we all want to be better teammates and how to do that by talking to each other. It helps us get to know each other better and gel together."
Â
FOLLOWING THE RAGIN' CAJUNS:Â Follow the Ragin' Cajuns on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook (@RaginCajunsFB) to stay up-to-date with Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns Football as the season nears closer every day.
Â
- #GEAUXCAJUNSÂ -
Players Mentioned
OL
/ Football
QB
/ Football
QB
/ Football
DB
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