Inside The Birdcage - It's A (Virtual) Great Weekend
Jay Walker details the journeys of three Ragin' Cajuns as they reach graduation
Jay Walker, Special to RaginCajuns.com
It isn’t what the seniors had envisioned. And, it certainly is different from anything the University has ever experienced.
But, it’s (virtual) commencement weekend.
And for 37 Cajun student-athletes, they’ve achieved the finish line and their reward is their undergraduate degree. While they won’t have the ceremony most seniors get, they’ll have their diplomas.
I caught up with three of them to talk about their experience as a student-athlete at Louisiana.
JARROD “BAM” JACKSON - FOOTBALL - RESERVE, LOUISIANA - MAJOR: PSYCHOLOGY
For this Ragin' Cajuns wide receiver, the celebration has already begun.
“My mom had a surprise for me,” said the 23-year-old who spent five years on the Louisiana campus. “There was a drive-by celebration. Lots of my friends and family had a motorcade down my street with presents and stuff. I wasn’t expecting that at all.”
He wasn’t expecting the latest surprise in his football career, either.
“We were doing seven-on-seven drills here during the spring and I was going up against (Detroit Lions DB) Tracy Walker. I made a cut, but my knee didn’t make it. I tore my ACL.”
That meant balancing rehabilitation with academics. And, in retrospect, Jackson said he could have done a better job in that regard.
But, the fifth-year senior has a degree in psychology.
“I actually started in engineering. But I took a psychology class and really liked it so I changed my major. I think that’s going to help me a lot in what I do in the future.”
And, what about that future?
“I’d love to keep playing, but I’m not going to give up football. If I’m not a player, I’ll be a coach. And, that degree is going to help in my relationship with players.”
What he learned on the field will help as well.
“My position coaches (Jorge Munoz, Michael Desormeaux, Tim Leger) all taught me about mental toughness, accountability and attention to detail. I’ll be able to pass that along as a coach."
ASHLEY NEWLAND - SOCCER - FOLSOM, CALIFORNIA - MAJOR: BUSINESS MANAGEMENT
The 2019 season was a new beginning for Ashley Newland.
After logging just 299 minutes in the 2018 season, Newland found new head coach Lance Key’s philosophy to her liking. She started all 18 contests and logged 1,179 minutes on the pitch, helping the Ragin' Cajuns to their first-ever Sun Belt Conference Tournament win.
“Coach Key really knows the game,” Newland said. “He does a great job of playing to each player’s strengths. He put everyone in position to excel and made everyone earn what they got. It was the most fun I’ve ever had playing soccer.”
Academically, the 22-year-old has finished school. But she’s not finished with the game she loves.
Newton took a medical redshirt after her freshman season, and still has a year of eligibility remaining after finishing her degree in four years.
“I really didn’t know what I wanted to do when I got here (to Louisiana) as far as a major was concerned. But I talked it over with my parents and they thought I could excel in business. I’ve got an interest in marketing, as well, and I’ll be working on my MBA in the fall.”
When the pandemic hit, Newton stayed in Lafayette for a bit, but recently went back to Folsom, not far from the California capital of Sacramento.
“I didn’t want to fly home at the beginning of the pandemic. But I couldn’t get much done, training-wise here, so it was time for me to go home for a while.”
She believes the timing was just right.
“There were quite a bit of people flying,” she said, “But I had a row all to myself. It was a little strange with everyone wearing masks. The flight attendants handed out snacks in baggies. Everything was sanitized.”
It took Newton longer than expected to reach her hometown because of flight delays going from Lafayette to Atlanta to Salt Lake City and then home. And, she’s home in time to see things start to open up, economy-wise.
Newton is doing what she can to stay in shape. She says she misses the weight room, however.
With her senior season approaching, Newton knows more will be expected of her as a leader.
“You can’t ask anyone to do anything you aren’t willing to do yourself. I’ll lead vocally, but I’ll also lead by example.”
And, she thinks the best is yet to come for Ragin’ Cajuns Soccer.
“We played well at the end of the season, but I don’t think we’ve scratched the surface of how good we can be. In Year Two with Coach Lance, we’ll all know what is expected of us. I honestly believe we can be an NCAA Tournament team in 2020.”
GAVIN BOURGEOIS - BASEBALL - CHURCH POINT, LOUISIANA - MAJOR: INSURANCE/RISK MANAGEMENT
It wasn’t the finish Gavin Bourgeois had hoped for.
After coming to what he said was “the place I had always wanted to be,” Bourgeois had a solid junior season in 2018, batting .311 with 38 RBI and 22 stolen bases. He was primed for a big senior season in 2019.
But 13 games into the season, it all changed.
“We were playing Maryland, and I was trying to beat out a ground ball. I tripped over the first baseman and landed on my shoulder. I was able to throw and play the rest of the game. But the next day I couldn’t do much with it and an MRI showed the labrum was torn.”
Being injured wasn’t new to Bourgeois, however. He delayed his entry into college by a year after injuring his elbow his senior season at Notre Dame High School.
He had surgery and traveled the difficult road of rehab for the rest of the 2019 season. But, he said the shoulder never completely healed.
Then last July, Louisiana Baseball suffered tragedy with the death of longtime head coach Tony Robichaux. Bourgeois not only had to rehabilitate his shoulder, but he needed healing emotionally, as well.
“It was so hard losing a coach that cared so much about you, and not just about baseball. But it was great that they brought Coach Deggs in,” Bourgeois said. “Coach has said it many times, he believes Coach Robe saved his life. He knew what we were going through because he was going through it, too.”
Although not 100-percent healthy, Bourgeois was ready for another chance in 2020. The chance lasted exactly seventeen games.
“It was very hard to hear the season wouldn’t resume. We were just finding our groove as a team. We had put in a new system in a short period of time and got off to a tough start.” Bourgeois admitted he shed tears over the season being cancelled.
But there was still the matter of finishing school.
“I wanted to major in something other than business,” Bourgeois said. “Classes at LSU-E helped me make a decision.”
“I really wanted my college degree and it feels great to be finished. Robe preached it. That’s what you work for, getting a degree. Playing baseball is the plus that comes with it.”
The NCAA has ruled that seniors in spring sports can get relief, eligibility-wise, but Bourgeois says he’s done. He’s already six years removed from high school and will be 25 years old this fall.
“My teammates were calling me Paw,” he laughed. “I’m happy with my career, but it’s time for me to go.”
