University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Four Ragin’ Cajuns Earn Preseason Honors from Street & Smith’s
7/29/2020 6:32:00 PM | Football
Dillon, Hill, Mitchell and Byrns recognized ahead of the 2020 football season
LAFAYETTE – Four Ragin' Cajuns earned a spot on Street & Smith's Preseason All-Sun Belt First Team, the national publication announced on Wednesday afternoon.
Elijah Mitchell, Rhys Byrns, Joe Dillon and Zi'Yon Hill, who have all earned preseason honors from numerous publications throughout the summer, represent Louisiana's selections on the magazine's annual list.
Mitchell, who was picked up a spot on the Doak Walker Award Preseason Watch List and was named the Preseason Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Year by Athlon Sports, was a huge part in the group's success a year ago after he galloped for 1,147 yards and 16 touchdowns.
His yardage total ranked fourth in the Sun Belt and made him just the sixth player in program history to eclipse the 1,000-yard mark, while his touchdown total ranked 11th nationally. On the year, he notched five, 100-yard games and four multi-touchdown games.
Mitchell's best performance came at Ohio on Sept. 21, 2019, when he toted the ball 17 times for 143 yards and three touchdowns before earning Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Week honors. He finished the year with Second Team All-Conference honors.
Byrns, who also picked up national recognition by being one of 19 punters named to the Ray Guy Award Preseason Watch List, punted in 12 of the team's 14 contests in 2019, Byrns boasted the highest punt average in the conference (44.2) and was one of four punters in the league to produce a boot of 70 or more yards. His average broke the single season school record in that category, topping the previous record of 42.9 set by Daniel Cadona in 2014.
Of his 45 attempts, Byrns placed 16 balls inside the 20-yard line, accounting for 35.6% of his total punts, while he sent eight balls longer than 50 yards.
After missing all of 2018 with an injury, Dillon had a great comeback season in 2019, tallying 8.0 sacks, 10.5 tackles-for-loss and 45 tackles to claim Second Team All-Sun Belt Conference honors. Dillon, who has 19.5 career sacks, will likely break the all-time Ragin' Cajuns sacks record this fall, which is currently held by Jeff Mitchell and Christian Ringo (21.0).
Hill will also have a big impact in 2020 after finishing the team's historic 2019 campaign ranked fourth on the team in total tackles (53) to go along with 2.5 sacks and two fumble recoveries. He finished the season with Second Team All-Sun Belt Conference honors.
Louisiana Football opens the 2020 campaign on Saturday, September 5, when it welcomes in-state foe McNeese State to Cajun Field.
Should disruptions or modifications to the 2020 season occur due to the coronavirus, the Department of Athletics will quickly communicate plans to fans and season ticket holders regarding accommodations for pre-purchased tickets.
More information can be obtained by calling the Louisiana Athletics Ticket Office at the Cajundome, (337) 265-2170. For information on parking passes, contact RCAF by phone at (337) 851-2903.
Follow the Ragin' Cajuns on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram (@RaginCajunsFB) to stay up-to-date on Louisiana Football.
Elijah Mitchell, Rhys Byrns, Joe Dillon and Zi'Yon Hill, who have all earned preseason honors from numerous publications throughout the summer, represent Louisiana's selections on the magazine's annual list.
Mitchell, who was picked up a spot on the Doak Walker Award Preseason Watch List and was named the Preseason Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Year by Athlon Sports, was a huge part in the group's success a year ago after he galloped for 1,147 yards and 16 touchdowns.
His yardage total ranked fourth in the Sun Belt and made him just the sixth player in program history to eclipse the 1,000-yard mark, while his touchdown total ranked 11th nationally. On the year, he notched five, 100-yard games and four multi-touchdown games.
Mitchell's best performance came at Ohio on Sept. 21, 2019, when he toted the ball 17 times for 143 yards and three touchdowns before earning Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Week honors. He finished the year with Second Team All-Conference honors.
Byrns, who also picked up national recognition by being one of 19 punters named to the Ray Guy Award Preseason Watch List, punted in 12 of the team's 14 contests in 2019, Byrns boasted the highest punt average in the conference (44.2) and was one of four punters in the league to produce a boot of 70 or more yards. His average broke the single season school record in that category, topping the previous record of 42.9 set by Daniel Cadona in 2014.
Of his 45 attempts, Byrns placed 16 balls inside the 20-yard line, accounting for 35.6% of his total punts, while he sent eight balls longer than 50 yards.
After missing all of 2018 with an injury, Dillon had a great comeback season in 2019, tallying 8.0 sacks, 10.5 tackles-for-loss and 45 tackles to claim Second Team All-Sun Belt Conference honors. Dillon, who has 19.5 career sacks, will likely break the all-time Ragin' Cajuns sacks record this fall, which is currently held by Jeff Mitchell and Christian Ringo (21.0).
Hill will also have a big impact in 2020 after finishing the team's historic 2019 campaign ranked fourth on the team in total tackles (53) to go along with 2.5 sacks and two fumble recoveries. He finished the season with Second Team All-Sun Belt Conference honors.
Louisiana Football opens the 2020 campaign on Saturday, September 5, when it welcomes in-state foe McNeese State to Cajun Field.
Should disruptions or modifications to the 2020 season occur due to the coronavirus, the Department of Athletics will quickly communicate plans to fans and season ticket holders regarding accommodations for pre-purchased tickets.
More information can be obtained by calling the Louisiana Athletics Ticket Office at the Cajundome, (337) 265-2170. For information on parking passes, contact RCAF by phone at (337) 851-2903.
Follow the Ragin' Cajuns on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram (@RaginCajunsFB) to stay up-to-date on Louisiana Football.
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