University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Louisiana UnLimited: The Cajuns Take Over New Orleans
7/23/2025 5:31:00 PM | Football, Louisiana UnLimited
Desormeaux, Harrington, Skipper meet with media as Louisiana gets ready for 2025
For many, it was just another Tuesday in New Orleans – a rarity in a city with an eternal festive spirit.
But for those in attendance during the opening day of Sun Belt Conference Football Media Day at the Marriott New Orleans Warehouse Arts District hotel, it was a parade of interviews and a subtle reminder that summer is winding down and football season is just around the corner.
Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns head football coach Michael Desormeaux’s day began with a 7:20 a.m. interview with a New Orleans radio station. For student-athletes Jax Harrington and Tyree Skipper, they started their day joining their coach for an 8 a.m. podcast interview.
That was just the start of a long, scripted day for the Ragin’ Cajuns and the other six SBC West Division schools in attendance with repeated trips to Radio Row, one-on-one interviews with TV crews, photo and video shoots.
A trip across New Orleans’ Central Business District to the Sun Belt Conference Offices at the Caesars Superdome for a studio appearance marked the first of two live TV appearances for the trio before later appearing on the Main Stage before a host of media.
With the Ragin’ Cajuns scheduled to officially report for fall camp on August 1 in preparation for its August 30 opener against Rice in the newly refurbished Our Lady of Lourdes Stadium, the Louisiana contingent put in some of their final work to cap off a long off-season.
“Media Day is kind of like the kickoff to the season,” Desormeaux said after wrapping up his last interview of the day. “A lot of work gets put in from January to July, and the next thing around the corner is fall camp.
“I was really pleased with the way our guys handled it (Media Day). Those are two veteran players that have been in the media spotlight before, and to see them go out there and handle themselves like they did was certainly not a surprise. They represented our program very well today.”
For Harrington, a seventh-year senior from Erath, and Skipper, a sixth-year senior who was just a few miles away from his high school located in Uptown, their first trip to Media Day went down as smooth as a Hansen’s Snowball on a typical New Orleans summer day.
The chance for the elder statesmen, and two of six Ragin’ Cajuns named to the Preseason All-Sun Belt Conference team on Monday, to represent the program was not taken lightly.
“I feel extremely blessed (to be at Media Day in person), just because I've been around for so many media days,” said the usually quiet Harrington. “I've seen so many people (in the past) that I consider a leader, people that I considered the best players on our team, the guys that I looked up to, they came to these, and they represented us in a positive light.
“So for me to do that for the younger guys, I feel blessed.”
Skipper, a Preseason First-Team All-SBC pick, was grateful for his chance to not only represent his school, but also his hometown.
“I'm extremely blessed to be a part of this event, and just to show that people from New Orleans, it's possible. It's a blessing and I'm highly thankful for this opportunity to represent my team.”
With all of the media attention the duo received, what was the best part of their day?
“The food,” the duo answered in unison.
“The videos that we had to do … that was cool,” added Harrington. “The questions they were asking me were really making me think about what inspires me and my whys and stuff like that.”
Season tickets for the 2025 Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns Football season are available now at RaginCajuns.com/tickets or by calling the Louisiana Athletics Ticket Office at (337) 482-GoUL (4685).
Fans are encouraged to stay connected with Louisiana Football by downloading the official #GeauxCajuns App — click here for iOS and here for Android — and by following the Ragin’ Cajuns on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram (@RaginCajunsFB).
