What will Louisiana football's depth chart look like for season opener? Our projections

The transition from preseason "camp" to a game-week preparation practice structure has been made for Louisiana football after it conducted its second and final team scrimmage this past weekend.

Coming from the two scrimmages as well as the other dozen sessions has been what the depth chart for the Ragin' Cajuns could mostly resemble as the season opener at Cajun Field against Northwestern State on Sept. 2 draws closer.

With the first game less than two weeks away, here are our two-deep projections for UL.

Quarterback

Starter: Ben Wooldridge, Sr.

Reserves: Chandler Fields, Jr.; Zeon Chriss, Fr.; D'Wayne' Winfield, Fr.

Louisiana football coach Michael Desormeaux basically named Wooldridge the starter the moment he was cleared from a late-season ACL tear days before practice started. Wooldridge provides the Cajuns with a stable option at QB while Chandler Fields has also had a strong preseason.

Running back

Starter: Dre' Lyn Washington, So.

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Reserves: Zylan Perry, Fr.; Terrence Williams, Jr.; Jacob Kibodi, Sr.; Elijah "Bill" Davis, Fr.; Chaz Ward, Jr.; Kendrell Williams, So.

The tailback position was up for grabs once the 2022 season ended but it didn't take Washington long to catch the coaches' attention. According to Desormeaux and offensive coordinator Tim Leger, Washington has had the best spring and preseason practices of any RB. Freshman Zylan Perry has also impressed and will play significant snaps this season.

Wide receiver

Starters: Jake Bernard, Jr.; Peter LeBlanc, Sr.; Rob Williams, So.; Tavion Smith, Jr.

Reserves: Jaydon Johnson, Fr.; Trayv'on Culbert, So.; Dalen Cambre, Jr.; Harvey Broussard, Fr.; Kaleb Carter, Sr.; Charles Robertson, Fr.; Dale Martin, So.; KeDarius Wade, Fr.; A.J. Jayroe, Fr.

Receiver position is a unit filled with question marks. LeBlanc might be the only "for-sure" starter in the group but coaches have lauded Williams and his play this preseason. Bernard played a lot last year and he should have slot wrapped up. The other wide spot is a toss-up and here, we give the edge to Smith over the likes of Johnson, Broussard and Culbert.

Tight end

Starters: Neal Johnson, Sr.; Terrance Carter, Fr.

Reserves: Pearse Migl, Sr.; Jathan Caldwell, So.; Damani Burrell, Sr.; Caden Jensen, Fr.; Tyler Hatcher, So.; Ty Stamey, Fr.

Arguably the deepest unit on UL's roster, Johnson is the star among the group. Carter, a freshman who has a past of playing receiver and quarterback, brings a much-needed level of athleticism while Migl is another elder statesmen of the bunch like Johnson. Caldwell and Burrell are also likely to see playing time this season.

Offensive line

Starters: Nathan Thomas, Jr.; A.J. Gillie, Jr.; Landon Burton, Jr.; Jax Harrington, So.; George Jackson, So.

Reserves: James Ohonba, Sr.; Bryant Williams, Fr.; Trent Murphy, Fr.; Kaden Moreau, Fr.; Quinton Williams, So.; Mackey Maillho, So.; Cooper Fordham, Fr.

The only position battle was at right tackle and Jackson appears to have edged out Murphy for the starting role there. Louisiana was set across the rest of the offensive line as Thomas, Gillie, Burton and Harrington all return from last season. And the unit has some depth, too, as coaches feel good about Ohonba, Bryant Williams and Moreau if they need to enter the game.

Defensive line

Starters: Jordan Lawson, So.; Antoine Baylis, Jr.; Sonny Hazard, Jr.; Nijel McGriff, Jr.

Reserves: Marcus Wisner, Jr.; Mason Narcisse, Jr.; Kadarius Miller, Jr.; Blake Champagne, So.; Zavion Coleman, Fr.; Demetrus Gladney, Fr.; K.J. Riley, Fr.

Another deep unit that Desormeaux along with defensive coordinator LaMar Morgan feels really good about. There's at least three full rotations here that coaches have talked about. Baylis, the Division II transfer, has been the surprise of preseason camp and should start from game one. Lawson, who had a good start to last season before getting hurt has returned to form. Hazard and McGriff, along with Narcisse, will play a ton. Wisner will also be a big factor for the Cajuns up front.

Linebacker

Starters: Jasper Williams, Sr.; K.C. Ossai, Jr.; Cam George, So.; Tyler Guidry, Sr.

Reserves: Kendre' Gant, Jr.; Trey Fite, Fr.; Cameron Whitfield, So.; Kailep Edwards, So.; Jake St. Andre, So.; Caleb Kibodi, So.

On the surface, one would see four new starters among the linebacking corps. But reality is that these guys have played a lot of football in their UL careers. Ossai didn't start in 2022 but finished sixth on the team in tackles. Both Williams and Guidry have waited for years for their chance while George is expected to be really good on the edge. Gant and Whitfield also played significant snaps last season and will be counted on a lot in 2023 while coaches think Edwards and Fite, while both young, could improve as the season progresses.

Cornerback

Starters: Caleb Anderson, So.; Keyon Martin, Jr.

Reserves: Glenn Brown, Sr.; Shadwel Nkuba II, So.; Dehim Day, Fr.; Justin Agu, So.; Lorenzell Dubose, Fr.; Jeremiah Moses, Fr.

Another position that'll feature all new starters. But Anderson received valuable playing time last season, including a pick-six, while Martin has really attacked the offseason. Southern transfer Glenn Brown is likely to rotate in heavily but he's missing time with an injury right now. Dubose has garnered some praise this preseason and so has Moses, but both of those guys are young. Nkuba, Agu and Day round out the corners.

Safety

Starters: Courtline Flowers, So.; Tyrone Lewis, Jr.

Reserves: Tyree Skipper, So.; Jalen Clark, So.; Larry Reimonenq, So.; Maurion Eleam, Fr.; Aaron Wright, So.

Safety is another position where, unproven, there's plenty of guys that are experienced. Flowers is going to be a stud for the Ragin' Cajuns defense this season. Lewis, as well as Skipper, are hard-hitters.

Star

Starter: Amir McDaniel, Jr.

Reserves: Patrick Mensah, Sr.

McDaniel, because of his cover skills, is in line to start at the star position while Mensah provided much-needed depth.

Specialists

Starters: Kenneth Almendares, Jr. (kicker); Thomas Leo, Sr. (punter) Carter Milliron, So. (long snapper)

Reserves: Alan Guerrier, Jr.; Logan Klotz, So.; Hunter Sims, So.

Leo is expected to take over at punter for all-conference performer Rhys Byrns and that'll be the only change for the specialist heading into this season.

Cory Diaz covers the LSU Tigers and Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns for The Daily Advertiser as part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow his Tigers and Cajuns coverage on Twitter: @ByCoryDiaz. Got questions regarding LSU/UL athletics? Send them to Cory Diaz at bdiaz@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Lafayette Daily Advertiser: Projecting Louisiana football's depth chart ahead of season opener