Key Faces Return As Ragin' Cajuns Open Fourth Week Of Spring Drills

LAFAYETTE – Some familiar faces made their return to the field on Tuesday as the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns football team opened its fourth week of practice with a two-hour afternoon workout at the Ragin' Cajuns Practice Facility.

The Ragin' Cajuns, who returned to the field for the first time since March 23, worked out in full gear with emphasis on short-yardage situations and special teams. The return from Spring Break for the Ragin' Cajuns also saw the spring debuts of running back Elijah McGuire, wide receiver Jared Johnson and running back/quarterback Jalen Nixon.

"There was some rust getting back out on the field, but I thought the effort was there," head coach Mark Hudspeth said of the Cajuns' first practice after nearly two weeks off. "The energy was really good, but there were some areas where we didn't look clean. We'll be able to correct some of those things on Thursday, but today wasn't the cleanest practice we've had. As long as we're giving good effort, then I know the other stuff will come."

McGuire, who returned to the football field after joining the Ragin' Cajuns men's basketball team in January, got his first glimpses of Louisiana's new offensive scheme under new coordinator Jorge Munoz. The two-time, 1,000-yard rusher saw limited action in his first day back, but expects to pick up the load during the final two weeks of spring drills.

"It was great, he (McGuire) looked really good," Hudspeth said. "I was kidding with him during practice today saying, 'you should be in great shape running suicides with coach (Bob) Marlin everyday.' I thought he looked pretty good for the first day back. We didn't ask for him to do an awful lot, but we'll ease him into it."

Another return for the Ragin' Cajuns saw the return of Nixon to the quarterback slot, where he started four games last season and finished as the team's second-leading rusher. The senior, who missed the first half of spring practice due to a foot injury, saw limited action during individual drills.

With Jordan Davis and redshirt freshman-tandem of Chris Weaver and Dion Ray taking the majority of snaps, the return of the versatile Nixon would give the Ragin' Cajuns experience if needed.

"He's not ready to play running back yet because of his foot and the pounding it would take from running inside, so we are giving him reps at quarterback and seeing how he can run this system if we need him," Hudspeth said. "We're still trying to find a role for him, whether it's at running back, quarterback … we've even talked about defensively. We're just trying to find the right role for him."

Johnson, who missed the entire 2015 season with a knee injury suffered in camp, was limited to individual drills for the Ragin' Cajuns and is looking for a full return for the fall.

Louisiana will return to action on Thursday with a 3 p.m. practice. The Ragin' Cajuns will conclude their fourth week of drills on Saturday before holding four sessions next week in preparation for the annual Red-White Spring Game that is scheduled for April 16 at Cajun Field.

Key Faces Return As Ragin' Cajuns Open Fourth Week Of Spring Drills

Players Mentioned

Jordan Davis

Jared Johnson

Elijah McGuire

Jalen Nixon

Dion Ray

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