Post NSD Roster Notes

Defensive Ends Willie Baker and KaDerrion Mason were two of the biggest gets of the signing class along with 6-foot-6 junior college transfer Kalan Ritchie. Mason is thought to be anywhere from 255 to 280 pounds and could end up at defensive tackle. 6-4 270-pound Keonatye Garner, a qualifier out of high school, was also signed out of junior college to help out on the inside.

Mason and Garner could join sophomores Jordan Bradford and Courtney Wallace, as well as redshirt freshman LaDante Davenport, on the interior to give the Tech defense a lot of options for years to come.

At defensive end, Baker and Ritchie join junior Deldric Canty and sophomore Jaylon Ferguson to make the defensive end rotation very strong. Sophomore Immanuel Turner has reportedly gotten bigger and stronger and will continue to earn playing time.

“I think there are some difference makers on that line,” head coach Skip Holtz said in his press conference on Signing Day. “We are really excited about the class coming in. There are two junior college and three high school players. They all get me excited. I think all five of them will be special players. There is an awful lot of beef in that group. You already have guys like Ferguson and Canty. Those are guys that will need some help. Many of these guys will have the opportunity to plug straight into the two-deep and push for some playing time. I think we definitely helped ourselves walking into this season with what we did on the defensive line.”

For every junior college player signed, there is a returning player at that position. Offensive lineman Josh Outlaw could come in and start right away at right tackle, but sophomore Shane Carpenter will give him serious competition.

“We have to get our offensive lineman numbers up. I would like to carry 17,” Holtz said. “Last year we carried 14. It is where you add them. You do not want them all in your freshmen class. You want to try and spread them out a little bit. That is why you bring in a Josh Outlaw, who was a junior. Right now we do not have a junior playing offensive line. That is why we felt like we needed an upper classman, to give us another guy in that class.”

As mentioned before, Turner at defensive end and Wallace at defensive tackle will compete with transfers Ritchie and Garner respectively for starting spots.

Carpenter and Wallace really need to get in the best shape of their lives and if they do, they could start for the next three years. Wallace looks to have trimmed down significantly and could be a force inside for the Bulldogs.

Coach Holtz typically keeps a few spots open after signing day in case any late qualifiers come available and if there any transfers looking for a new place to land. Middle linebacker and Wide receiver are two positions to keep an eye on as spots that could possibly use more depth. Holtz said as far as transfers go, he would not worry as much about position, but more about quality.

Damarion King, a 6-1 safety, is another junior college signee that could compete for a starting position. Junior Secdrick Cooper is the favorite to start alongside senior Xavier Woods, but King will give him serious competition.

Ladarrius Thomas, Kennedy Madison, and Jon Randall Belton are three of the top prospects in Northeast Louisiana. All three could end up grayshirting, which means delaying their enrollment until the Winter Quarter so they would count toward the 2017 signing class. Scotlandville’s Dwayne Williams, a 6-0 defensive back, is another grayshirt.

“We have made an emphasis and this is the third year in a row a majority of our high school players have come from the state of Louisiana,” Holtz said. “10 of these players are from the state of Louisiana.”

While Tech did not sign a wide receiver in this class, tight end Zach Cousar from Oxford, MS did sign with Louisiana Tech. He joins walk-on Bobby Holley as fullback and tight end options to help with blocking and to be bigger targets in the passing game.

“(Cousar) is a lot like a Conner Smith, Holtz said. “He is a big player, who has a chance to really grow and develop, but he has really good hands and ball skills.”