UL coaches move into new offices

UL coaches move into new offices

UL coaches move into new offices

Joshua Parrott • jparrott@theadvertiser.com • March 13, 2011

The rebuilding of UL’s football program has taken place over the past three months under the direction of new coach Mark Hudspeth, both on and off the field.

One of those off-the-field projects was recently completed.

Hudspeth and his coaching staff moved into their new football offices and meeting rooms on Friday, and new furniture was scheduled to be delivered Saturday."It’s going to be a big-time Division I facility," Hudspeth said. "Totally new offices, totally new everything. The only thing that’s not new is the brick on the outside of the building."

The improvements include new ceilings, new doors, new floors, new carpet, new furniture and new walls.That was made possible after Hudspeth, whose previous coaching experience included stints at Mississippi State (2009-10) and Navy (2001), worked hard to collect funds to help improve the football facilities.

"That’s the part people really don’t see," he said. "They just think that we go out on the field and coach ball. When I got here I hit the ground really hard fundraising, and the community really got behind us. They’ve done some incredible things to help make sure that our facilities are some of the best in the country."The players are also benefiting from the improvements. Added entertainment in the football complex has encouraged players to bond together outside of just practicing, working out and breaking down film.

"The only time we came to the complex last year was whenever we came to work on the field," said senior cornerback Dwight "Bill" Bentley. "That’s not a bad thing, but now we can come to the complex and we’ve got food and flat-screen TVs everywhere and can play games. That’s made this like our second home."Senior quarterback Chris Masson joked that he wished the facility improvements occurred earlier in his collegiate career.

With just one year left as a college player, Masson is doing all he can to enjoy the upgrades. He expects the facilities to help with recruiting, too."As soon as he (coach Hudspeth) got here things started to change quickly," Masson said. "He’s been at big Division I programs and knows how things should be and is trying to build that here. It’s creating a buzz around Lafayette, and the players love it."

Hudspeth said there are future plans to add a weight room and possibly a locker room for football in the Leon Moncla Indoor Practice Facility.

"We’re not stopping with what we’ve got now," he said. "But we’re off to a great start."

Extra points

The Cajuns will hold their third practice of the spring today at 3:15 p.m. It will be the team’s first spring workout in full pads "» Former Cajun lineman Lanier Coleman, an intern in the weight room, is also helping during drills since defensive line coach Mike Pelton recently left to take the same job at Auburn "» Senior Brad McGuire is listed as a fullback on the spring roster but continues to get reps at quarterback with Masson, junior Blaine Gautier, sophomore Terrance Broadway (University of Houston transfer), junior Brady Thomas and redshirt freshman Blake Hollingsworth.