Football: Landor, Tillman leaving Cajuns – McGuire Honored Again – Louisville Job – Lagniappe

Tim Buckley, Daily Advertiser, Jan. 7, 2014

Reserve quarterback D’Shaie Landor and reserve cornerback Cedrick Tillman both are leaving the program and transferring to schools elsewhere, UL coach Mark Hudspeth said Monday.

Landor, a Teurlings Catholic product, played sparingly as a redshirt freshman in 2013 and went into the Ragin’ Cajuns’ New Orleans Bowl win over Tulane last month as its No. 4 QB behind starter Terrance Broadway and fellow reserves Jalen Nixon and Brooks Haack.

Hudspeth on Monday said he wasn’t sure where Landor was headed.

Tillman is transferring to Delta State, according to Hudspeth. He can play there next season without having to sit out a year because it is an NCAA Division II program.

Landor appeared in three games in 2013, when – before Nixon jumped ahead for the bowl game – he spent most of the season as UL’s No. 3 QB behind Broadway and Haack.

He was 2-of-5 passing for nine yards as a Cajun, seeing mop-up duty in wins over Nicholls State and Texas State and in a regular season-ending loss at South Alabama.

“I wish him good luck,” Hudspeth said. “He was an outstanding young man in our program for two years.”

Hudspeth said Landor’s decision was influenced by the fact Broadway has “another year” left and “other guys in the mix.”

“You get to a point in your college career where you want to play,” Hudspeth said, “and he certainly can play somewhere.”

Tillman played one season at UL after transferring from Holmes (Miss.) Community College.

He lost his starting job at cornerback at getting burned for a touchdown in the Cajuns’ season-opening loss at Arkansas, and spent most of the rest of the season playing only on special teams.

Tillman will have one season of eligibility at Delta State, the same school where Hudspeth played.

MCGUIRE HONORED AGAIN

UL’s Elijah McGuire was one of two running backs named Monday to the 28-member Football Writers Association of America’s Freshman All-America Team.

Arkansas’ Alex Collins was the other running back named to the team, which also includes redshirt freshman and Heisman Trophy-winner Jameis Winston of Florida State at quarterback.

McGuire, the Sun Belt Conference’s Freshman of the Year and a first-team All-Sun Belt pick, is a true freshman from Vandebilt Catholic in Houma.

He ran 102 times this season for 863 yards, a national-high average of 8.4 yards per carry, and seven touchdowns while also catching 22 passes for 384 yards and three TDs.

McGuire also had a team-high 16 plays of at least 20 yards in 2013; four 100-yard rushing games, including a career-high 137 yards and three TDs in a September win over Nicholls State; and a November outing at Georgia State in which he became one of just four players in the country this season, and the first in UL history, to rush for 100 yards and catch passes for 100 yards in the same game.

McGuire is the lone Sun Belt player named an FWAA’s Freshman All-American.

He also as previously named a second-team True Freshman All-American by 247Sports.com and earned honorable mention on College Football News’ 2013 national All-Freshman Team.

LOUISVILLE JOB

Hudspeth suggested Monday there is no substance to reports identifying himself as a candidate for the head coaching job at  

Louisville, which last week lost Charlie Strong to Texas.

USA Today over the weekend identified Hudspeth as being “on the radar” of Louisville after Strong was tapped to succeed the ousted Mack Brown, and CBSsports.com’s Bruce Feldman mentioned Hudspeth and several others on Twitter as “names to keep an eye on” at Louisville.

“That’s all speculation,” Hudspeth said by phone late Monday afternoon.

Hudspeth said through a team spokesman earlier Monday that he’s had “no contact” with Louisville.

LAGNIAPPE

UL’s current count of recruiting commitments remains at 17, including already signed East Mississippi Community transfer receivers Antoinne Adkins and C.J. Bates. The Cajuns plan to sign 21 more after the NCAA national signing period opens next month. No more verbal commitments are expected before Jan. 15, when in-home visits are permitted to resume. … Hudspeth said he’ll soon interview candidates to replace defensive graduate-assistant coach Tommy Rybacki, now a full-time secondary coach at Central Arkansas, whose new defensive coordinator is ex-UL defensive coordinator Greg Stewart. … First-year UL defensive coordinator and former NFL linebacker James Willis was “considered” for the Alabama A&M head coaching job that went to Nevada tight ends coach James Spady, Al.com recently reported. Willis, an Alabama native, played at Auburn and worked previously as an assistant coach at both Auburn and Alabama.