It certainly wasn’t the only reason the San Diego Chargers selected former UL tight end Ladarius Green on Saturday in the fourth round of the NFL draft.

Chargers director of college scouting John Spanos, after all, said San Diego was on him since before the start of the 2011 season.

But what Green did against San Diego State in the Ragin’ Cajuns’ New Orleans Bowl win over the Aztecs last December — five catches for 121 yards and a touchdown — certainly didn’t hurt, either.

"He was on our radar well before that," Spanos said after the Chargers took Green 110th overall, "and that just kind of helped boost his overall stock."

And now Chargers coach Norv Turner can’t wait to get his hands on Green, the two-time John Mackey Award semifinalist who left UL with 22 touchdown catches over four years.

"I’m anxious to get him in here," Turner said of Green, who is scheduled to report to San Diego on May 10.

"We’ll get to know how flexible a guy is, what he can do, find a way to use what he does best. But he’s got great speed, he’s got great range in terms of receiving skills," Turner added. "He (Green) has improved each year he’s been in college, so I really believe he’s a guy that’s gonna have a great future here and can be a guy that’s contributes in his first year."

Spanos — son of Chargers president Dean Spanos and grandson of Chargers owner Alex Spanos — seems confident he will.

"Ladarius is a very athletic player for the position," he said. "He’s almost 6-6, about 240; he ran (the 40-ayrd dash) in the 4.4(-second range). So there’s a lot of potential, a lot of upside with him as a receiver.

"He’s still developing a little bit as a blocker, but he’s improved," Spanos added. "They (the Cajuns) did a lot of things with him offensively. He played a little bit from a three-point stance, also from a two-point stance, so a lot of the things that we do with our tight ends he’s done."

Much like Detroit Lions brass suggested after they took ex-UL cornerback Dwight "Bill" Bentley in Friday’s third round, getting in the Chargers weight room should help the cause.

"I think getting in our weight program, with our guys, he’s only going to get bigger and stronger," Spanos said.

"That happens to a lot of guys. I mean, we’ve had receivers, tight ends come in — young guys from smaller schools — who’ve developed, gotten bigger and stronger and grown, and not lost a step athletically. So I think, certainly, that’s possible with him."

Morning game

Game officials recently revealed a 2012 time and date for the New Orleans Bowl.

It’s set for 11 a.m. on Dec. 22, a Saturday.

Last December, the game was played on the first Saturday of bowl season — and it was a night game, the last of three straight on ESPN. This year’s game will be the first in 12-year bowl history to kick off during the day, and will open an ESPN double-header.

"We couldn’t be happier," said New Orleans Bowl executive director Billy Ferrante, who worked with ESPN to secure the slot.

"Local and visiting fans will be able to bookend their bowl experience with Friday and Saturday night festivities in New Orleans during the holiday season, while still getting home in plenty of time for Christmas.

"It’s a great timeline," Ferrante added, "for fans, television ratings, the local hospitality industry, and the participating teams who will have the freedom to focus on their bowl experience, without conflicting with their academic and exam schedules."

UL beat San Diego State 32-20 in the New Orleans Bowl last Dec. 17.

Lagniappe

At least a half-dozen undrafted Sun Belt Conference-school products reportedly agreed Sunday to sign with NFL teams as free agents, among them Western Kentucky running back Bobby Rainey (Baltimore), North Texas running back Lance Dunbar (Dallas) and Troy offensive lineman James Brown (Chicago). "» Brown was the highest "Best Available" player still on ESPN analyst Mel Kiper’s list when the drafted ended. "» Shortly after accepting a job earlier this year to be defensive coordinator at New Mexico, Ron West — a defensive assistant from 1986-92 at UL, including a stint as defensive coordinator under ex-Cajuns head coach Nelson Stokley — changed his mind and instead accepted a position as co-defensive coordinator at Arizona State.