CollegeFootballDigestfrom CooperSearch

2025 Louisiana Tech

8–⁠5 (5–⁠3 Conference USA), coached by Sonny Cumbie.

Schedule and results

Louisiana Tech in 2025, game by game: won vs. SE Louisiana 24–0; lost at No. 3 LSU 7–23; won vs. New Mexico State 49–14; won vs. Southern Miss 30–20; won at UTEP 30–11; lost at Kennesaw State 7–35; lost vs. Western Kentucky 27–28; won vs. Sam Houston 55–14; lost at Delaware 24–25; lost at Washington State 3–28; won vs. Liberty 34–28; won at Missouri State 42–30; won vs. Coastal Carolina 23–14+41−28Won 24–0 vs. SE Louisiana+24SE LouisianaLost 7–23 at No. 3 LSU-16No. 3 LSUWon 49–14 vs. New Mexico State+35New Mexico StateWon 30–20 vs. Southern Miss+10Southern MissWon 30–11 at UTEP+19UTEPLost 7–35 at Kennesaw State-28Kennesaw StateLost 27–28 vs. Western Kentucky-1Western KentuckyWon 55–14 vs. Sam Houston+41Sam HoustonLost 24–25 at Delaware-1DelawareLost 3–28 at Washington State-25Washington StateWon 34–28 vs. Liberty+6LibertyWon 42–30 at Missouri State+12Missouri StateWon 23–14 vs. Coastal Carolina+9Coastal Carolina
Each game’s margin, wins above the line and losses below.
DateOpponentResultElo
Aug 30vsSE LouisianaW 24–⁠069%
Sep 6at3LSUL 7–⁠2318%
Sep 13vsNew Mexico StateW 49–⁠1458%
Sep 20vsSouthern MissW 30–⁠2067%
Sep 27atUTEPW 30–⁠1157%
Oct 9atKennesaw StateL 7–⁠3562%
Oct 21vsWestern KentuckyL 27–⁠2851%
Oct 31vsSam HoustonW 55–⁠1470%
Nov 8atDelawareL 24–⁠2551%
Nov 15atWashington StateL 3–⁠2836%
Nov 22vsLibertyW 34–⁠2854%
Nov 29atMissouri StateW 42–⁠3044%
Dec 30Bowls & playoffvsCoastal CarolinaIndependence BowlW 23–⁠1453%

Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.

How it ended: Beat Coastal Carolina 23–⁠14 in the Independence Bowl; unranked in the final AP poll; tied for 4th in the Conference USA.

In program history: The 21st-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 94 on file).

Record
8–⁠5
Conference
5–⁠3 tied for 4th in Conference USA
AP final
Unranked
Points
355–⁠270
Coach
Sonny Cumbie
Elo
1504 +89 this season
SP+ rating
-1.3 No. 77 of 136; offense No. 77, defense No. 68, special teams No. 69
SRS
−3.9 No. 85 of 136 in FBS
Returning
43% of last season’s EPA, No. 51 of 134
Recruiting class
No. 111 roster talent No. 116 in FBS
Offensive coordinator
Tony Franklin
Defensive coordinator
Luke Olson
Offense
Spread
Defense
3–⁠3–⁠5

How good, play by play

  • Offense62nd of 136
  • Defense23rd of 136
  • Offense, opponent-adjusted72nd of 136
  • Defense, opponent-adjusted51st of 136
EPA per playSuccessExplosivenessFBS rank
Offense0.1140%1.2362nd of 136
Defense0.0037%1.3723rd of 136
Opponent-adjusted0.08 off
0.07 def		39% off
41% def		—72nd off
51st def

Passing and running

Pass successDepth of targetDeep throwsLine yardsStuffed
Offense41%6.6 yds8%3.1016%
Defense38%9.7 yds14%2.6023%
How these are measured

Play-weighted averages over games against FBS opponents; raw numbers, not adjusted for the strength of the opponent. EPA (expected points added) measures how much each play changed the expected score; success rate counts plays that kept the offense on schedule; explosiveness is the average EPA on successful plays. Lower is better on defense. Ranked by EPA per play among teams that were FBS that season. The opponent-adjusted row (offense / defense) is CollegeFootballData.com’s WEPA, which accounts for who each team played. Passing and running: depth of target is how far downfield passes traveled in the air; deep throws are the share thrown deep, of the passes whose depth and direction the play-by-play describes (about half); line yards are the running yards per carry credited to the blockers; stuffed is the share of carries stopped at or behind the line. The defense’s line is what its opponents did. From CollegeFootballData.com, 2025 on.

Drives and havoc

Points per trip inside the 40Average startHavoc
Offense3.3own 2915% allowed
Defense3.1own 2720% caused

CORE rating -1.1, 70th of 136 (offense -2.4, defense -1.3).

A trip inside the 40 is a drive that reaches the opponent’s 40-yard line; points per trip is how many it scored on average (allowed, on defense). Average start is where drives began (the defense’s line is where its opponents started). Havoc is the share of plays ending in a tackle for loss, a forced fumble, an interception or a pass broken up. CORE is CollegeFootballData.com’s context- and opponent-adjusted rating (points better than an average team; lower is better on defense). From CollegeFootballData.com.

Leaders

Passing yardsBlake Baker QB1,252 yds
Passing touchdownsBlake Baker QB5 TD
Rushing yardsClay Thevenin RB634 yds
Rushing touchdownsAndrew Burnette RB9 TD
Receiving yardsEli Finley TE445 yds
Receiving touchdownsDevin Gandy WR2 TD
TacklesJacob Fields S90 tkl
SacksJadon Mayfield LB3.5 sacks
InterceptionsJakari Foster DB8 INT

Top recruits in the 2025 class

Daejawn Smith WR★★★No. 1118
Jaylon Parnell LB★★★No. 1299
Tobias Gary S★★★No. 1671
Toby Mealer OL★★★No. 1898
Sentel Simpson ATH★★★No. 1937

247Sports composite rankings via CollegeFootballData.com; national rank in the class.

The 2025 class by position

SignedStarsRating
Quarterbacks13.00.839
Receivers43.00.844
Offensive line23.00.843
Defensive line13.00.837
Linebackers23.00.850
Defensive backs13.00.852
Athletes and specialists13.00.847
Whole class123.00.845

High-school signees by position group, with their average stars and 247Sports composite rating (out of 1), via CollegeFootballData.com. Athletes are signees with no set position.

Roster 107

The 2025 roster

107 players, with numbers, heights, hometowns and each player’s 2025 line; 62 have a stat line. See the roster

Transfers in 9

The 2025 portal
Curley Reed III CB★★★from Washington
Andrew Burnette RB★★★from Keiser (Fl)
Devin Gandy WR★★★from Sacramento State
Jonathan Denis OL★★★from Central Missouri
Jordan Pierro CB★★★from Fresno State
Kam Franklin S★★★from Oklahoma State
Luke Seib WR★★★from UTEP
Noah Biglow CB★★★from Pittsburgh
Lexington Matthews Pfrom James Madison

Transfers out 33

David Blay DL★★★★to Miami
Tru Edwards WR★★★★to Kentucky
Blake Thompson S★★★to Houston
Ja’Marion Kennedy OL★★★to Wake Forest
Marquis Crosby RB★★★to Oregon State
Zarian McGill OL★★★to Colorado
Jayden Gray DE★★★to Western Kentucky
John Locke TE★★★to Oklahoma
Zeke Campbell DE★★★to Coastal Carolina
Hunter Tipton TE★★★to Middle Tennessee
J’Dan Burnett DE★★★to Tulsa
Buck Buchanan K★★★to Colorado

And 21 more, lower-rated or unrated.

2025 Conference USA standings

TeamConf.OverallAP final
Kennesaw State7–⁠110–⁠4
Jacksonville State7–⁠19–⁠5
Western Kentucky6–⁠29–⁠4
Louisiana Tech5–⁠38–⁠5
Florida International5–⁠37–⁠6
Missouri State5–⁠37–⁠6
Delaware4–⁠47–⁠6
Liberty3–⁠54–⁠8
New Mexico State2–⁠64–⁠8
Middle Tennessee2–⁠63–⁠9
Sam Houston1–⁠72–⁠10
UTEP1–⁠72–⁠10

Ordered by conference winning percentage, then conference wins. Division splits and tiebreakers aren’t applied.