2026 Louisiana

5–⁠2 (2–⁠1 Sun Belt Conference), coached by Michael Desormeaux. The season’s Wikipedia article records 4–⁠2, over six games to the seven on file here.

Schedule and results

Louisiana in 2026, game by game: won vs. Lamar 38–7; lost at No. 14 USC 30–49; won vs. UAB 21–14; won at Charlotte 34–7; won vs. Arkansas State 23–20; lost at Louisiana Tech 31–32; won vs. Troy 33–6+31−19Won 38–7 vs. Lamar+31LamarLost 30–49 at No. 14 USC-19No. 14 USCWon 21–14 vs. UAB+7UABWon 34–7 at Charlotte+27CharlotteWon 23–20 vs. Arkansas State+3Arkansas StateLost 31–32 at Louisiana Tech-1Louisiana TechWon 33–6 vs. Troy+27Troy
Each game’s margin, wins above the line and losses below.

Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.

Record
5–⁠2
Conference
2–⁠1 tied for 4th in Sun Belt Conference
AP now
Unranked
Points
210–⁠135
Coach
Michael Desormeaux
Elo
1547 +62 this season
SP+ rating
-2.3 No. 83 of 138; offense No. 69, defense No. 93, special teams No. 100
SRS
−4.3 No. 88 of 138 in FBS
Returning
92% of last season’s EPA, No. 4 of 136
Recruiting class
No. 91 roster talent No. 99 in FBS
Offensive coordinator
Tim Leger
Defensive coordinator
Jim Salgado

How good, play by play

  • Offense60th of 138
  • Defense23rd of 138
  • Offense, opponent-adjusted63rd of 138
  • Defense, opponent-adjusted41st of 138
EPA per playSuccessExplosivenessFBS rank
Offense0.1342%1.2260th of 138
Defense-0.0041%0.9723rd of 138
Opponent-adjusted0.11 off
0.06 def
40% off
42% def
—63rd off
41st def

Passing and running

Pass successDepth of targetDeep throwsLine yardsStuffed
Offense46%8.2 yds13%3.2015%
Defense44%8.2 yds10%2.7018%
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
Offense3.8own 3213% allowed
Defense3.7own 2618% caused

CORE rating 2.5, 55th of 138 (offense -2.8, defense -5.3).

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 yardsD’Wayne’ Winfield QB1,158 yds
Passing touchdownsD’Wayne’ Winfield QB4 TD
Rushing yardsD’Wayne’ Winfield QB457 yds
Rushing touchdownsD’Wayne’ Winfield QB8 TD
Receiving yardsKedarius Wade WR226 yds
Receiving touchdownsKedarius Wade WR2 TD
TacklesJake St. Andre LB48 tkl
SacksAshley Williams LB2 sacks
InterceptionsBrent Gordon Jr. CB2 INT

Top recruits in the 2026 class

Jeremiah Birdlow TE★★★No. 1174
Edrick Williams CB★★★No. 1358
Jayden Reed S★★★No. 1474
Ke’Rynn Smith RB★★★No. 1474
Jai’Vale Mayes-Hudson OT★★★No. 1654

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

The 2026 class by position

SignedStarsRating
Running backs13.00.862
Receivers23.00.861
Offensive line63.00.844
Defensive line43.00.840
Linebackers23.00.850
Defensive backs63.00.851
Athletes and specialists23.00.808
Whole class233.00.845

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 106

The 2026 roster

106 players, with numbers, heights, hometowns and each player’s 2026 line; 55 have a stat line. See the roster

Transfers in 5

The 2026 portal

Transfers out 8

Bryant Williams OT★★★★to Arkansas
Bill Davis RB★★★to Virginia Tech
Walker Howard QB★★★to Ole Miss
Zylan Perry RB★★★to Cincinnati
Charles Robertson WR★★★no new school on file
Trey Fite DE★★★to UTSA
Fitzgerald West Jr. DL★★★returned to Louisiana
Trae Tomlinson CB★★★no new school on file

2026 Sun Belt Conference standings

Conference page
TeamConf.OverallAP final
James Madison4–⁠07–⁠0
South Alabama2–⁠04–⁠2
Louisiana Tech2–⁠04–⁠2
Louisiana2–⁠15–⁠2
Georgia Southern2–⁠13–⁠4
Georgia State1–⁠14–⁠2
App State1–⁠14–⁠2
Troy1–⁠13–⁠3
Arkansas State1–⁠23–⁠4
Coastal Carolina1–⁠22–⁠5
Old Dominion1–⁠32–⁠5
Marshall0–⁠23–⁠3
Southern Miss0–⁠21–⁠5
UL Monroe0–⁠20–⁠6

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