CUSA Release
Conference USA released the 2024 preseason watch list, as selected by the league’s 10 head coaches, on Friday. Five student-athletes from each of the conference’s 10-member institutions were recognized as key players to watch ahead of the 2024 season.
Louisiana Tech was represented by defensive linemen Jessie Evans, linebacker Kolbe Fields, return specialist Demarcus Griffin-Taylor, offensive lineman Bert Hale and quarterback Jack Turner.
Evans arrived at Tech after transferring from Prairie View A&M prior to the 2023 season. The senior appeared in all 11 games and made two starts while tallying 32 tackles, including 6.5 for loss and 2.5 in addition to a pass breakup. In the season finale at Jacksonville State, he recorded a season-high five solo tackles.
Fields garnered praise from teammates and coaches during spring practice as a linebacker. He sat out the 2023 season after transferring from LSU. During the 2022 season at LSU, he played in 11 games while registering four tackles. The New Orleans product spent the 2021 season at South Carolina, where he appeared in four games.
Griffin-Taylor amassed a 24.7 kick return average after transitioning into the role in the latter third of last season. He led CUSA in kick return average and ranked 10th nationally. Griffin-Taylor was the first Bulldog to register 100+ kickoff return yards in back-to-back games since 2012, courtesy of a 109-yard performance at Liberty and a 113-yard performance at Sam Houston, both of which were the two top single-game kick return performances in CUSA last season.
Hale has been a mainstay on the Bulldogs’ offensive line with 18 starts and 37 appearances during his four seasons in Ruston. The Oak Grove, La., product started 11 games last season while helping pave the way for seven 100+ yard rushing games and pass blocking for four 300+ yard games through the air. He was part of a LA Tech offense that ranked second in CUSA with 243 first downs last season.
Turner appeared in eight games while making four starts in 2023. The Round Rock, Texas native completed 84 of 148 passing attempts for 1,017 yards and five touchdowns last season. In his first career start, he completed 27 of 42 passing attempts while throwing for a career-high 292 yards and one touchdown. His 292 passing yards were the most in a LA Tech quarterback in their first career start in the FBS since Luke Anthony threw for 314 yards in a 66-38 win over Houston Baptist on Sept. 26, 2020.
In the recent C-USA preseason poll, LA Tech was selected to finish seventh. Liberty was the favorite, garnering 18 first-place votes, while WKU followed in second with two first-place votes. Rounding out the top three was Jacksonville State.
PREDICTED ORDER OF FINISH
1. Liberty
2. WKU
3. Jax State
4. Middle Tennessee
T5. New Mexico State
T5. Sam Houston
7. Louisiana Tech
8. FIU
9. UTEP
10. Kennesaw State
LA Tech has six home games at Joe Aillet Stadium for the second consecutive year. The Bulldogs will open the season with non-conference foes Nicholls (Aug. 31) and Tulsa (Sept. 21). Tech closes out the home slate in conference play with Middle Tennessee (Oct. 10), UTEP (Oct. 22), a homecoming matchup with Jacksonville State (Nov. 9) and Kennesaw State (Nov. 30).
Season tickets for the 2024 Louisiana Tech football season are on sale now. Fans can purchase season tickets online at LATechSports.com/tickets or by calling the LA Tech Ticket Office at (318) 257-3631.