New Orleans – Former Cecilia High School standout receiver and defensive back Brent Gordon Jr. was named first-team preseason All-Sun Belt Conference Football Team announced by the league this past week.
Highlighted by Gordon and Shelton Sampson Jr. on the first team, the UL Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns placed four players on the 2026 Sun Belt Conference Preseason Football team.
The Cajuns were picked to finish second overall in the SBC West Division in a vote by the league’s head coaches.
Joining Gordon and Sampson on the preseason squad were second-team members Kaden Moreau and Fitzgerald West Jr.
Gordon earned preseason, first-team honors after he recorded 62 tackles with an interception, 12 passes defended, a quarterback hurry and fumble recovery as a true freshman in 2025. The Cecilia product played in the final 12 games of the season and started in 11.
He was credited with six tackles after earning his first career start at nationally-ranked Missouri and added 10 stops (5 solo) the following week at Eastern Michigan. His first career interception helped UL Lafayette stop a ULM drive in overtime of a 30-27 victory.
Sampson led the Cajuns in receptions (32), yards (537) and receiving TDs (6) in his inaugural season with the Ragin’ Cajuns. The Baton Rouge native and former Catholic High standout averaged 16.8 yards per reception on the season, with a season-high 138 yards on six receptions with a pair of touchdowns coming at South Alabama.
The redshirt junior caught a pair of scoring passes and finished with 80 yards in a win over Texas State and added a TD pass on three receptions for 42 yards against Delaware.
Moreau played in 11 games in 2025, grading at 88 percent or better in each contest at left guard. The Pineville native recorded 26 knockdowns on the season and posted a 90-percent grade or higher in nine games during the season.
He recorded a season- high 100-percent grade with three knockdowns at James Madison and finished at 98 percent in games at Eastern Michigan and Troy. Moreau posted grades of 96 percent against Texas State (89 snaps) and ULM (73 snaps).
West, a former Lafayette Christian Academy product, played in all 13 games on the interior defensive line for UL Lafayette, earning starts in the final eight games of the season. West finished with 23 tackles with 2.0 tackles for loss and 2.0 sacks.
He posted a season- high five tackles at South Alabama, including a goal-line stop late in the fourth quarter and added another goal-line stop on the final play at Arkansas State, helping preserve a 34-30 win.
The Cajuns were picked to finish behind reigning SBC West champion Troy in the standings with Arkan-sas State, Louisiana Tech, Southern Miss, South Alabama and ULM following. James Madison was selected as the favorite in the SBC East, followed by Old Dominion, Marshall, Georgia Southern, Coastal Carolina, App State and Georgia State.
The Ragin’ Cajuns took part in the annual SBC Football Media Days on Thursday in New Orleans and will report for fall camp on Aug. 4. UL Lafayette will officially open the 2026 season on September 5 against Lamar in the annual Herbert Heymann Classic at Our Lady of Lourdes Stadium.
Brent Gordon Jr.
Kaden Moreau
Shelton Sampson Jr.
Fitzgerald West Jr.
