The 2021 Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns football team represented the University of Louisiana at Lafayette in the 2021 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Ragin' Cajuns played their home games at Cajun Field in Lafayette, Louisiana, and compete in the West Division of the Sun Belt Conference. They were led by fourth-year head coach Billy Napier. The Cajuns began the season with an away matchup against Big 12's Texas and concluded their regular season at conference and in-state rival LouisianaâÂÂMonroe.
Napier was named the head coach of the Florida Gators on November 28. He announced that he would coach in the Sun Belt Championship Game on December 4 before departing. Napier led the Raginâ Cajuns to their first outright Sun Belt championship win, defeating the Appalachian State Mountaineers, and left the Raginâ Cajuns on a victorious note. On December 5, the same date as Napier's departure, Louisiana announced that then-offensive coordinator Michael Desormeaux would be promoted to head coach for the team's bowl game and the 2022 season. In his first game, Desormeaux defeated Marshall in the 2021 New Orleans Bowl.
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<small>Listed in the order that they were released</small>
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The Sun Belt coaches poll was released on July 20, 2021. The Cajuns were picked to finish first in the West Division and first in the conference.
Offense
1st team
2nd team
Defense
1st team
2nd team
Special teams
1st team
The 2021 schedule consists of 6 home and 6 away games in the regular season. The Ragin' Cajuns will travel to Sun Belt foes Georgia Southern, South Alabama, Arkansas State, and Troy. The Cajuns will play host to Sun Belt foes Appalachian State, Texas State, Georgia State, and LouisianaâÂÂMonroe.
The Ragin' Cajuns will host two of the three non-conference opponents at Cajun Field, Nicholls, from NCAA Division I FCS and Ohio of the Mid-American Conference, and will travel to Texas of the Big 12 and Liberty, a FBS Independent.