McNeese opens spring football practice Wednesday

LAKE CHARLES – The McNeese Cowboy football team will kick-off its 2023 spring practice schedule on Wednesday under second-year head coach Gary Goff.

The Cowboys will practice 15 times over the next 25 days culminating with the spring game on Saturday, April 1.

McNeese finished the 2022 season 4-7 but won its final three games of the year. Now with a full recruiting and offseason under his belt, something a McNeese staff hasn’t had in four years with staff turnover, Covid, and natural disasters, Goff and the Cowboys are looking to build on its late season success.

Gone are key players –1,000-yard rusher Deonta McMahon and Buck Buchanan Award Finalist, linebacker Kordell Williams, but Goff and his staff filled many holes with a recruiting class that includes Iowa State quarterback transfer Nate Glantz, the 2020 Junior College National Player of the Year while at Iowa Western along with Tusculum QB transfer Tre Simmons who threw for 2,400 yards and 21 TDs last season.

Running back D’Angelo Durham returns after an injury-shortened season where he ran for 340 and three TDs in five four games played.

Defensively, the Cowboys return two starters up front and an entire backfield that was hampered by injuries most of last season. The last three games of the season, that starting backfield was made up of three freshmen and two sophomores, so the experience returning is a welcome sight.

Scrimmages will be held on March 18 and 25 with the spring game on April 1, all beginning at 10 a.m. Practices will begin at 3:30 and be held on March 8, 10, 11, 13, 15, 17, 20, 22, 24, 27, 29 and 30.

All practices and scrimmages will be open to the public.