Seitz to walk-on to Ragin’ Cajuns football team

The University of Louisiana-Lafayette has had a lot of luck with student-athletes from our local high school districts.

This past week, they got another – one of the best all-around student athletes in the brief history of Covenant Christian Academy.

Lions senior Caleb Seitz told The Times this week that he’s accepted a position as a preferred walk-on on the Ragin’ Cajuns football team, and he’ll join the team as a freshman for the 2017 season.

Seitz, a 6-foot, 1-inch, 190-pound multi-sport athlete, said he chose the Ragin’ Cajuns over offers from smaller programs around the Southeast.

With the Ragin’ Cajuns, he’ll be the latest in a long line of Houma-based athletes to commit to play for the nearby school.

In recent years, the school has seen Houma native Elijah McGuire earn a place in the NFL and Morgan City native Shawn Long push his way into the NBA. Thibodaux native Trey Granier also was a multi-year contributor at linebacker for the football team.

On the soccer field, Houma natives Carly Ellender and Kim Grasso have shined, as well, each owning spots in the starting lineup for the Ragin’ Cajuns.

Seitz said he hopes to have a similar impact, though he knows he’s going to have to work hard as a walk-on to earn the attention of his coaches throughout his career.

“It feels great to be a college-bound athlete – especially at a D-I program,” Seitz said this week. “I never thought I’d get the chance to play for such a big school, so I’m grateful and ready to get to work.”

Seitz will arrive at UL-Lafayette with experience making plays all over the football field for CCA.

The new Ragin’ Cajun was a multi-year starter for the Lions. During his time with the team, he played just about every position – except offensive and defensive line.

As a junior, Seitz was one of the top defensive players in the area, recording 78 total tackles in eight games, including 53 solo stops.

Offensively, Seitz played tight end and was a top blocker for the team’s run-heavy offense.

He also caught six passes with two touchdowns.

As a senior, Seitz’s offensive role changed drastically.

He was asked to be CCA’s quarterback in its Wing-T offensive scheme – a role coach Randy Boquet said Seitz attacked head-on, despite having never played the position before at the prep level.

Seitz started quick, but then suffered an early-season collarbone injury, which sidelined him for several weeks.

He came back for the final games of the regular season, then led the team into the second round of the Division IV State Playoffs – one of the most successful football seasons in school history.

While leading the team’s offense, Seitz stayed dominant defensively, as well, making several game-changing plays for the team’s defense.

Boquet said his versatility and ability to play literally every, single snap of a varsity game made him invaluable to the team.

“He’s a great senior leader,” Boquet said during the season. “The kids really look up to him and they follow his lead. It would have been really easy for him to be nervous or upset about having to play quarterback, but we needed him there and he’s been really excited about the challenge and has done well. We didn’t realize he had as good of an arm as he does. It’s been a pleasant surprise all-around.”

After the season, Seitz said he fielded interest from several programs while also competing as a starter on the Lions’ baseball team.

He said he’s not fully sure how UL-Lafayette found out about him, but he was offered the preferred walk-on position recently by assistant coach Michael Desormeaux.

Being a preferred walk-on means Seitz will be among the first players to receive a scholarship if the Ragin’ Cajuns have turnover within its roster.

Of course, Seitz can also play his way into a scholarship if he excels while with the team.

“I picked UL because I believe this will be the best experience for me at the next level,” Seitz said. “I don’t know how they found me or anything like that, but Coach Desormeaux came to school and offered me my spot.”

So now, Seitz said his focus is on readying himself mentally and physically so that he can be at his best when fall camp starts in late-July.

Because he’s playing linebacker, Seitz said he knows he needs to add strength on his frame while not losing any of his quickness and speed.

He said he’s going to work out tirelessly throughout the summer so that he can arrive in Lafayette in the best shape he’s ever been in throughout his career.

He said he can’t wait to be a Ragin’ Cajun,. He said he rooted for the school long before his commitment.

“I’m working on just getting stronger – as strong as I can – in tip-top shape,” Seitz said. “I’m working on my footwork and getting faster and trying to be more agile – really just anything so that I can be the best player that I can possibly be before the start of the new season.” •

Caleb Seitz

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