2020 Louisiana Preview: Quarterbacks

As we approach the six-week mark until college football gets underway, position previews for your favorite school are coming out left and right here at UDD. However, with the COVID-19 pandemic, the season is up in the air. In any event, we will continue to get you guys prepared for the season. Here is the quarterback group for the 11-3 and defending Sun Belt West Champions, the Louisiana Ragin Cajuns.

#1 Levi Lewis, SR, 5’10” 190 lbs- Levi was a dominating force for the Cajuns last season. His performances got better and better week after week. Lewis threw for 3,050 yards, the first quarterback in program history to throw for 3,000 yards. He also had a 64.3% completion percentage with 26 touchdowns and only four interceptions. Now regarded as one of the best Group of Five QBs in the country, look for Levi to be QB1 for the Ragin Cajuns.

#8 Jaiave Magalei, JR (RS), 6’3” 234 lbs- Jaiave spent last season as Levi Lewis’ backup. He made six appearances for the Cajuns, notching 224 yards and one touchdown on the year. He had an excellent JUCO stint at Mount San Antonio College, which caught Billy Napier’s eye and brought him to Louisiana. Hopefully, “Jai” can get more reps this season considering he’s fit to be the starter in 2021.

#10 Clifton McDowell, FR (RS) 6’3” 216 lbs- Clifton made one appearance last season for the Cajuns, completing one pass for eight yards against Texas Southern. In high school, McDowell was a highly-rated dual-threat quarterback out of Spring, Texas. Ranked the #34 dual-threat in the class, Clifton accounted for 37 touchdowns in his senior season (18 passing, 19 rushing) while gaining a total of 3,150 yards (1,820 passing, 1,330 rushing). If you ask me, McDowell looks poised to turn some heads in the near future for Louisiana.

#16 Chandler Fields, FR (RS) 5’11” 185 lbs- Chandler made three appearances in Vermilion and White in 2019, completing a perfect 3/3 for 16 yards. A highly regarded quarterback prospect in the state of Louisiana out of Archbishop Rummel High School, Fields was ranked the 47th best player in the state and the 31st pro-style QB in the country. With fast legs and a strong arm, look for Fields to make an impact down the stretch for Napier and company.

#25 Beau Kalbacher, SR (RS) 6’3” 223 lbs- Beau didn’t make an appearance for Louisiana in 2019. Before Louisiana, he attended Golden West College in Huntington Beach, CA where he was named to the All-Conference team and was also named the MVP of the California Bowl.

As you can see, there’s a pretty stacked QB room in Lafayette, Louisiana. Levi Lewis is clearly the leader of the group, as well as the team, but that doesn’t mean any of the other guys won’t make an impact. There’s an exciting season ahead in Cajun Country.

For more insider info, you can follow my Ragin Cajuns podcast, Ragin Review, on Facebook and Twitter @RaginReview. You can listen wherever you get your podcasts.