LAKE CHARLES, La. (KPLC) – Between transfer portal additions, schedule changes, more schedule changes, and other variables, it’s been a long offseason for the McNeese Cowboys, but with just 80 days remaining until their week zero matchup at Tarleton State against the Texans, Gary Goff is ready for year three in Lake Charles.
“We’re excited about summer finally starting. We’re kind of treating this more of a camp than it is typical summer, just because it’s a longer season with us playing week zero. We’re reporting basically in the middle of July now, which is exciting, but it’s got us up against the clock, that’s for sure. We’ve got about six weeks of some hard training and lifting, and then we’ll be getting ready for the season. We’re kind of taking a different approach this summer, and It’s more like the beginning of camp than it is a typical summer lifting and a relaxed state of mind, I guess you can say,” said Goff about McNeese’s offseason.
McNeese enters the 2024 season with the hopes of putting a difficult 2023 season behind them in which the Pokes’ only win came via a Northwestern State forfeit. Goff acknowledged the difficult season, and says that it drove the coaching staff during the offseason, to put a better product on the field in 2024.
“I’m so proud of the staff, we came off of a very difficult season, but we didn’t make any excuses for it, we didn’t hide from it during the recruiting process with these young men or their families, we told them to come be apart of something special. I really believe that we can have one of the biggest turnarounds in college football, there’s going to be a lot of blood, sweat, and tears with it, but it’s going to be something you’ll remember for the rest of your life. Lake Charles is a very special place, McNeese is a very special place, these young men are hungry, and a lot of them have chips on their shoulders, which is what we’re looking for.”
Goff’s pitch to prospective players and their families seemed to have worked as they made several big splashes through the transfer portal, one of which being former Montana quarterback Clifton McDowell who helped lead the Grizzlies to the National Championship game last season.
“We’re pretty excited about the late additions. Clifton McDowell is someone that obviously everyone is talking about, he’s a young man that had a great season a year ago, he was the starting quarterback at Montana, went 11-2 and took them to the National Championship game. He’ll be the first to tell you that he kind of listened to the wrong people and made a wrong decision, and found himself in the portal looking for a new beginning, or a fresh start I guess you could say. He gave us an opportunity to sign a young man that is a proven winner, he’s going to be a senior, obviously a grad transfer who has a lot of experience, and some leadership which we need for such a young team right now.”
Another big addition for the Cowboys was former Lake Charles College Prep, and University of Miami quarterback TreVonte’ Citizen, who was one of the highest ranked running back recruits in the nation coming out of high school.
“Another one is TreVonte’ Citizen, another one who is a home town guy and was very highly recruited, was at the University of Miami for two years, did have an injury that kept him off the field, but he’s healthy now, and is another player looking for a fresh start. So two very talented young men right there.”
McNeese’s schedule has gone through three iterations of changes, the initial schedule, changing Tarleton State from a week three matchup, to a week zero matchup, and then another change due to the addition of Stephen F. Austin to the Southland Conference, which triggered changes within the conference schedule, including dropping the game against Southeastern.
“Yeah, I think it’s a great thing for our conference. Finding football games is hard, so I think it’s a great thing we’re expanding, and I hope we continue to expand. I’m finally a little more relaxed in the sense that we have a schedule, it’s set, and it’s *knocks on wood* not going to change again, so we can start to proceed and advance with our plans, and arrangements, which was all done months ago, but we kind of had to start it all over. It’s nice to have it in concrete now, but we’re up against the clock, and I’m telling the team that, because we have to have a different sense of urgency than we had a year ago, because a 12 week season is long enough, but now throw in week zero plus two bye weeks, and that’s a long season.”
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