LAKE CHARLES – McNeese football will wrap up its spring campaign on Thursday night when the squad takes the field in Cowboy Stadium for the final scrimmage of the spring session.
 
The scrimmage will get underway at approximately 6:30 following warm-ups and individual drills. Admission is free and open to the public. Fans are asked to enter and sit on the east side of Cowboy Stadium (opposite press box construction).
 
The format has switched from a game-like contest to a traditional scrimmage where the offense will go against the defense due to injuries in key positions as well as the lack of depth at quarterback with Kamden Sixkiller missing the scrimmage due to a mild injury and Nate Glantz no longer on the team after notifying the coaching staff he intends to enter the transfer portal.
 
That leaves just transfer Alex Flores as the lone quarterback to take snaps.
 
But despite not being able to field a complete game situation, head coach Gary Goff has been very pleased with what he's seen from the new look Cowboys this spring.
 
"We've had a really good spring and every excited and encouraged about it," said Goff. "This is going to be our last true evaluation of some key positions that we're going to have to make decisions on, so we want to go out there and treat it like a true scrimmage rather than a spring game."
 
Goff said he wants to put some of the outside linebackers in tough situations and evaluate them.
 
"I think a lot of spots we've kind of got some guys that have solidified that they're a true number one or starter, but second and third group, there are some guys that are battling it out right now. That outside linebacker spot is one of them.
 
"The defensive line is another. We have a lot of guys rotating in and out of there right now and some guys have made huge strides but you still want to see some of these new guys in a game-type atmosphere. How are they gonna perform?"
 
When asked what positions have wowed him this spring, Goff commented, "That's a tough one. There are more than a couple.
 
"I think the secondary has had a really good spring. I'm really excited about the corners. We have some length to us and their eyes have been a lot more disciplined. They've been in the right spot and focused on playing football. Also the linebacker room. I think we have some firepower there and especially getting Micah (Davey) back healthy moving into the summer."
 
Goff gloats on the receiver room that seen several make remarkable plays throughout the spring.
 
"That room has another year under their belts plus we have some key additions. I think Jesse (Campbell III) and Curtis (Deville) have had a great, great spring. We also have depth in that room.
 
"At quarterback, we've had a heck of a battle to be honest. Sixkiller and Alex have had a great spring. Alex is a really smart football player and those two have pushed each other."
 
The team will regroup after next week's spring break and continue its offseason conditioning and workouts as well as team meetings.
 
COWBOYS SIGN THREE TRANSFERS TO ROSTER
McNeese head coach Gary Goff announced the signing of three junior college players to his roster – safety Julian "JuJu" Smith out of Bakersfield College, running back Jaylen Thompson from Ventura College and tight end Joey Garza out of Allan Hancock College.
 
"These are three key additions that will help us right away," said Goff. "We probably have four to five more guys that we're actively recruiting. We don't know how the roster is going to change here in the upcoming weeks so we're actively recruiting."
 
As a freshman at Bakersfield College last fall, Smith (6-1, 190) finished third on the team with 55 tackles and recorded a pass break-up. He posted a 12-tackle game against Ventura.
 
A two-star recruit from Garces Memorial in Bakersfield, Calif., Smith was offered by Wisconsin and San Jose State out of high school and had interest from other schools such as UCLA, Nevada and Fresno State to name a few.
 
Thompson (5-8, 190) ran for 1,136 yards and a 94.7 per game average at Ventura College last fall, helping his team to an 8-4 record and a SCFA runner-up spot.
 
A native of Los Angeles, Thompson had numerous FBS offers out of high school where he was a three-star recruit. Those offers included Arizona, Colorado, Kansas, Oregon, Penn State, Texas and USC, just to name a few.
 
Garza (6-3, 240) began his collegiate career as a defensive end before moving to the offensive side of the ball midway through his freshman campaign, when he earned second team all-league honors at tight end.
 
In two seasons at Allan Hancock, Garza caught eight passes for 148 yards and two touchdowns. He also blocked for a rushing attack that averaged nearly 300 yards on the ground his sophomore season.