Louisiana football loses players to portal, NFL Draft following Independence Bowl loss

Since the loss in the Independence Bowl to Houston that solidified the Louisiana's football first losing season in five years, there have been some players who have entered the transfer portal.

Junior safety Brandon Bishop is the latest after the graduate transfer announced Wednesday on Twitter.

Bishop, who transferred to UL from Alabama prior to the 2019 season, joined wide receiver Errol Rogers Jr. and quarterback Zy McDonald.

Louisiana still has not been hit as hard as other college football programs. In all, only five Cajuns have entered the transfer portal.

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UL's quarterback room has had a bit of an exodus with a pair of freshmen backups McDonald and Hunter Herring departing. Herring, a Monroe native, has committed with his hometown team and rival Louisiana-Monroe.

Bishop is the first Ragin' Cajuns defensive player to enter the transfer portal. The safety hasn't been a full-time starter in his three seasons and has two career interceptions along with 63 tackles.

Rogers is the second UL receiver to hit the portal behind Dontae Fleming, who committed to Tulane. Their stats were nearly identical from the 2022 season with Rogers catching 20 passes for 189 yards while Fleming was bit more of a red zone threat, hauling in 19 passes for 168 yards with three TDs.

What hurts about Fleming and Rogers' exits is that it makes five receivers that have departed, including Michael Jefferson and John Stephens Jr., who have declared for the 2023 NFL Draft. Four of the top six receivers for Louisiana in 2022 will no longer be on the team, causing a major drop in production at the position heading into next season.

There have been seven Cajuns declare for the NFL Draft, including Jefferson, Stephens Jr., tight end Johnny Lumpkin, linebacker Kris Moncrief, safety Bralen Trahan, running back Chris Smith and defensive tackle Zi'Yon Hill-Green. Four of those have come after (Moncrief, Trahan, Stephens Jr. and Lumpkin) the the Ragin' Cajuns loss in the Independence Bowl but the only surprise has been Stephens.

Cory Diaz covers the LSU Tigers and Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns for The Daily Advertiser as part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow his Tigers and Cajuns coverage on Twitter: @ByCoryDiaz. Got questions regarding LSU/UL athletics? Send them to Cory Diaz at bdiaz@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Lafayette Daily Advertiser: Louisiana football players enter transfer portal, declare for NFL Draft