McNeese Football Signs 2025 Recruiting Class

The McNeese Cowboys have announced their 2025 football signing class, bringing in a mix of experienced transfers and promising high school talent.

McNeese State Football took a big step toward rebuilding its roster under new Head Coach Matt Viator, signing 27 players to the program. The class features a mix of high school signees and transfer additions aimed at addressing immediate needs while maintaining long-term stability.

Viator expressed his satisfaction with the group, calling it a “really good day” and emphasizing the balance achieved in the recruiting process.

"This is kind of what we set out to do from a position standpoint," Viator said. "We added 14 mid-year guys and signed 13 high school players, which is the balance we were looking for. You have to fill some holes left by attrition and the transfer portal, but I also want to sign what I think is a healthy high school class every year."

The class includes 14 mid-year transfers who bring college experience from schools like LSU, Texas Tech, Utah State, and Florida, along with standout talent from junior colleges and international programs. 13 high school signees round out the class, including top prospects from Louisiana and Texas.

McNeese secured several impact players through the transfer portal, including offensive lineman Joseph Cryer (LSU/Southern Miss), quarterback Jake Strong (Texas Tech), and defensive back Ryan Robinson (LSU/Iowa State). The Cowboys also added punter George Dixon from Pro-Kick Australia, who is looking to bolster special teams.

One of the biggest areas of need was the secondary. Viator highlighted the urgency of addressing that position after reviewing the team’s depth chart upon taking the job.

"When I got here, we had one scholarship corner. That’s kind of a problem," he explained. "So, we went out and tried to address that as best we could. We brought in some big guys at the corner position, and getting Kenyatta Fleet was really big for us."

The Cowboys also focused on bringing in players with Louisiana and Texas ties. Viator believes in recruiting inside-out, a philosophy he has always used and continued to use while he was at Louisiana-Lafayette under Billy Napier.

"Our first priority is always going to be our home base," Viator said. "When we started recruiting, we sent ten coaches to the 50 closest schools in Louisiana, then the next day we hit the 50 closest schools in Southeast Texas. That’s how we’re going to start every recruiting cycle."

Among the local standouts McNeese signed were Kevin Rideau from Westlake and Cohen Charles from Iowa, both of whom had committed elsewhere before Viator was hired.

"Both of those guys were basically done deals for other schools before I even signed my contract," Viator revealed. "One of them was literally set to sign while I was driving to Lake Charles. But I knew about them, watched their film, and made sure we got in the mix. We were fortunate to land them."

Texas Tech transfer Jake Strong headlines the class for Viator and company, joining returning QB Alex Flores.

"Jake has everything we were looking for," Viator said. "We already had a connection with him through AI (Aaron Ingram), and we also got great feedback from people we trust, like Riley Dodge and the Texas Tech staff. He checks all the boxes for us."

Despite bringing in Strong, Viator praised Flores for staying committed to McNeese and competing for the job.

"Alex has been tremendous since the first time I met him," Viator said. "He really loves Lake Charles and McNeese, and he told me he wanted to stay and compete. It’s an open competition, and I’m excited to see those two battle it out."

Full Signing Class:

Mid-Year Signees:
Eric Aschenbeck | OL | 6-4 | 290 | Blinn College
Trent Baker | LS | 6-2 | 210 | Kentucky
Trevon Bradford | TE | 6-7 | 230 | Northwestern State
Joseph Cryer | OL | 6-3 | 315 | LSU/Southern Miss
George Dixon | P | 6-2 | 210 | Pro-Kick Australia
Mason Edwards | CB | 6-2 | 175 | Utah State
Jermaine Hargraves | S | 6-2 | 185 | College of San Mateo
Keenan Landry | DT | 6-1 | 325 | Florida/Kent State
Pierson Parent | LS | 5-8 | 180 | Houston
Jared Quenga | S | 5-10 | 180 | American River College
Ryan Robinson | CB | 5-11 | 185 | LSU/Iowa State
Emauri Sibley | LB | 6-0 | 215 | South Alabama
Safir Stills-Bey | CB | 6-2 | 180 | Diablo Valley College
Jake Strong | QB | 6-2 | 215 | Texas Tech

High School Signees:
Ian Carter | OL | 6-6 | 295 | North Crowley HS (TX)
Cohen Charles | S | 6-0 | 185 | Iowa HS (LA)
Marquez Davis | RB | 5-11 | 190 | Kingwood HS (TX)
Caden Dibetta | QB | 6-1 | 205 | Acadiana HS (LA)
Kenyatta Fleet | CB | 6-2 | 195 | Hammond HS (LA)
Kesean Hines | LB | 6-2 | 230 | Wossman HS (LA)
TJ Hullaby | WR | 5-9 | 175 | Peabody Magnet HS (LA)
Roman Jenkins | DE | 6-5 | 240 | Liberty Magnet HS (LA)
Brandon Jones | S | 5-9 | 175 | Summer Creek HS (TX)
Ikenna Nwobu | TE | 6-4 | 230 | Paetow HS (TX)
Kevin Rideau Jr. | WR | 6-2 | 180 | Westlake HS (LA)
Andre Roy | DE | 6-2 | 215 | Bridgeland HS (TX)
Morris Taylor | S | 6-1 | 190 | North Shore HS (TX)