Two key contributors have made the decision to return to the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns for the 2021 college football season.

Linebacker Ferrod Gardner and receiver Jalen Williams announced on Wednesday that they will be returning to Louisiana's roster next season.

Gardner and Williams join seven other seniors who have previously announced their decision to return next season.

The other seven players who were seniors in 2020 and have decided to return in 2021 include quarterback Levi Lewis, guard Ken Marks, defensive end Chauncey Manac,  defensive tackles Tayland Humphrey, Blair Brooks, Cameron Solomon, and kicker Nate Snyder.

Due to the Coronavirus pandemic, the NCAA granted all college football players one extra year of eligibility, allowing all seniors to return for one more season.

Gardner, who will be a 7th-year senior next season, registered 74 total tackles in 2020, including 4.5 sacks and seven tackles for a loss.

The 74 tackles for Gardner ranked second on the team, behind only Lorenzo McCaskill's 83 stops.

A native of Dayton, Ohio, Gardners has appeared in 36 games over his three seasons at UL, accumulating 170 tackles over 36 games.

Williams, a native of Opelousas and a graduate of Westminster Christian, caught 20 passes for 360 yards and four touchdowns for the Cajuns in 2020, after compiling 21 receptions for 279 yards and a touchdown.

Williams' 20 catches in 2020 ranked third on the team, while his receiving yards ranked second, only four behind Kyren Lacy (364), and his touchdown receptions tied for the team lead.

Louisiana, who was ranked number 15 in the final Associated Press poll, finished the 2020 season with an overall record of 10-1, including a 31-24 win over UTSA in the First Responder Bowl, a triumph that extended their win streak to seven games to end the season.

The 2020 season followed a 2019 campaign in which the Cajuns won 11 games, a school record.

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