Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns QB Ben Wooldridge Expected Back in 2024

LAFAYETTE, La. (1033 The Goat) - A source close to the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns football program says injured senior quarterback Ben Wooldridge will not participate in Senior Day festivities and is expected to return for the 2024 season.

Wooldridge has at least one more season of eligibility if not two. He gets an additional year for the 2020 Covid season and he may be able to receive a redshirt for being injured this season.

Last November, Wooldridge injured his knee during practice and wasn’t expected to be ready for the 2023 season.  Instead, a couple of weeks before fall practice started, Wooldridge was cleared and was considered the Cajuns starting quarterback heading into the season.

He led Louisiana to a 38-13 Opening Night victory against Northwestern State, throwing for three touchdowns and running one in.

The Cajuns fell to Old Dominion 38-31 in the second game of the season as Wooldridge’s rally fell just short as Louisiana had four shots inside of the red zone to tie the game.  Wooldridge had a pair of touchdown passes and one more on the ground.

In Week 3, Wooldridge injured his foot early in the game against UAB.  At the time, he was expected to miss 4-6 weeks.  He would later have surgery on the foot and miss the remainder of the season.

In stepped redshirt freshman Zeon Chriss, who led the Cajuns to wins over UAB, Buffalo and a come-from-behind victory over Texas State.

Chriss was injured with a reported broken leg in Louisiana’s game against Arkansas State on November 14.

Following Chriss’ injury, Chandler Fields, Louisiana’s original starting QB in 2022, but 3rd string this season, has played well in a couple of losses.  UL fell to Southern Miss in OT 34-31 and Fields did all he could trying to keep up with Troy, but Louisiana lost 31-24 to the defending Sun Belt Champions.

With Wooldridge expecting to return, does that open the starting quarterback position again?  Does Wooldridge get his job back or do the Ragin’ Cajuns stick with Chriss moving forward?

All those questions will be answered at a later date, but for now, Ben Wooldridge is expected back for the 2024 season.

Louisiana wraps up the 2023 regular season against ULM this afternoon at 2P.  Should the Ragin' Cajuns win, they'll secure their 11th bowl birth in the last 13 years.

Pregame coverage on the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns radio network begins at Noon and can be heard on 103.3 The Goat.