7-In-Seven Countdown: Top Impact Players for McNeese State Football

Lake Charles, LA (KPLC) - This week for our 7-In-Seven countdown, we are counting down the top-seven impact players for McNeese State entering into the 2022 football season.

7. Kordell Williams, Senior, Linebacker

Coming in at number seven is senior linebacker Kordell Williams. In 2021 Williams was named to the All-Southland Conference First Team, the All-Louisiana Second Team, and was named to the Southland Conference All-Academic Team as well. Entering the 2022 season, Williams has already been honored with being named to the pre-season All-Southland Conference First Team, and for good reason following his impressive 2021 season.

Williams started at linebacker in each of McNeese State’s 11 games, tallying 100 tackles, three sacks, eight tackles for loss, an interception, a pass break-up, five quarterback hurries, two forced fumbles, and a fumble recovery as well.

Williams became the first Cowboy in three years to tally 100 tackles, and also had the fourth most total tackles in the Southland Conference last season as well.

6. Deonta McMahon, Senior, Running back

Coming in at number six is senior running back Deonta McMahon, who like Kordell Williams, has been named to the All-Southland Conference Pre-Season First Team heading into the 2022 season.

McMahon had an impressive 2021 season as he went for 558 rushing yards, and found the end zone eight times as well. His 558 rushing yards were good enough to be ranked fifth in the Southland Conference for rushing yards, while his eight rushing touchdowns were good enough for fifth in the conference as well. In addition to his accomplishments on the ground, McMahon had the third most receptions for the Cowboys in 2021 as well with 27 receptions going for 232 yards.

McMahon was recognized for his accomplishments in 2021 as he was named to the All-Southland Conference Second Team, but he certainly has his eyes on the first team for the 2022 season, as he will get plenty of opportunities to improve upon his numbers from a year ago.

5. Caron Coleman, Senior, Offensive Lineman

Coming in at number five is senior offensive lineman, Caron Coleman. Coleman had an impressive 2021 season as he was named a McNeese State team captain, was named to the Southland Conference Commissioner’s Academic Honor Roll, the Southland Conference All-Academic Team, and he got it done on the field as well.

Coleman was named to the All-Louisiana Second Team, the All-Southland Conference First Team, and has been named to the All-Southland Conference Pre-Season First Team heading into the 2022 season as well, and for good reason.

Coleman started all 11 games for the Cowboys at left guard, playing a total of 776 snaps, and allowing just three sacks over the course of the season. Coleman will be relied on heavily as a leader on the offensive line, and the offense as a whole when the Cowboys’ 2022 season gets underway.

4. Mason Kinsey, Senior, Defensive End

Coming in at number four is senior defensive end, Mason Kinsey. Kinsey had a very impressive 2021 season as he ranked second on the Cowboys, and third in the Southland Conference in sacks as he went for 6.5, with an additional 8.5 tackles for loss, which put him at second for McNeese State, and seventh in the Southland Conference.

Kinsey started all 11 games for McNeese State, recorded 41 total tackles, with five quarterback hurries, and added an interception against nationally ranked UIW, which later led to a touchdown for McNeese State, which helped the Cowboys pull off the upset win.

3. Mason Pierce, Redshirt-Sophomore, Wide Receiver/Return Specialist

Coming in at number three is redshirt-sophomore wide receiver/return specialist, Mason Pierce. Last season Pierce was impressive to say the least as he was second on the team, and 18th in the Southland Conference with 30 receptions, going for 362 receiving yards.

However, he was even more impressive on special teams as he averaged 8.9 yards per punt return, and an incredible 24.9 yards per kick return. In addition to all of that, he also had a 100-yard kick return for a touchdown against Southern, which tied the conference, and NCAA record, for longest kick return touchdown.

Pierce’s impressive season landed him on the All-Louisiana Second Team as a return specialist, the All-Southland Conference Second Team as a punt returner, and was the McNeese State special teams MVP as well.

Pierce enters the 2022 season on the Southland Conference Pre-Season Second Team as a wide receiver, and the first team as a punt returner.

2. Garrison Smith/CJ Moya, Kickers

Coming in at number two we actually have two players, it’s the kicker competition between transfers Garrison Smith, and CJ Moya.

Smith is a freshman transfer from The Ohio State University, who entered the 2021 season with the Buckeyes as an invited walk-on, but did not see the field, and decided to enter the transfer portal. Now, Smith finds himself in Lake Charles, Louisiana, preparing for the 2022 season with the McNeese State Cowboys. Smith was First Team All-State in 2020, First Team All-Ohio in 2019, and also in 2020, and has the potential to be a huge addition for McNeese State in 2022.

The other player coming in at number two is CJ Moya, a sophomore transfer from Hutchinson Community College, who in 2021 connected on 57 of his 60 point after attempts, and 6-of-10 field goals for Hutchinson last season.

After two years of lack luster field goal kicking from McNeese State, the addition of Smith, and Moya, could be huge for the Cowboys in 2022, and that is why they come in at number two on our list.

1. Cam Ransom/Knox Kadum/Walker Wood, Quarterbacks

Coming in at the top spot are three players, Cam Ransom, Knox Kadum, and Walker Wood, who are the three players apart of the quarterback battle as we head into the 2022 season.

Walker Wood is a senior, who transitioned to wide receiver in 2021 from quarterback, but is returning for the 2022 season as a quarterback once again. In his redshirt junior season in the spring of 2021, Wood was the backup quarterback, and saw action in just four games attempting only one pass, but he rushed the ball 15 times for 43 yards, and two touchdowns.

Knox Kadum joins the Cowboy following two seasons at Virginia Tech where he saw action in only five games, but didn’t start in any. Kadum attempted 30 passes over the course of the five games he appeared in, completing 16 of them for a total of 219 yards, with zero touchdowns and an interception.

Finally, Cam Ransom comes to Lake Charles following a season with Georgia Southern where he appeared in eight games attempting 83 passes with 39 completions, as he went for three touchdowns, and zero interceptions.

The quarterback battle is certainly one to keep an eye on as McNeese State begins practice on Wednesday in preparation for the 2022 season.

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