BEAUMONT, Texas – Webster's defines experience as "the fact or state of having been affected by or gained knowledge through direct observation or participation." Lamar University football, however, defines experience as 52, 20, 21 and 31… as in 52 returning letterwinners, 20 returning starters, 21 seniors and 31 juniors.
 
That is the largest number of returning letterwinners and starters for LU since the 2021 campaign. Entering last season, the Cardinals boasted of just seven seniors and fewer than 30 juniors (and that class pulled off the fourth largest turnaround at the NCAA FCS level).
 
Just for comparison, the 2018 playoff squad entered that year with 50 returning letterwinners, 21 returning starters, 14 seniors and 30 juniors (similarities I think worth noting).
 
We're not trying to guarantee or quantify any level of success for the Cardinals in this article – simply highlighting a stat. The young men on the field will decide how all of that plays out each Saturday, and they're well aware that. Throughout the course of any season, in any sport, you will hear coaches reference experience. Some will see that merely as coach speak, others will understand the actual significance. Experience is something you do not have until you gain it (I understand how many reading this will want to roll their eyes at that comment, but it's true).
 
Will Lamar be the most experience team in the country this season? Unfortunately, not. Will the Cardinals be the least experienced team in the country? Fortunately, the answer to that is also no.
 
The team that steps on the field Saturday, Aug. 31^st will be one of the most experience squads Lamar has had since the return of the program. Be it a preseason all-conference selection, returning starter or reserve, LU head coach Pete Rossomando will have veterans at just about every position he can turn to for leadership on the field.
 
In addition to the experience on the field, we cannot forget about the experience on the sideline. After the success of 2023, Rossomando somehow managed to keep is entire staff intact save for one coach and he quickly filled that position with someone familiar to the program – Morgan Ford (linebackers).
 
Other Football Related Notes: Last season, the Cardinals got off to their best start in conference play in nearly six decades. With that being said, the 2024 squad has a chance achieve a small piece of history.
 
Big Red enters this season looking to record back-to-back winning records for the first time since the 1966 (6-4) and 1967 (7-3) seasons. The Cardinals also enter the 2024 looking to record consecutive winning seasons in conference play for the first time since the 1971 (4-1) and 1972 (3-2) seasons.
 
The Cardinals will kick off the season against a former Southland Conference rival Texas State. The meeting will between the two will be the first since 2011 and just the second with the Bobcats as an FBS squad. According to the Southland Conference web site, the league has 56 wins over an FBS opponent. If Lamar could spring the upset against the Bobcats, it would be the league's first win over an FBS level school since the 2022 season.