Cowboys go camping

Published 10:34 am Tuesday, July 29, 2025

Viator to lead first workout

McNeese will welcome 116 players Wednesday morning as it opens up the most anticipated camp in nearly a decade.

With the return of Matt Viator as head coach and a full roster, the Cowboys aim to continue their upward trend that began last season, when they finished with a 6-6 record. That was after winning just one game by forfeit the year before.

If early ticket sales are any indication, the recently renamed Navarre Stadium will be jumping early as Viator leads his first McNeese team into play in nine seasons.

“A lot of excitement is happening here, but we still have to get ready to win games,” said Viator, who is tied for the most victories in program history with Bobby Keasler at 78. 

He will look to break the tie on August 30 when the Cowboys host Louisiana College in the season opener.

“There is always pressure to win, so that doesn’t change,” Viator said. “It is good to see the interest in the program.”

This will not be an easy camp for McNeese, as they have several positions to fill and questions to answer as they attempt to return to the elite ranks not only in the Southland Conference but also at the FCS level nationally. 

“We have a lot of work to do,” said Viator. “We have been working really hard, but you are never sure what you’ve got until you put the pads on and start the hitting.”

Viator isn’t worried about the past few years; he is concerned about the now and moving this program forward. 

“Consistency in how you go about your business every day,” Viator said. “I don’t know what happened in the past, I didn’t ask, but it starts with the right culture. We want to re-establish the winning culture, the way we respect the tradition of McNeese. That’s how it all begins.

“I think we have a really good group of guys who have worked really hard. They have done what we asked them to do, and we are now excited to get started. 

Viator has made an impact on his players. First, he gave all the players on the roster a chance to return if they wanted, instead of just cleaning house and starting over. Only two left on their own, a surprise considering the landscape of college football today.

“He (Viator) brings a different aspect of the game to us,” said senior offensive lineman Will Bressi. “He and the coaches he brought in and kept it is more of a winning mentality. I think we are going to come back and have a winning season, and Coach Viator is going to bring us some big wins.”

“He is big on respect, and he is very calm, and that is what we need from a coach,” said junior defensive end Masey Lewis. “The transition has been calm.”

Lewis, a redshirt who has been at McNeese for four seasons, also said he is glad the buzz is back and is looking forward to opening night.

“The fans are amazing,” Lewis said. “They love us if we do good or bad. I want to win for them; they have been through so much with us.”

While in camp, the Cowboys will continue to work on the little things to get back into the SLC elite.

“We are focused a lot more on the details,” said Bressi. “We work on small things every day that we need to get better at. We want to uphold the standards.

“Before I came to McNeese, I did some research and saw they were the powerhouse of the conference. I came here with the mindset of helping it return to being the powerhouse.”

That’s the same thing that brought Viator out of retirement and back to the Cowboy sidelines. During his 10 years at McNeese, he posted a 78-33 record, won four league titles, and made five playoff appearances. 

He was also the SLC Coach of the Year three times, including his last season in 2015. The Cowboys have not returned to the postseason since he left. 

“As I have said, it is the same location but a different place and in my opinion a different place for the better,” Viator said. “To be able to come back and do it again here is special.”