Matt Viator returns to Cowboys with his first workout of the spring Tuesday. (American Press Archives)

The Cowboys are hoping that when they start summer workouts on Monday, they will be in their new training room.

Whether it is ready or not, the McNeese State football team will begin its summer work with the hopes of building on the foundation set last season when they finished 6-6.

It was the program’s first non-losing campaign since 2019 and was the second biggest turnaround in Division I football. The previous season, McNeese bottomed out at 0-11, winning its only win by forfeit and not acknowledged by the NCAA.it. 

Summer school also begins on Monday, as the Cowboys will be checking in this weekend.

“We are excited about getting them back on campus,” said McNeese head coach Matt Viator. “We have a lot of work to do over the next couple of months before we are ready for fall camp.”

Viator returns to McNeese tied for the most victories in program history, having spent 10 years leading the Cowboys in his first stint as head coach. After a nine-year absence, he is ready to put the club back on the winning track. 

McNeese had a very strong recruiting year, ranking as the top FCS program in the state in terms of the transfer portal. That should help in the depth department, as the Cowboys tried to build up their offensive line, especially.

They could still be adding a lineman or two if things work out, but for now, they appear to be deeper on both sides of the football. Now they will use their new weight room to build up their strength. 

The last couple of years, McNeese has had to use a tent as a weight room, which has not been an ideal situation. The sooner they can get into their new lifting home, the better for the Cowboys.

“This time allows us to get bigger and stronger,” said Viator. “We get a chance to come together and get ourselves ready for the season to come. You can get a lot done over the next couple of months.”

All eyes will be on the battle for the starting quarterback job between Jake Strong, the transfer from Texas Tech, and returning junior Alex Flores. However, that race won’t be decided until fall camp, likely, as will be the case with most jobs.