After three years at West Saint Mary, Ryan Antoine makes his way back to Westgate after serving as the Tigers' defensive coordinator previously. Antoine hopes to keep the Westgate "machine" running and not do much different schematically. The seven-year coaching vet does hope to change the attitude of his squad and have the Tigers become a dangerous team starting in September instead of waiting until the postseason.
The offense returns six starters and none bigger than offensive guard Josh Boutte. Literally and figuratively. The massive 6-5 305 pounder is a LSU commit, an U.S. Army All-American game participant and should once again pave holes for the Westgate run game to thrive. Devante Brown and newcomers Marcel Winston, Brandon Dupree and Dylan Courville will join Boutte on the line.
Behind Boutte and bunch is returning All-District running back Jamal Sam. The junior has his fullback, Brandon Livingston, back as are tight end Chris Peter and wide receiver Torrey Jones. Junior Aaron Bird is tabbed to lead the offense as the Tigers' quarterback. Fellow newcomer Brandon Gonsoulin rounds out the Westgate offense.
Defense is where Westgate has hung its hat the last few years. Despite several key departures, a solid nucleus is back to make the Tiger D a stout unit in 2012. While not the biggest bunch, Westgate will rely more on speed and a team concept defensively.