Here's why STM football's Landon Ortte committed to Louisiana football
· Yahoo Sports
From official visits to prospect camps, Louisiana football has searched near and far for athletes who can fit the mold of the future of UL’s roster.
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Sometimes the search doesn’t even have to leave the city of Lafayette, as the Cajuns’ have built many of their past and present rosters with homegrown talent. That was the case for one of their local 2027 commits in Landon Ortte of St. Thomas More football.
“I found home at UL,” Ortte said. “They were my official visit and right when I went on it, I knew I wasn’t going anywhere else. It was amazing. I loved them there and it went pretty smoothly.”
Keeping the UL football culture alive
Listed at 6-foot-2 and 190 pounds, Ortte is one of seven commits hailing from the boot and one of two from the 337 area. He enters his third year as a starter for the powerhouse Cougars’ secondary defense, making a name for himself at safety. After a stellar junior campaign, Ortte helped STM finish 8-4 overall, earning him All-State, metro, and district first team honors.
He proved to be one of his team’s most sure-handed tacklers, racking up 122 total tackles, 10 pass breakups and two interceptions in 2025. Before committing to the Cajuns, he held Division I offers from Brown, Northwestern State, Incarnate World and Nicholls. Ortte is hoping to bring that same consistency next fall to the Cajuns’ already loaded defense.
“I love how methodical UL’s defense is, how pro-style it is,” Ortte said. “I love the defense coordinator there, Jim Salgado, and I love the whole staff there. They made it clear that they coach hard and that’s something I value because, over here at STM it doesn’t matter, from the bottom to the top, you get yelled at the same.”
Last season, the Cajuns’ hard coaching landed them in their eighth consecutive bowl game and a 6-7 overall finish. UL’s defense proved to be a strength last fall, seeing linebacker Jaden Dugger drafted by the San Francisco 49ers. The Cajuns’ secondary is built on local prospects, with Cecilia football alum Brent Gordon Jr. headlining the defensive back room heading into 2026.
Ortte hopes to match the same hardworking culture that UL football is built on.
“I’m going to play hard, I’m going work hard and I’m a worker,” Ortte said. “I’ve worked for everything I got so I’m going to go at everything with the same effort no matter what.”
Before Ortte becomes a Cajun, he and the Cougars are hoping to get over the first couple rounds playoff humps. Last year, STM ended its season in the regionals round and in 2024, it finished in the quarterfinals.
“My goal is to bring my team to at least the semis or state,” Ortte said. “STM has a tradition of going to state and my two years starting, we’ve fallen short at the quarters or before the quarters every single time. So I want to have a chance to go to the dome this year no mater what.”
Shannon Belt covers high school sports and the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns for The Daily Advertiser as part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow her high school and Cajuns coverage on Twitter: @ShannonBelt3. Got questions regarding HS/UL athletics? Send them to Shannon Belt at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Daily Advertiser: Here's why STM football's Landon Ortte committed to Louisiana football