Legacy of Pederson lives on
ULM Warhawk tight end Josh Pederson came to the bayou as a legacy. His Super Bowl winning father remains one of the most decorated offensive players in school history when he quarterbacked the then Northeast Louisiana Indians in the late 1980s and into the 1990s.
The young Pederson though felt like he might need a change after offensive coordinator Matt Kubik left for the same job at Southern Mississippi.
Josh put his name in the transfer portal for a few weeks before announcing a return to ULM as the leading receiver back on a team that would have been very short on experienced senior leadership on offense otherwise.
Josh racked up a team-high nine receiving touchdowns (42.8% of all ULM receiving touchdowns in 2019) and is the leading returner in yards (567) and total catches (43) from the Warhawks last season.
While Josh says he doesn’t regret his decision to remain at ULM, the portal can be a brutal experience. It reminded the tight end of the recruiting process in high school.
“I was trying to find what would be the best fit for me,” Pederson said. “I haven’t regretted (the decision). The portal – teams can be wishy washy. It was like getting recruited all over again.”
Presumptive starting quarterback Colby Suits, who has sat behind record-setting quarterback Caleb Evans for three years, was a key voice in getting Josh to think about what he would be leaving on the bayou.
“Having great friends like Colby (Suits) call me during the process meant a lot,” Josh said. “My family built a house here. My grandparents are here. We call Monroe ‘home’.”
The key for Pederson will be focusing on improving in his yards after catch (YAC) this season and the offense finding a way to quickly gel with a new quarterback. That process will be eased with the fact that senior running back Josh Johnson returns as one of the conference’s premiere running backs.
“Josh (Johnson) can run over any defense,” Pederson said. “I want to concentrate on getting my YAC up. If I can come with the same amount of TDs I would be the happiest guy alive. I think (tight end) Tyler (Lamb) and I can contribute and we just have to go out and make plays.”
The season is something that the players are all experiencing for the first time due to so many changes associated with the COVID-19 virus.
The team was given an 11-week at-home workout packet and now the team is back on campus, many of them, for voluntary workouts together.
“We are all super excited,” Josh said of being back on campus. “We are still kind of guessing with this season and just playing it by ear.”
When the season does begin, the Warhawks will have the biggest and best target back in the maroon and gold.