NATCHITOCHES – When Northwestern State offensive lineman Caleb Billiot takes the field Saturday at Louisiana Tech, he'll return to the place where his college football journey began.
 
Billiot spent the 2021, 2022 and 2023 seasons with the Bulldogs, but never saw the field during his three seasons in Ruston. He remained committed to the process, however, and eventually found a second opportunity at Northwestern State that changed the trajectory of his career.
 
Now a three-year starter and two-year team captain for the Demons, Billiot has become one of the leaders of the NSU program.
 
So, what would the 2026 version of Caleb Billiot say to the Caleb Billiot who was leaving high school and beginning his college football career?
 
"One thing I would tell him is that I'm proud of him for never giving up," Billiot said. "For continuing to go through the days and stacking days on top of each other even when things got hard.
 
"Being a walk-on at any school, everything is magnified. Everything you do. There's a higher standard to you. So going through those hard days of maybe not wanting to get up one morning or questioning, 'Is this really for me?' I'm truly proud of him for doing that."
 
Billiot wasn't highly recruited coming out of high school and entered college as a walk-on at Louisiana Tech. Despite not see the playing time he wanted in his first three years, the work never stopped. The desire to play, to have the right opportunity, to contribute to something greater than himself never vanished.
 
That opportunity eventually came at Northwestern State.
 
Billiot has started for the Demons for three seasons and has served as a team captain for the past two. He has also excelled in the classroom, earning Southland Conference Honor Roll recognition in each of his seasons. In 2025, he was named to the Southland All-Academic Team and the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Team. 
 
In May of this year he earned his degree in health and exercise science as a cum laude graduate.
 
The journey from a lightly recruited high school offensive lineman to a captain and scholarship player at Northwestern State is one Billiot has already learned to appreciate.
 
"I'm thankful for the opportunity that I get to play," he said. "I feel like the team really responds to me well and I wake up every single day remembering where I came from in that instance.
 
"A smaller offensive lineman, not really highly recruited, and I try not to take being here and being able to play and be a captain and leader of this team for granted."
 
That perspective is especially meaningful as Billiot prepares to return to Louisiana Tech for the first time this weekend.
 
He knows how easily his story could have ended differently.
 
"I could be in that situation as a walk-on that never gets to touch the field," Billiot said. "If they decide to transfer, they never get picked up and their career is kind of over. So for me to be able to get a second opportunity, be on full scholarship and be able to play and make a difference, I'm really proud of that younger Caleb for never giving up."
 
Northwestern State kicks off at Louisiana Tech at 6:30 p.m. from Joe Alliet Stadium on ESPN+.