Longtime UL Football Director Retires, Speaks Out After Audit Findings

LAFAYETTE, La. — Troy Wingerter spent nearly four decades around the program as a player, a video coordinator, and eventually its top operations administrator, and this week he spoke with KPEL News to explain, in his own words, how a Louisiana Legislative Auditor report ended that career.

Wingerter's departure became official Tuesday, closing a Cajuns career that started as a player in 1987, resumed on staff in 1996 after several years away from the program, and continued for nearly 30 more years.

What Wingerter Told KPEL About the Audit

Wingerter was direct with KPEL News about what he wants the public to understand first.

"There isn't a single person involved in this that benefited personally from any of it," Wingerter said, pushing back on the idea that the events in question involved giving alcohol to recruits.

He described the spending at the center of the audit as connected to "parent socials," gatherings held for recruits' parents after official visits, separate from any events involving the recruits themselves. Wingerter said the events were approved through compliance and the NCAA and funded through an annual recruiting fundraiser. The dispute, he said, came down to how those approved expenses were coded and billed rather than whether the spending itself was allowed.

"It should have been billed through the foundation instead of being billed on the card," Wingerter told KPEL News, describing what he called ongoing ambiguity between funds that can be coded to the University of Louisiana Foundation and funds meant for direct university, or stateside, spending.

Wingerter acknowledged his role as the administrator who approved departmental spending, even though he said he was not everyone's direct supervisor on the football staff's organizational chart. He confirmed the misspent funds have already been repaid. He also said no one from the auditor's office asked him for input before the report was finalized, adding that his last contact with an auditor came in December.

What the Legislative Auditor Found

The audit that led to Wingerter's exit was one of three findings in a Louisiana Legislative Auditor's Office report issued June 15, which together described $76,890 in erroneous or unauthorized charges. Most of that total, more than $70,000, stemmed from unrelated fraudulent activity across two university bank accounts that the bank fully reimbursed. A separate $671 incident involved a lost LaCarte card recovered by Lafayette police.

The football-related finding centered on $5,974 in alcohol and food charges. Auditors said a football recruiting employee, between November 2024 and March 2025, instructed vendors to list those costs on receipts as "room rentals" or "event deposits" rather than what they actually were. That employee resigned from the university on January 20, 2026. The report also states the employee's supervisor remained on staff but had university card access revoked after auditors found expense reports had been approved without meaningful review.

UL President Ramesh Kolluru told the auditor's office the university agreed with the findings in part, saying the matter was referred to Human Resources and the Office of Internal Audit as soon as it was identified, with that internal review completed in March. Wingerter, for his part, has maintained the university and university system reached a different conclusion than the state auditor, classifying the matter as mismanagement rather than misappropriation under the definition the university circulated internally.

A Program 'Go-To Guy' Steps Away After Nearly 40 Years

Beyond the audit, Wingerter's exit marks the end of one of the longest-running staff tenures in UL football history. He played for the Cajuns from 1987 to 1991, left the state for a stretch working in nightclub management, then returned to the program in 1996 and stayed for the better part of three decades, working under multiple head coaches and building a reputation as the staff member other employees called when something outside their own job description needed handling.

Head coach Mike Desormeaux credited Wingerter with helping the program get off the ground on short notice during Desormeaux's first year leading the Cajuns, saying the staff would not have gotten out the door for that first recruiting trip without him.

Wingerter told KPEL News he spent his final weeks on the job training his successor rather than dwelling on the circumstances of his exit, saying he did not want to leave the program worse off on his way out. He also released a personal statement on his departure.

I am issuing this statement in my personal capacity to provide context regarding the recent Louisiana Legislative Auditor report. This statement reflects my views alone and does not represent the position of the University of Louisiana or its Athletics Department.
First, I want to make clear that no individual involved in the matters discussed in the report personally benefited from any of the expenditures in question. The events referenced were official and approved recruiting activities conducted on behalf of the university and its
football program.
I fully recognize the importance of compliance, accountability, and proper stewardship of public resources. The audit identified concerns regarding the documentation, approval, and reimbursement of certain recruiting-related expenses.
At the same time, I believe there is important context that is not fully reflected in the public report. The recruiting events themselves were legitimate university activities, and many of the expenses associated with those events were allowable expenditures when purchased through the appropriate university funding source. The primary dispute centers on how certain expenses were documented, coded, reviewed, and expensed.
During almost 30 years at the University of Louisiana, I witnessed numerous changes to procurement, compliance, and reimbursement procedures. While those changes were
occasionally designed to strengthen accountability, they also created situations where employees were required to navigate increasingly complex processes especially as it
relates to purchasing items that would be coded to foundation. In this instance, I believe there were shortcomings in training, communication, and oversight that contributed to the issues identified.
As evident by the football program’s organization chart my role was not as the daily supervisor, but as the administrator for the overarching budget, and I accept responsibility for my role in that oversight. Leadership requires accountability, and I understand that responsibility ultimately rests with those of us charged with supervising a university program’s operations.
While I may disagree with certain conclusions, characterizations, or interpretations contained within the report, I respect the role of auditors and recognize their responsibility to identify areas where institutions can improve. My hope is that the lessons learned from
this process will lead to clearer procedures and stronger training.
As I conclude my career after almost three decades of service to this university, I remain proud of what we accomplished together. The University of Louisiana has provided extraordinary opportunities for students, student-athletes, faculty, staff, and our community. Our university and our community have done a lot of winning and learning together and I look forward to what is next for both of us. My commitment to this institution
will never waver.
The fact of the matter is I would do anything for my university including accepting the consequences for all of this mess. While I wasn’t given a choice in whether I had to leave… I have a choice in how I am leaving, and the elevation of the road I am taking into retirement.
As far as the future of my beloved university… THE  University of Louisiana will only regain its prominence if our alumni and community step up to support it, especially through this particularly challenging time. While we live in the greatest region of Louisiana we are not a regional institution… We are THE University of Louisiana!
Geaux Cajuns!

What's Next for Wingerter

Wingerter said he chose to resign rather than contest the university's decision, a move he framed as giving him control over how his UL career ended after 25 and a half years without a prior disciplinary issue. He's already lined up consulting work, including with James Madison University, where former UL head coach Billy Napier now serves as head coach.