Lance LeGendre wants to show the world the new him.

It’s not exactly outward belief he’s in search of. His football path, which has led him from the inner city of New Orleans to Maryland before a return to his home state with Louisiana football, has been guided in self-confidence and conviction.

The 6-foot-2, 223-pound “freakish athlete,” as he calls himself, needs to show the world the new him because honesty and acceptance can be difficult. What you have told yourself in the past and where you end up sometimes don’t align. Seeking validation makes the sorrow less painful.

Legendre simply must see the new him himself.

From QB1 to crowded receiver room

He was a quarterback. That’s what he was groomed to be, told he was, wholeheartedly believed he was and worked to play for most of his life.

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At Warren Easton High School, he played for state championships and ultimately was labeled the eighth-best quarterback in the country coming out of high school in 2019 as a four-star prospect. LeGendre was even featured on the Netflix docuseries "QB1: Beyond the Lights" during his senior season.

LeGendre signed with Maryland. He appeared in six games over two seasons, then transferred to UL prior to the 2021 season with sole intention of winning the quarterback job, something he was still striving to do heading into preseason practice this season.

“I was planning on competing to be the starting quarterback and getting proper reps to compete," LeGendre said.

LeGendre, still only a sophomore, was behind three quarterbacks on the depth chart. But all along, first-year Ragin’ Cajuns coach Michael Desormeaux could see LeGendre’s ability in a different role.

The two met on the eve of preseason practice. Desormeaux told Legendre he believed his future wasn’t at quarterback but at receiver, a position at which LeGendre hadn’t even practiced since his sophomore year of high school.

“I was kind of sad a little bit at first, but I shared my thoughts with Mom, some of my coaches back at home," Legendre said. "You know, the sun comes back up, so you got to move on and make the best of it.”

Desormeaux’s belief in what LeGendre can accomplish at receiver and what he added to the team wasn’t just about a quick fix or trying to make anyone happy. He knew LeGendre wouldn’t be thrilled with the idea.

It was seeing five years down the road.

"I told him this and I believe it," Desormeaux said. "I think he can play in the NFL at receiver.”

Back to street ball

Going from QB to receiver hasn't been easy. LeGendre is still learning, trying to nail down the proper technique on leverages, number of steps before breaking routes and other minute details of playing receiver.

“I’m still kind of dealing with it," LeGendre said. "But I’m at a point where if the team needs me to do this, that’s what I’m going to do.”

To help his transition, LeGendre has fallen back on how his journey began.

“Easiest part is I’m a freakish athletem so I was able to adjust quick on the fly. Lining up, running go balls,” LeGendre said. “I did a lot of that coming up in poverty, going outside every day to play pole-to-pole in the street. I kind of transitioned to street ball on the field, and the receiver stuff came naturally.”

Since August, LeGendre has made huge progress to the new him.

“There's so many nuances to every position, but the guy has done a phenomenal job," Desormeaux said. "The team watches him and they can see, they can tell what he's going to be in the future. We're excited about it. Lance has got three years left. This is something that we can really make something out of."

'Now it's his time'

While LeGendre still battles some uncertainty, he got the best glimpse of what he can be at receiver in Louisiana’s win over Texas State in the regular-season finale, with four receptions for 81 yards and his first receiving touchdowns. He now has eight catches for 109 yards in eight appearances at receiver.

It took all season, but he felt some of what Desormeaux, receivers coach Tim Leger and others have been selling to him the past few months.

"I’m still finding ways to cope and accept my role," LeGendre said. "If God has this plan for me, I’m going to do it. It was a great opportunity and I felt like I maximized my opportunity in the 15 plays I did receive. It was a joy. It was a spark.”

The progression has been tedious, but LeGendre carved out more of a role each week. Desormeaux made him a big focal point in what UL wanted to accomplish against Texas State.

Now LeGendre has a perfect chance to set himself up for a good offseason as the Cajuns (6-6) face Houston (7-5) in the Independence Bowl in Shreveport on Friday (2 p.m., ESPN).

"Now it’s kind of his time to get to go out there and go do it," Desormeaux said.

With how the past few months transpired, LeGendre needed to see that type of performance to close this season. For the first time, the self-assured freakish athlete battled doubt. Despite the latest unforeseen twist in his path, he’s traveled too far to go back.

“If I stop here right now, I feel like a waste," LeGendre said. “... It was heavy on my heart and it wasn’t easy – even to this day – but you got to find a way to keep a smile on your face and get through those days. Every day just accept your role.”

There’s still a ways to go for acceptance. He hasn’t quite reached validation. But slowly his mindset is switching back, inching closer to what it used to be when he was QB1.

He’s just WR1 now.

“I want to show the world something: a new me. I’m closing out of the QB world and I’m transitioning into a receiver,” he said. “I got a lot to show the world.”

Cory Diaz covers the LSU Tigers and Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns for The Daily Advertiser as part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow his Tigers and Cajuns coverage on Twitter: @ByCoryDiaz. Got questions regarding LSU/UL athletics? Send them to Cory Diaz at bdiaz@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Lafayette Daily Advertiser: Louisiana football's Lance LeGendre wants to show world 'new me' as WR