6:45 LRN Sportscast

LSU is ranked 13th in the preseason coaches poll and the Tigers will face six teams that are ranked in the Top 25, starting with the season opener against 18th ranked Clemson.

LSU struggled along the offensive line last season and Preston Guy with Tiger-Bait-dot-com is not sure the addition of Jordan Seaton will be the game changer that many are hoping for

Cut 14 (10) “…all those problems”

Seaton has been named to the preseason Outland Trophy Watch list. He was a second-team all-Big 12 selection at Colorado last season and if he has a good season this year, could be a potential first round draft pick.

 

Legendary Saints quarterback Drew Brees will work his first full season with Fox this season as a color analyst. He’ll work in the booth with Adam Amin and his first assignment is the week one game between the Bears and the Panthers. Drew will be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday.

________________________________________

LSU is not the only team that starts preseason practice today. The Ragin Cajuns get started today and they return starting quarterback Lunch Winfield, who is a big reason U-L Lafayette turned its season around last year and played in a bowl game. Head coach Michael Desormeaux says Winfield has put in a lot of work in the offseason.

Cut 17 (17) “…off for you.”

Winfield has held numerous throwing sessions with a receiver room led by redshirt junior Shelton Sampson Jr., who made 32 catches for 537 yards and six touchdowns last year.

Sad news out of the world of horse racing. Lafayette native Robbie Albarado, who won more than five thousand races as a jockey passed away Tuesday at the age of 52 after undergoing a heart procedure last week. Aboarado retired in 2021.

6:45 LRN Sportscast

LSU football players report for fall camp today. It will be head coach Lane Kiffin’s first preseason camp with the Tigers, and LSU’s rebuilt roster will need to build chemistry fast, especially on the offense. Tiger Rag editor Glenn Guilbeau says it starts with quarterback Sam Leavitt.

Cut 16 (19) “…to look at.”

Leavitt has been named to the preseason watch list for the 90th Maxwell Award, which goes annually to the outstanding player in college football.

Tyler Shough looked good in the Saints first padded practice of training camp. According to NOLA.com’s Luke Johnson, Shough completed 11 of 14 passes. Rookie Barion Brown had a nick catch, so did first round pick Jordan Tyson.

____________________________________________

Southeastern Louisiana comes in at number 19 in the Stats Perform 2026 Preseason FCS Top 25 poll. The Lions are one of three schools from the Southland ranked in the Top 25. Stephen F Austin is ranked 13th and Lamar is ranked 20th.

A couple of former LSU Tigers were traded in the final hours before the Major League Baseball trade deadline. Anthony Eyanson, who is one of the best prospects in baseball, was traded by the Red Sox organization to the Orioles organization.

Also former LSU shortstop Josh Smith, who has struggled this season with the Rangers with a .213 batting average, was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays.

Also former Ragin Cajuns pitcher Spencer Arrighetti was traded from the Houston Astros to the Toronto Blue Jays in a deal for Daulton Varsho. Arrighetti is currently on the injured list with right foot nerve irritation but is expected to pitch again this season. Arrighetti is 7-5 with a 4.60 ERA.

6:45 LRN Sportscast

The Saints agreed to terms with All-Pro receiver Chris Olave on a four-year, 132-million-dollar contract extension. Olave held in for the first two practices of training camp while he negotiated the deal.Locked On Saints podcast host Ross Jackson says he’s surprised by how quickly the two sides got it done.

Cut 13 (12)  “…to everybody’s benefit.”

The deal will make him the NFL’s sixth-highest-paid receiver behind the Cowboys’ CeeDee Lamb. Olave ranked in the top eight of the NFL in receptions, yards and TDs last season.

Meanwhile, Tampa Bay quarterback Baker Mayfield is disappointed he does not have a new contract. Mayfield say she feels disrespected by the offers the Buccaneers presented to him. Mayfield is entering the final season of his deal that will pay him 33-million dollars.

________________________________________________________

Linebacker Kaden Elliss returned to New Orleans this offseason after being draftedby the Saints in 2019 . He spent three seasons in Atlanta, where he became one of the league’s best linebackers. He says Saints GM Mickey Loomis has maintained the culture of the playoff teams he was a part of.

Cut 17 (19) “…a hundred percent.”

Drew Brees will have his former coach Sean Payton as his presenter when he’s inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on August 8th. The invitation was emotional for Payton, who could not hold back his tears as the moment was caught on camera.

High school football…one of the top running backs in the Class of 2028, Caiden Bellard is transferring from Lafayette Christian to University High.

5:30 LRN Newscast

As a federal ban on THC products draws nearer, local businesses which deal in the product are working to get it overturned. Andrew Greenstein reports.

Cut 2 (34) “…I’m Andrew Greenstein.”

The Beauregard Parish Sheriff’s Office has arrested the foster father of an 18-month-old child who died last weekend in the hospital. Thirty-one-year-old Alberto Marin is facing one count of second degree murder one count of obstruction of justice.

 

Construction jobs are booming in Louisiana – so much so that the Associated General Contractors of America ranks Louisiana number-one in the nation in year-over-year construction job growth and third in the overall number of those jobs.  Reldon Owens, the CEO of AGC’s Louisiana chapter, says the construction boom is being driven by Meta and other data center projects as well as the industrial sector.

Cut 29 (11) “…in Ascension Parish.”

A fisherman from Delcambre has won free beer for a year as he caught a tagged redfish during the CCA Louisiana Star Tournament. Tournament director Micah Den-ess says at first, Wayne Toups, thought it was just a yellow tag for a free T-shirt…

Cut 4 (09) “…what that is”

It turns out to be free Michelob Ultra Beer for free for a year.

3:30 LRN Newscast

Certain school support staff might not be getting stipends this year. That’s setting off alarm bells among unions representing those employees. D’Shay Oaks, the president of the Louisiana Association of Educators, says if those staffers are left on the stipend chopping block, they’ll be looking for alternate sources for the stipends.

Cut 20 (09) “…counselors some stipends.”

The scramble to find money for the stipends comes after voters rejected a constitutional amendment that would have turned the annual stipends into permanent pay raises.

A federal law that goes into effect on November 12th would outlaw most hemp-derived THC and CBD items, such as gummies, seltzers and deta 8 products. Crescent Canna CEO Joe Gerrity says these are items many people enjoy…

Cut 10 (11) “…the state level”

Gerrity has started a new group called the Louisiana Hemp Beverage Association that’s lobbying Congress to either delay or repeal the law.

 

New research has found that the combination of CBD and THC significantly reduces agitation for people with dementia who are at the end of their lives. Dr. Jeff Keller of LSU’s Pennington Biomedical Research Center is one of the principal investigators of the clinical trial.

Cut 30 (10) “…to manage agitation.”

Keller says nine out of every ten study participants showed overall improvement in target symptoms from the THC-CBD combination.

Delcambre fisherman Wayne Toups has won free beer for a year after a catching a tagged redfish during the CCA Louisiana Star Tournament. The tournament lasts through Labor Day, and tournament Micah Denesse (den-ESS) says you can still register at CCA-STAR-dot-com for 35-dollars.

Cut 5 (10) “…for the tournament.”

2:30 LRN Newscast

A Vermilion Parish fisherman won free beer for a year after catching a tagged redfish during the C-C-A Louisiana STAR tournament. The statewide tournament tags and releases redfish along the Louisiana coast, with prizes ranging from T-shirts to trucks and boats. Tournament director Micah Denesse (Den-ess) says Delcambre angler Wayne Toups was thrilled when he found out what he’d won.
Cut 3 (13) “…get that beer.”
And there are still more prizes to be won as the tournament continues through Labor Day.

Most hemp-derived THC beverages could soon be banned from Louisiana stores. A federal law takes effect November 12th, but the industry is pushing Congress to delay or repeal the ban. Crescent Canna CEO Joe Gerrity says lawmakers are considering legislation that would do just that.
Cut 11 (12) “…for that.”
THC is estimated to be a 33-million-dollar industry in Louisiana.

 

Saints training camp is underway, and the team is already dealing with a major injury. Defensive tackle Bryan Bresee is believed to be lost for the season with a torn A-C-L. Defensive end Chase Young says the Saints still have the talent to build a strong defensive front.
Cut 8 (09) “…nasty D-Line.”
Former LSU Tiger Davon Godchaux is among the players expected to take on a bigger role.

LSU football coach Lane Kiffin is concerned the SEC’s new nine-game conference schedule could cost the league spots in the College Football Playoff. Kiffin says the selection committee has indicated strength of schedule will not be a major factor in choosing and seeding the 12-team field. Speaking to the Baton Rouge Rotary Club, Kiffin jokingly offered his own solution.
Cut 16 (12) “…team is better?”

LRN PM Newscall July 30

A Delcambre (DEL-kum) angler just won free beer for a year. Kace Kieschnick has the story.

Cut 1 (35) “…I’m Kace Kieschnick.”

____________________________________________

As a federal ban on THC products draws nearer, local businesses which deal in the product are working to get it overturned. Andrew Greenstein reports.

Cut 2 (34) “…I’m Andrew Greenstein.”

____________________________________________

A fisherman in Vermilion Parish won free beer for a year after catching a tagged redfish during the CCA Louisiana STAR tournament. The statewide tournament tags and releases redfish along the Louisiana coast with prizes from T-shirts to new trucks and boats. Tournament director Micah Denesse (den-ESS) says Delcambre (DEL-kum) local Wayne Toups was thrilled when he found out what he’d won.

Cut 3 (13) “…get that beer.”

While fishing in Vermillion Bay, Toups reeled in a redfish with a special blue tag for a case of Michelob Ultra every week for a year. Denesse says at first, Toups thought it was just a yellow tag for a free T-shirt.

Cut 4 (09) “…what that is.”

Toups brought the tag to Don’s Boat Landing in Erath, gave Denesse a call and celebrated his catch.

Toups said he is still searching for a red tag to win a new boat. The tournament lasts through Labor Day, and Denesse says it is still not too late to register. You can register at CCA-STAR-dot-com for 35-dollars.

Cut 5 (10) “…for the tournament.”

____________________________________________

Saints Swiss Army Knife Taysom Hill announced he will not be returning to the black and gold in an emotional social media post yesterday. Hill spent nine years in New Orleans and became the only player in the Super Bowl era with over one-thousand yards rushing, receiving and passing. Head coach Kellen Moore says he is one of a kind.

Cut 6 (11) “…in this community.”

Hill said in the post he did not know what his future held. He is a free agent and did not rule out playing somewhere else this season.

2023 first-round defensive tackle Bryan Bresee went down with a devastating knee injury on the first day of training camp. Moore says it looks like a season-ending ACL tear, but the team is waiting on a second opinion.

Cut 7 (09) “…training camp’s about.”

Bresee also tore his ACL at Clemson in 2021, but this injury was to the other knee.

The Saints will rely veteran linemen Davon Godchaux (GOD-chaw) and Nate Shepherd as well as second-year tackle Vernon Broughton and rookie Christen Miller. Defensive end Chase Young says he isn’t worried about the defensive front.

Cut 8 (09) “…nasty D-line.”

Broughton was a 2025 third round pick out of Texas but missed most of last year with a hip injury in his NFL debut.

________________________________________________________

A federal ban on THC products is set to take effect November 12th, after Congress passed legislation late last year as part of the bill that ended the six-week federal government shutdown. Joe Gerrity, the CEO of Crescent Canna and the president of the Louisiana Hemp Beverage Coalition, says unless the ban is repealed before it goes into effect, it would devastate his company, forcing him to lay off his entire staff among other things.

Cut 9 (08)  “…as well.”

Gerrity says if the law goes into effect, it would harm his faith in the federal government, since it would be apparent to him that they do not listen to what the people want.

Cut 10 (11) “…the state level.” 

The Louisiana Hemp Beverage Association is working to get the ban overturned before it goes into effect, and Gerrity says there’s a bill that he supports that would not only accomplish that, but it would also address concerns expressed by the ban’s supporters, who say THC drinks and gummies pose safety risks to children.

Cut 11 (12) “…we’re for that.”

THC is an estimated 33-million-dollar industry in Louisiana.

1:30 LRN Newscast

As a federal ban on THC products draws nearer, local businesses which deal in the product are working to get it overturned. Andrew Greenstein reports.

Cut 2 (34) “…I’m Andrew Greenstein.”

Several new state laws go into effect on Saturday. One of the new pieces of legislation bans retail and hospitality businesses from adding a surcharge to transactions when customers pay with a debit card. Businesses that violate the law face fines up of up to five-hundred dollars per violation.

 

A fisherman from Delcambre has won free beer for a year as he caught a tagged redfish during the CCA Louisiana Star Tournament. Tournament director Micah Den-ess says at first, Wayne Toups, thought it was just a yellow tag for a free T-shirt…

Cut 4 (09) “…what that is”

Toups brought the tag to Don’s Boat Landing in Erath, gave Denesse a call and celebrated his catch.

Next week, LSU begins preseason practice and Coach Lane Kiffin says the competition for playing time officially begins…

Cut 18 (14) “…day in practice”

Kiffin says starting quarterback Sam Leavitt is healthy and ready to go after taking it slow in spring football as he recovered from foot surgery.

12:30 LRN Newscast

Construction jobs are booming in Louisiana. The Associated General Contractors of America ranks the state first in the nation for year-over-year construction job growth by percentage and third for the number of new jobs created. AGC Louisiana CEO Reldon Owens says major projects, including Meta’s data center and other developments, are fueling the surge.
Cut 4 (11) “…St. Francisville area.”
Every major metro area in Louisiana added construction jobs, helping drive a 22-percent increase statewide.

A federal ban on THC products is scheduled to take effect November 12th after Congress approved the measure in legislation passed late last year. Crescent Canna CEO and Louisiana Hemp Beverage Coalition President Joe Gerrity says the ban would force his company to lay off its entire workforce.
Cut 9 (08) “…as well.”
The coalition is backing legislation that would repeal the ban while adding safeguards supporters say are needed to keep THC products away from children. THC products generate an estimated 33 million dollars a year in Louisiana.

Researchers at LSU’s Pennington Biomedical say a THC-CBD combination significantly reduced agitation in hospice patients with dementia, with nine out of 10 participants showing improvement. Principal investigator Dr. Jeff Keller says the findings could improve comfort and dignity for patients at the end of life, but more research is needed.
Cut 12 (10) “…all the questions.”

Saints training camp is underway, but the Black and Gold have already suffered a major setback. Defensive tackle Bryan Bresee appears to have torn his ACL during a non-contact drill. Coach Kellen Moore says the team is awaiting a second opinion.
Cut 7 (09) “…training camp’s about.”
Bresee tore the ACL in his other knee while at Clemson in 2021.

6:45 LRN Sportscast July 30

Tough news after the first day of training camp. One of the Saints top defensive linemen is reportedly done for the season. Defensive tackle Bryan Bresee (Bruh-zee) reportedly tore his ACL during a non-contact drill. The former first round pick was healthy during his first three seasons in the NFL, and racked up 86 tackles and 14 and a half sacks.

The Saints swiss army knife on offense for the last nine years will not play for the Black and Gold this season. Taysom Hill said in an emotional post on social media it’s not in the cards. The 35-year-old said nothing about retiring.

Saints fans are hoping first round pick Jordyn Tyson will be the next big offensive star. Quarterback Tyler Shough says he’s looking forward to building chemistry with Tyson…

Cut 26 (12) “….never satisfied”

LSU football coach Lane Kiffin worries the SEC’s new nine-game conference schedule could cost the league spots in the College Football Playoff. Kiffin says the selection committee has signaled it will not put a lot of emphasis on strength of schedule when choosing and seeding the 12-team field. Speaking to the Baton Rouge Rotary Club, he jokingly suggested a better way to determine the college football playoff bracket.

Cut 16 (12) “…team is better?”\

Preseason camp begins next week for the Tigers. Kiffin says quarterback Sam Leavitt is ready to go after recovering during spring football from a foot surgery.

Ross Dellenger of Yahoo Sports reports the Protect College Sports Act is in dire position. The SEC and Big 10 continue to oppose the federal legislation, despite lengthy negotiations with legislators.