LSU football coach Brian Kelly kicked off SEC Media Days in Atlanta this morning. Kace Kieschnick has more.
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Sun Belt CEOs reportedly voted to invite Louisiana Tech to the conference. Jeff Palermo broke down the move with Locked on Sun Belt podcast host Dave Schultz…
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LSU Head Coach Brian Kelly took the podium at SEC Football Media Days this morning. Expectations have been high for Tigers quarterback Garrett Nussmeier in his second year starting. Joe Burrow and Jayden Daniels posted historic Heisman-winning seasons in year two. Kelly says while that’s a steep comparison, he expects Nussmeier’s experience to help him improve.
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LSU brought in 18 veterans in the top-ranked transfer class this offseason. Kelly expects the class to bolster a defensive unit he acknowledged was improved last season, but not championship level. He says defensive coordinator Blake Baker is elite, and his players should be as well.
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LSU’s offensive weapons are as loaded as ever, but after four offensive linemen departed in the NFL Draft, there are some question marks in the trenches. Kelly says losing his offensive anchors would be an issue if unprepared, but his staff has been grooming the next generation since Will Campbell and Emery Jones started as freshmen.
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A police chase in Lincoln Parish ends with deputies shooting and killing the driver they were chasing. Deputy Amanda Lyon with the Northeast Louisiana Sheriff’s Investigative Unit says deputies attempted a traffic stop Saturday night, but the driver instead took off.
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Lyon says the pursuit lasted for about 16 miles, coming to an end on U.S. 167 near Paradise Point Lane.
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But instead, the man pointed his gun at deputies, who shot him.
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But those life-saving measures proved to be futile, as the man was pronounced dead at the scene. No deputies were injured. Investigators from surrounding agencies have taken over the investigation, which remains ongoing.
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The National Hurricane Center is monitoring the gulf for the possibility of some tropical activity later this week. LSU Public Health Climatologist Barry Keim says as of right now, the odds of a tropical system forming are fairly low.
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Keim says whatever does eventually happen with any potential disturbance in the gulf likely will not have much of a major impact on the Louisiana coast.
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Keim says if anything, this will be a rainmaker, with the biggest likelihood being late in the week and into the weekend.
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Louisiana Tech is officially Sun Belt-bound after league officials voted to invite the Bulldogs this morning. Tech was named the obvious candidate to replace Texas State as the Bobcats head to the PAC-12, but Sun Belt East schools preferred expansion into a new market over a third Louisiana program. Locked On Sun Belt Podcast host Dave Schultz says most of the conference’s recent additions have been in the east.
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Louisiana Tech’s addition was backed by Western schools like ULM and UL-Lafayette despite historic conflicts between the programs. Schultz says Louisiana schools will save money on bus ride commutes and reignite heated in-state rivalries, especially in Lafayette.
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The move will also benefit the Bulldogs, who become the tenth team to leave Conference USA since 2022. Schultz says LA Tech needs to reinvest the money it will save from regional rivalries to compete in one of the top mid-major conferences.
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Louisiana Tech will owe at least a $5 million fee to leave Conference USA. The soonest they can make the move is 2026, the same year Texas State departs for the PAC-12.