The Pelicans will tip off the NBA 2K26 Summer League in Las Vegas at 2:30 against the Timberwolves. Former LSU center William Baker and McNeese forward Christian Shumate are both on the Pels Summer League Roster. Shumate played four years in Lake Charles, and now the Chicago native has another opportunity in the Bayou State.

Cut 17 (19)  “…back here.”

Also making the trip to Vegas will be former LSU guard Cam Carter with the Spurs and Louisiana Tech center Kenneth Lofton Jr. with the Celtics. Former LA Tech teammates Isaiah Crawford and Daniel Batcho will share the hardwood again as they suit up for the Kings’ summer league squad.

The CEO of one of the finalists to build LSU’s new arena has been indicted in a federal case for bid-rigging a similar project at UT Austin. Oak View Group was able to subcontract its competitors and submit the sole qualified bid to build Texas’s Moody Center, which LSU officials have named as the inspiration for a new arena.

Former LSU star D-J LeMahieu is headed for a change of scenery. The Yankees designated the two-time batting champ for assignment. LeMahieu turns 37 on Sunday and is batting .266 this season.

The MLB Draft begins Sunday in Atlanta, and several national championship-winning Tigers will come off the board. Lefty ace Kade Anderson has been mocked first overall and ranks as the number one prospect on ESPN and second on MLB.com. Right-hander Anthony Eyanson could go towards the end of the first round, ranked 45th on ESPN and 40th by MLB.  Both rank flamethrower Chase Shores towards the end of day one selections. Infielders Daniel Dickinson and Jared Jones and D-H Ethan Frey all project to be early day two picks.

Five-star U-High lineman Lamar Brown is scheduled to make his commitment tomorrow. Zach Nagy of SI on LSU says it’s a fierce battle between LSU and Texas A&M for the number one recruit in Louisiana.

Cut 8 (14) “…and he knows it.”

The Saints unveiled the franchise’s first-ever white helmet today. The alternate helmet will be worn with the team’s color rush jersey this season and features an old gold fleur-de-lis and facemask that matches the jersey.

The Pelicans announced their group opponents for the Emirates NBA Cup. New Orleans will face the Lakers, Clippers, Grizzlies and Mavericks once each in West Group B.

LSU also received a commitment from three-star Haynesville safety Isaiah Washington. Washington has led the Golden Hurricane to back-to-back state championship appearances at quarterback. Haynesville coach David Franklin says there was an opening at QB his freshman year.

Cut 17 (19) “…leader now.”

Minden High School right-handed pitcher Landon Brewer announced his commitment to Louisiana Tech.

Locked On Sun Belt Podcast Host Dave Schultz reports that momentum has shifted to Louisiana Tech’s favor to join the Sun Belt. He says the West has always been behind the Bulldogs, and some votes might have shifted in the East to get the ball rolling. He says whether or not Tech has all the necessary votes, as of right now, the Bulldogs are the only school under serious consideration.

Haynesville safety and quarterback Isaiah Washington announced his commitment to LSU July 4th. The three-star prospect chose the Tigers over Arkansas, Tulane, and Louisiana Tech. Haynesville football coach David Franklin told Tiger Rag Radio Washington will be an elite athlete in the LSU secondary.

Cut 16 (13) “…room to grow.”

Centenary College is welcoming Hal Mumme and his air raid offense as the new offensive coordinator for the Gents. Mumme brings over 40 years of coaching experience to Shreveport. His last stop in Louisiana was as head coach at Southeastern in 2003, where he helped restart the Lions football program.

The Saints are bringing football to France. Senior Vice President of Communications Greg Bensel says a delegation from the team, including owner Gayle Benson and linebacker Demario Davis, will aim to grow American football in France through events such as meet-and-greets and the launch of a flag football program.

Cut 15 (10) “…it more popular.”

The Saints released their new alternate helmet today. The new hardware features a white base with an old gold Fleur-de-lis on each side, a black-lined old gold stripe down the middle, and a matching gold facemask. The white and gold scheme will seemingly match the Saints’ color rush uniforms, but the team is expected to release a new alternate jersey sometime before training camp that could replace the color rush or throwback uniforms.

Angel Reese was named the cover athlete for the WNBA Edition of NBA2K26. The former LSU star is also debuting her first signature shoe, the Angel Reese 1, on the cover. She joins OKC’s Shai-Gilgeous Alexander and NBA great Carmelo Anthony as this year’s cover athletes.

LSU left-hander Kade Anderson was named the top male athlete in Louisiana this year. The Madisonville native earned the Allstate Sugar Bowl James J. Corbett award after leading Division One in strikeouts this season and helping the Tigers to an eighth national championship. Anderson was also ranked as the number one prospect in the MLB Draft by ESPN analyst Kiley McDaniel. McDaniel says he still expects Anderson to go number one in Sunday’s draft after the Nationals fired their president of baseball operations, Mike Rizzo, and manager Dave Martinez Sunday.

Cut  19 (09) “…to Anderson.”

LSU announced senior quarterback Garrett Nussmeier, senior wide receiver Chris Hilton, and junior linebacker Whit Weeks will represent the Tigers along with head coach Brian Kelly at SEC Football Media Days July 14.

Locked On Sun Belt Podcast host Dave Schultz says Louisiana Tech still doesn’t have the votes to join the league, but Commissioner Keith Gill has invested significant political capital to convince Sun Belt schools to approve to Bulldogs.

Cut 20 (19) “…the conference.”

The report comes weeks after ULM discontinued its women’s tennis program to cut costs. The Warhawks currently sponsor the minimum required 16 programs to be a D1 FBS school.

Sun Belt Football Media Days will kick off in New Orleans with the West Division July 22. The Ragin’ Cajuns will be represented by offensive lineman Jax Herrington, safety Tyree Skipper and head coach Michael Desormeaux. Joining second-year ULM head coach Bryant Vincent will be tight end Nate Sullivan Jr. and linebacker Billy Pullen.

LSU head coach Jay Johnson was named D! Baseball Coach of the Year after winning his second national championship in Baton Rouge. It is his second time receiving the honor after earning the same award from the American Baseball Coaches Association in June. Johnson is the fastest coach to win two national titles with a program after taking home two trophies in four years at LSU.

UL-Lafayette is hiring Marshall pitching coach Taylor Sandefur to replace Gunner Leger, who has now taken a job at Southern Miss. Sandefur led the Thundering Herd pitching staff to a 5.09 ERA with a 33-and-26 record.

Saints owner Gayle Benson and linebacker Demario Davis will be traveling to France this week to promote the team’s international brand. The NFL granted the Saints marketing rights in the country as part of the league’s 2023 Global Markets Program. The trip will look to strengthen the team’s connection with European fans with events Thursday through Monday and the launch of a team-branded boys and girls flag football program.

The Saints announced the team will be releasing a new alternate helmet tomorrow. A new uniform will also be released sometime before training camp, likely replacing either New Orleans’ Color Rush or 60’s throwback uniforms.

Sun Belt Media Days will kick off July 22 in New Orleans. UL-Lafayette offensive lineman Jax Harrington and safety Tyree Skipper will represent the Cajuns along with head coach Michael Desormeaux. ULM announced they’d be sending redshirt senior tight end Nate Sullivan Jr. and senior outside linebacker Billy Pullen to join head coach Bryant Vincent.

ESPN MLB Draft expert Kiley McDaniel ranked LSU pitcher Kade Anderson as his number one prospect ahead of Sunday’s MLB Draft. McDaniel has previously mocked Anderson to go number one overall. He ranked LSU righties Anthony Eyanson and Chase Shores 45th and 68th. Second Baseman Daniel Dickinson came in at 89th, D-H Ethan Frey ranked 132nd and first baseman Jared Jones rounded out the top 250 at 249. 13 LSU commits also ranked in the top 250.

LSU outfielder Derek Curiel and right-handed pitcher Casan Evans were named first team Freshman All-Americans by D1Baseball. Curiel led the Tigers with a .345 batting average this season and was also named a second-team All-American and second-team All-SEC. Evans posted a 5-and-1 record on the season with a 2.05 ERA and 71 strikeouts in 52-and-two-thirds innings.

LSU pitching coach Nate Yeskie recapped the championship run and previewed next year’s staff with Tiger Rag Radio last night. The Tigers have added three lefties in the portal and Yeskie is looking forward to the return of junior right-hander Gavin Guidry.

Cut 20 (13) “…get him too.”

WWL’s Mike Detillier spoke with Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik ahead of his season opener versus LSU. Klubnik passed for over 36-hundred yards and 36 touchdowns in his second season as a starter last year. The former five-star says he chose Clemson because of head coach Dabo Swinney.

Cut 19 (16) “…love to do it.”

The Sun Belt will look to replace Texas State as the Bobcats head to the PAC-12 in 2026. Locked On Sun Belt Podcast host Dave Scultz says the conference has been surprisingly slow on the issue, and doubts there will be an answer by Sun Belt Media Days July 22. He hopes this is because they’re taking the time to consider expansion to 16 teams.

Cut 8 (09) “…and E-C-U.”

LSU will kick off the football season at Clemson August 30. WWL’s Mike Detillier previewed the matchup with Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik, who was at the Manning Passing Academy this past weekend. The junior signal caller is looking forward to welcoming the Tigers to Memorial Stadium.

Cut 18 (15)  “…like Garrett.”

LSU Linebacker Whit Weeks was named a Walter Camp second-team preseason All-American. The junior finished second in the SEC in tackles last year as the anchor of the Tigers defense.

Southern University outfielder Cardell Thibodaux announced he’d be entering the transfer portal yesterday. The junior had a monster 2025 campaign where he batted .435 with 18 homers and 71 RBI and was named the SWAC player of the year.

Detillier also spoke to LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier about the Tigers‘ improved roster. Nussmeier highlighted five-star freshman cornerback DJ Pickett. The 6-foot-4 Florida product was ranked as the No. 1 overall corner in the 2025 class by On3 and Rivals and second by ESPN and 247Sports. Nussmeier says Pickett is next in the line of great LSU corners.

Cut 17 (12)  “…elite cornerback”

Texas State is officially PAC-12 bound and will be leaving the Sun Belt next season. The conference’s Louisiana schools have been pushing for Louisiana Tech to join the Sun Belt West, but other schools are looking to expand the conference’s media footprint. Host of the Locked On Sun Belt Podcast Dave Schultz says the league has already reached out to East Carolina.

Cut 7 (09) “…of the A-A-C.”

WWL’s Mike Detillier spoke with LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier at the Manning Passing Academy. Nussmeier was confident in the Tigers revamped offensive line and always lethal weapons. One target he expects to play a big role is six-seven sophomore tight end Trey’Dez Green.

Cut 16 (16) “…really long time.”

Green played in all 13 games his freshman season and tallied 4 touchdowns and 101 yards on just 13 receptions.

LSU has landed a third talented lefty reliever out the portal in Oregon sophomore Santiago Garcia. Garcia posted a 4.20 ERA in 30 innings with 49 strikeouts with the Ducks last season. The Las Cruces, New Mexico native was the high school teammate of Tigers shortstop Steven Milam.

With Texas State’s departure for the PAC-12 next year, the Sun Belt is looking to replace the Bobcats. Louisiana Tech would fit seamlessly into the vacancy in the Sun Belt west and revive rivalries with UL-Lafayette, ULM and Southern Miss, but Locked On Sun Belt Podcast host Dave Schultz says the league’s non-Louisiana schools have had enough of the Bayou state.

Cut 10 (09) “…two weeks ago.”

Teams argue Tech would not provide any new markets to expand the league. The Sun Belt has reportedly reached out to East Carolina and is considering Conference USA rivals Western Kentucky and Middle Tennessee.

If Louisiana Tech does get the nod, McNeese could be in conversations to make the jump to FBS and replace the Bulldogs in conference USA.

LSU guard Flau’jae Johnson and Team USA will take on Mexico in the Fiba AmeriCup today at 1 p.m. Johnson has scored just eight points in three games in the AmeriCup but Team USA has an undefeated record, and she’ll look to bounce back in the final game of the group stage.

Revenue sharing in college athletics launched today following the NCAA House settlement. Schools are now allowed to pay student athletes directly up to $20.5 million of their athletic revenue. Wilson Alexander of the Advocate spoke to LSU officials trying to navigate a new era of collegiate sports. LSU’s usually profitable athletics department is facing a projected 8-million-dollar deficit thanks to revenue sharing. He says the school will find a new revenue stream in advertisements on the 25-yard-line at Tiger Stadium, and officials hope to be back in the black by 2027…

Cut 11 (12) “…dollars a year.”

Alexander says LSU has a sponsor lined up and plans to seamlessly integrate the on-field logo with a purple and gold color scheme.

Oregon left-hander Santiago Garcia announced his commitment to LSU. The sophomore New Mexico native was the high school teammate of Tigers shortstop Steven Milam. He tallied 49 strikeouts in 30 innings with the Ducks last season. 

Former UL-Lafayette All-American left-hander and pitching coach Gunner Leger announced his resignation after two seasons. Leger’s staff showed promise his first year helping the team to a Sun Belt title with a 4.48 ERA, but that mark jumped to 5.53 this year.

Former LSU forward Trendon Watford agreed to a two-year $5.3 million deal with the 76ers last night. Watford spent the previous two seasons with the Nets after signing with the Trailblazers as an undrafted free agent in 2021. He averaged over ten points in 44 games last season.

The Pelicans announced their preseason schedule today. New Orleans will tip off in Melbourne Australia October 3 with games against Melbourne United and South East Melbourne Phoenix. New Orleans will return home to host the Rockets in Birmingham October 14 before wrapping up the preseason against the Magic.