The Southeastern Conference will not allow pro athletes to play football and basketball teams in the SEC. The policy is in response to LSU’s efforts to add players who were on the rosters of NFL teams. Also, RJ Luis just won a court battle to play basketball at LSU, even though he signed contracts with two different NBA teams.  The lawyers who fought to make these players eligible in the first place may return to court again and fight this policy.

LSU celebrated the life of former baseball coach and athletics director Skip Bertman last night. LSU’s current athletic director, Verge Ausberry – who played football for LSU while Bertman was coaching the baseball team – paid tribute to his predecessor, using the nickname he had given himself, playing off his Jewish faith.

Cut 9 (11)  “…the chosen one.”

LSU welcomed 12 newcomers to the 13-man wide receiver room this offseason. Florida transfer Tre Wilson was the highest-rated transfer addition. He says he’s enjoyed building chemistry with quarterback Sam Leavitt…

Cut 16 (16) “…of the receivers.”

The Saints have signed two-time All-Pro kicker Daniel Carlson to compete with Tannar Hudson and Charlie Smyth. Carlson, whose family is living in Auburn, says he’d been in contact with New Orleans throughout the offseason.

Cut 20 (15) “…the season’s going.”

The Black and Gold wrap up the preseason in Dallas against the Cowboys on Friday night.

One of LSU’s top basketball signees, 2025 Big East Player of the Year RJ Luis, was granted a preliminary injunction to play for the Tigers this season. Luis declared for the 2025 NBA Draft and signed two professional contracts, but he will be allowed to return to college basketball. One of his attorneys, Elliot Abrams, told WBRZ in Baton Rouge that the NCAA’s rule against pro compensation that used to protect amateurism is arbitrary.

Cut 4 (11) “…to reason.”

The ruling was not related to the lawsuits that allow fifth-year players to return under the new five-for-five eligibility model and is bringing ex-NFL players Dae’Quan Wright and Zxavien Harris to LSU.

The Big Ten unanimously approved a new conference rule to not allow any former pro football players to play at any member school. The other Power Four conferences are considering a similar rule, including the SEC.

Saints head coach Kellen Moore confirmed that running back Ty Chandler will miss the season with a knee injury. New Orleans traded for 49ers running back Zamir White, who Moore says fits the offense well.

Cut 17 (11) “…it’ll be good.”

The Saints play their final preseason game versus the Cowboys on Friday.

LSU is less than two weeks out from its season opener versus Clemson, and despite both of the Tigers’ lead running backs returning, a new face will likely take the first carry. Wisconsin transfer Dilin Jones has practiced with the first-team. He says he came to LSU for competition and the whole running back room has improved this offseason.

Cut 21 (13) “…hit the hole.”

LSU basketball is signing another overseas pro, 7-foot-3 Israeli center Gilad Levy. The 24-year-old played in the Spanish pro league last season, averaging less than two points and two rebounds in about five and a half minutes a game in his 18 appearances.

Yesterday, a Baton Rouge judge granted another LSU signee RJ Luis a preliminary injunction allowing him to return to college basketball after signing two NBA and G League contracts. Luis’s attorney, Elliot Abrams, told WBRZ in Baton Rouge that with N-I-L and revenue sharing allowing schools to pay athletes directly, the NCAA is now a professional sports league.

Cut 3 (12) “…cries wolf.”

ESPN’s Pete Thamel reports that the Big Ten is passing a rule to ban former pros from playing for a Big Ten school, and the SEC is considering a similar rule.

A Celebration of Life for LSU legend Skip Bertman will be held in the P-MAC tonight at 7 with doors opening to the public at 6. Former LSU pitcher Doug Thompson says LSU fans are known for showing up for their teams, and he hopes that the PMAC is bursting at the seams with Tiger fans honoring Bertman.

Cut 8 (08) “…we’re so unique.”

The ceremony will also be broadcast on ESPN-plus and the SEC Network.

One of the former NFL players to commit to LSU is ex-Saints undrafted free agent Zxavien Harris. Head coach Kellen Moore’s brother, Kirby,  is the head coach at Washington State, and he says the slew of lawsuits giving players a fifth season of eligibility puts coaches in a bind.

Cut 18 (17) “…developed here shortly.”

LSU football coach Lane Kiffin is defending the program’s decision to recruit NFL players that have been granted a fifth year of college eligibility. Kiffin says his obligation is to LSU and its fans and to go recruit the best available players.

Cut 27 (13) “…against them.”

The NCAA approved a new five-year eligibility model this summer that opened the door for hundreds of athletes who just finished their eligibility to file lawsuits to get the fifth year many of their teammates and future athletes will now receive.

A Baton Rouge judge has also granted another year of eligibility to former Big East Player of the Year RJ Luis, who signed with LSU back in May. The NCAA argued Luis is not eligible after signing contracts with two different NBA teams, but Luis never appeared in a regular season game.

The Saints will close out the preseason against the Cowboys on Friday. New Orleans will carry three kickers on the roster after signing two-time All-Pro Raiders kicker Daniel Carlson. Head coach Kellen Moore says the veteran will join the competition between Charlie Smyth and Tannar Hudson.

Cut 16 (09) “…go from there.”

Carlson is 31-years-old and was just 22 of 27 on field goals last year for the Raiders.

Tonight at 7 PM it is the Celebration of Life memorial at the PMAC for legendary LSU baseball coach and athletics director Skip Bertman. Before the doors of the PMAC open to the public at 6 PM, there will be a private ceremony for family, staff and former players. Former LSU pitcher Doug Thompson…

Cut 9 (09) “…with his boys”

Governor Landry ordered flags to be flown at half-mast today in Bertman’s honor.

LSU received another commitment from a former NFL training camp player looking to come back to college football. All-SEC Ole Miss D-tackle Zxavien Harris was waived by the Saints this preseason after going undrafted and is now coming to LSU. He joins tight end Dae’Quan Wright as another standout under Lane Kiffin last season, hoping to come back for a fifth year of college eligibility thanks to the ruling of a Baton Rouge judge. Kiffin says he does not think pro players should come back to college but this is an unprecedented situation.

Cut 21 (15) “…fifth year.”

The Patriots are trading former LSU receiver Kayshon Boutte to the Texans for safety Jaylen Reed and a 2028 seventh-round pick. Another ex-Tiger, linebacker Deion Jones, was traded by the Saints to the 49ers for running back Zamir White. Jones just signed with New Orleans earlier this month.

The Saints have been hit by the injury bug hard this preseason. New Orleans returned from a disastrous 34-0 loss to the Los Angeles Rams in their second preseason game Saturday and over 20 Saints were not at practice. Cornerback Rejzhon Wright was placed on injured reserve as he undergoes hip surgery, and running back Ty Chandler is feared to have suffered a severe knee injury.

Tulane announced that Madison Prep product Zeon Chriss-Gremillion will start at quarterback to open the season against Duke. The redshirt senior started his college career at UL Lafayette and spent the last two seasons at Houston.

Grambling head coach Mickey Joseph has yet to name a starter at QB for the Tigers’ season opener Saturday.

Former LSU quarterbacks Max Johnson and Michael Van Buren were each named starters. Johnson will start for Georgia Southern in his seventh college football season, and Van Buren earned the number one spot at South Florida.

Louisiana Tech women’s basketball coach Brooke Stoehr has agreed to a contract extension to stay in Ruston through the 2030-2031 season. She led the Lady Techsters to a 26-and-7 season last year.

LSU is at the center of history as former Ole Miss tight end Dae’Quan Wright is set to become the first football player to participate in an NFL training camp, but return to play in college. Wright has been released by the Browns and if he clears waivers, he’s expected to end up on LSU’s campus. A Baton Rouge judge has given Wright and several other players a fifth year of eligibility.

The Saints were outplayed 34-0 in a preseason loss to the Rams. Backup quarterbacks  Spencer Rattler and Zach Wilson, each threw an interception. The Saints defense gave up 405 yards of offense and New Orleans committed 12 penalties. Coach Kellen Moore…

Cut 20 (17) “…game of execution.”

New Orleans will conclude the preseason on Friday in Dallas.

LSU offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr. is entering his first year in Baton Rouge but his ninth season working with Lane Kiffin. Weis has spent the last four years as Kiffin’s Ole Miss offensive coordinator, and he says it was their relationship that kept him from taking a head coaching job or staying at Ole Miss.

Cut 16 (16) “…place to be.”

Twenty-three-year-old RJ Luis’s (Lewis) case for another year of eligibility goes before a Baton Rouge judge today as the former Big East Player of the Year wants to play for Will Wade and LSU. Tiger Rag Editor Glen Guilbeau says Luis has previously signed with NBA teams, but did not play in a regular season game…

Cut 9 (11) “…it’s ridiculous”

LSU received a commitment from Notre Dame edge rusher Junior Tuihalamaka. The 23-year-old was one of the class of 2022 players who received a fifth year of eligibility from a temporary restraining order granted by a Baton Rouge judge. He started three games for the Irish each of the last two seasons and recorded four total sacks, 61 tackles and nine tackles for loss in 28 games.

He joins an edge room featuring Ole Miss transfer Princewill Umanmielen, Tennessee transfer Jordan Ross and five-star freshman Lamar Brown. Coach Lane Kiffin says Umanmielen has been impressive during camp so far.

Cut 18 (19) “…get him down.”

Umanmielen had nine sacks as a Rebel last season.

Class of 2022 college athletes who are looking to return for a fifth season are now ineligible thanks to the NCAA’s stay request approved by the U.S. 10^th Circuit Court of Appeals. Any athletes included in individual injunctions or temporary restraining orders like the one granted in Baton Rouge on Wednesday are still eligible, but all other players will have to wait on further hearings.

Louisiana Tech’s touchdown leader from a season ago, running back Andrew Burnette, was one of the players included in the order, and he has returned to practice with the Bulldogs. Head coach Sonny Cumbie says he’s glad to have him back.

Cut 21 (11) “…to be here.”

Burnnette and the other plaintiffs, including LSU commit Junior Tuihalamaka and former Tiger Jack Pyburn, are awaiting an August 31 hearing to decide if their eligibility will become permanent. Pyburn’s path back to college football may be more difficult than Burnette and Tuihalamaka’s because he, like many others in the case, already signed an NFL contract.

ULM received an over 2-million-dollar grant from the Louisiana Department of Health to expand its health science offerings. The funding comes through the Rural Transformation Project, hoping to provide more educated medical professionals to rural hospitals. Dr. Wendy Bailes, the dean of the ULM College of Health Sciences, says one of the three initiatives of the grant is to increase nursing school enrollment.

Cut 7 (08) “…students per year.”

Beginning July 1, DCFS raised foster care board rate payments from 600 to 900-dollars a month, but stopped reimbursing families for incidental expenses. Danielle Eley cares for three children, and she says those reimbursements help pay for a lot.

Cut 10 (11) “…theater.”

Eley’s testimony helped Covington lawmakers convince DCFS Secretary Rebecca Harris to bring back the reimbursements for the remainder of this fiscal year.

LSU fifth-year senior offensive guard Bo Bordelon has earned his starting spot after four seasons as a backup. The son of former standout Tigers lineman Ben Bordelon, Bo says he had to earn his starting job after asking Lane Kiffin and his coaching staff for a fresh start. He made the switch from right tackle to left guard and put on extra weight this offseason and says his new offensive line coaches have made a big difference.

Cut 14 (13) “…what I want.”

The U.S. 10^th Circuit Court of Appeals has granted the NCAA’s stay request against the ruling giving all class of 2022 athletes a fifth year of eligibility. Any athletes looking to return are now ineligible until an expedited appeal hearing unless they have been granted another state-level injunction or temporary restraining order like the one issued by a Baton Rouge judge on Wednesday. That order was granted to over 30 college athletes, many of whom played at Louisiana colleges, including former LSU defensive end Jack Pyburn.

Former five-star LSU defensive tackle Dominick McKinley made headlines for all the wrong reasons during the start of preseason practice. McKinley got reps with the second and third teams at times, but head coach Lane Kiffin says he has really turned his camp around.

Cut 17 (15) “…with our ones.”

Former LSU National Pitcher of the Year and Most Outstanding Player of the 2025 College World Series, Kade Anderson, will make his major league debut with the Mariners tomorrow. Anderson is baseball’s top pitching prospect after posting a 10-and-1 record with a 1.06 ERA and 135 strikeouts in Double-A this season.

ESPN College Gameday announced it will be coming to Oxford for Lane Kiffin’s return to Ole Miss when LSU takes on the Rebels September 19. It will be the Tigers’ second Gameday appearance in the first three weeks of the season after LSU hosts the show during their September 5 season opener against Clemson.

The U.S. 10^th Circuit Court of Appeals has granted the NCAA’s stay request against the ruling giving all class of 2022 athletes a fifth year of eligibility. Any athletes looking to return are now ineligible until an expedited appeal hearing unless they have been granted another state-level injunction or temporary restraining order like the one issued by a Baton Rouge judge on Wednesday.

Former LSU forward Amiya Joyner was one of the players named in that order and is entering the transfer portal. Joyner led the Lady Tigers with 7.5 rebounds a night and scored 9.2 points per game.

Louisiana Tech running back Andrew Burnette was also included in the ruling and is back practicing with the Bulldogs. Burnette led the team with nine rushing touchdowns last year and took 95 carries for 491 yards.

Former LSU defensive end Jack Pyburn and a trio of former Ole Miss football players were also granted the TRO.

Other plaintiffs in the case are LSU soccer player Jazmin Ferguson and basketball player Rashad King, McNeese defensive lineman Keenan Landry and basketball player Peitok Machar, Northwestern State first baseman Thomas Marsala and Tulane men’s basketball player Percy Daniels.

LSU is a little over two weeks away from its season opener versus Clemson on September 5th. Head coach Lane Kiffin says quarterback Sam Leavitt did not look like himself in the spring as he recovered from his foot surgery, but he’s been impressive in preseason camp.

Cut 16 (16) “…plays around him.”

Kade Anderson was the ace of LSU’s staff in 2025 as the Tigers won their eighth national championship and on Saturday night he will make his major league debut against the Chicago Cubs. The Seattle Mariners are calling the 22-year-old left-hander up from the minor leagues, where he has dominated. He’s 10-1 with a 1.06 ERA at Double-A Arkansas.

The Saints held their final preseason joint practice against the Rams yesterday. Receiver Chris Olave sat out, as it was a rest day, so head coach Kellen Moore says it was a good opportunity for quarterback Tyler Shough to face a great defense without his top target.

Cut 19 (14) “…led by Tyler.”

The Saints play the Rams in their second preseason game tomorrow at 3 p.m. Moore did not name a starting quarterback, but Zach Wilson got snaps with the second team over Spencer Rattler yesterday.

Earlier this week the Saints had a fight-filled practice with the Cowboys. The NFL fined both franchises 500-thousand dollars.

SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey has filed an affidavit letter to East Baton Rouge Judge Ronald Johnson urging him not to allow basketball player RJ Luis to play for the LSU Tigers because he has signed a professional contract with two NBA teams. Luis’s hearing seeking another year of eligibility is Monday.