LSU was picked to finish fifth in the SEC in the Preseason Media Poll behind Georgia, Texas, Ole Miss and Texas A-and-M. Many national media members have said it’s national championship or bust for LSU and first-year head coach Lane Kiffin. Kiffin says those types of expectations are why he came to LSU.

Cut 12 (13) “…that does it.”

The Tigers have a tough nine-game SEC schedule for the first time ever this season. The conference added the game for its latest TV deal and to boost strength of schedule, but Kiffin said it will do more harm than good.

Cut 13 (11) “…anyone else.”

Georgia is the only team of the four voted ahead of LSU the Tigers do not play. They also have games against sixth-place Alabama and eighth-place Tennessee.

LSU landed nine players on the preseason All-SEC team, the third most of any school. Tight end Trey’Dez Green, tackle Jordan Seaton, edge rusher Princewill Umanmielen, linebacker Whit Weeks and punter Grant Chadwick are on the first team. Cornerback DJ Pickett and safety Ty Benefield made the second team, and center Braelin Moore and linebacker TJ Dottery are on the third team.

LeBron James is headed to the 76ers. James is signing a two-year, eight-million-dollar contract with a player option in what he called his “last decision.” The 41-year-old said he still wants to chase the feeling of winning another championship. His new home in the Eastern Conference means he will make only one trip to New Orleans in what could be his final season.

Former Cowboys quarterback and CBS analyst Tony Romo was arrested on suspicion of operating a vehicle while under the influence in Milwaukee. Romo performed poorly on a field sobriety test, was taken into custody, booked and released.

Four incoming LSU softball freshmen will compete in the 2026 Premier Girls Fastpitch All-American Game. The future Tigers are pitchers Addie Rackley and Ayla Tuua, catcher Karmen Vazquez and outfielder Sydnee Williams.

LSU helped wrap up SEC Media Days in Tampa yesterday. Senior linebacker Whit Weeks could have gone to the NFL Draft after an injury-riddled 2025. Instead, he decided to come back to lead coordinator Blake Baker’s defense back to dominance.

Cut 13 (08)  “…to Baton Rouge.”

Weeks will have a new partner in the middle of the defense to help with that goal. Linebacker TJ Dottery led the SEC with 98 tackles at Ole Miss last season and followed Lane Kiffin to Baton Rouge. Weeks said he loves playing alongside him.

Cut 15 (12) “…to play with.”

LSU kicks off the season at home September 5^th against Clemson.

LSU hosts Texas November 14th. It will be the first meeting between the schools since the Tigers’ 45-38 win in Austin in 2019. The Longhorns were supposed to make a return trip as part of that series, but it was postponed by COVID and their move to the SEC. Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning says he’s looking forward to playing in Death Valley.

Cut 17 (07) “…so we’re excited.”

If you want a chance to meet Lane Kiffin and the Tigers before the season starts, NILSU Max is hosting a football meet-and-greet on August 8th. General Admission is 30-dollars for adults and 10-dollars for kids 5-and-under. VIP tickets are 100-dollars and include early access to the event and a picture with Kiffin.

Louisiana Tech will compete in the Round Rock College Baseball Classic with Alabama, Texas Tech and Texas State. The three-day event is scheduled to begin February 26th at Dell Diamond, the home of the Triple-A Round Rock Express.

We learned a little more about LSU football coach Lane Kiffin at SEC media days on Thursday. Kiffin explained it was his teenage son, Knox, who challenged him to stay off social media and he believes that subtraction has been a positive for himself.

Kiffin also told ESPN he wishes his exit from Ole Miss was not so messy. If he had to do it again, he would have asked if he can coach the Rebels in the playoffs and when they told him no, he just would have left for LSU without pushing the issue.

Accompanying Kiffin in Tampa at SEC Media Days was linebacker TJ Dottery who played for Lane at Ole Miss. Dottery explained why he came to LSU.

Cut 14 (13) “…a part of.”

Dottery began his college career at Clemson. He led the SEC with 98 tackles last year.

Arch Manning is returning as the starting Q-B at Texas. Manning got off to a rocky start last season, losing his first game to Ohio State, but the New Orleans native says he’s grown a lot since that defeat…

Cut 18 (09) “…repeat that game”

Texas plays the Buckeyes again this year, but this time in Austin in week 2.

Tthe first ever X Games Championship event is this weekend in NOLA. Joe Gallinaro talked with Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation CEO Jay Cicero.

Cut 1 (30) “…I’m Joe Gallinaro.”

LSU football coach Lane Kiffin spoke at the final day of SEC Media Days today. He said he built his roster to win now and in the future, and he came to LSU to combine the best portal classes with the nation’s top freshmen talents.

Cut 19 (17) “…that combination.”

Kiffin dodged having to field many questions about his messy exit from Ole Miss with a 16-minute opening statement. Yesterday, Rebels coach Pete Golding compared the Kiffin situation to having an ex-girlfriend.

Cut 14 (13) “…to a certain degree.”

The Tigers play the Rebels in Oxford September 19.

Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian and Lane Kiffin coached together at USC and Alabama. Sarkisian says Kiffin is a really good, creative coach who’s found success wherever he goes

Cut 20 (15) “…that he’s on.”

Sark and the Longhorns will visit Kiffin in Baton Rouge November 14. It is the first meeting between the two schools since the Tigers beat the Longhorns in Austin in 2019.

LSU hosts Mississippi State on October 17th. Bulldogs coach Jeff Lebby says he’s excited to head to Tiger Stadium.

Cut 21 (16) “…it’s special.”

Lane Kiffin took the stage at SEC Media Days as a Tiger for the first time this morning. Kiffin welcomed the top-rated transfer class of 41 players as well as the 11^th-ranked recruiting class. He said the combination of his staff and the draw of LSU will be special, and it’s more than enough proof of why he came to Baton Rouge.

Cut 20 (13) “…and LSU.”

He reflected on his growth as a person since arriving at LSU. He said one of the ways he’s grown is his social media use. His son Knox challenged him not to use the apps. Kiffin said he has since deleted them and realized how many others are addicted.

Cut 6 (09) “…try this sometime.”

LSU hosts Texas A-and-M September 26th. Texas A-and-M quarterback Marcel Reed was a problem for LSU last year with 202 yards in the air, 108 yards on the ground and four total touchdowns in a 49-25 second-half blowout. Head coach Mike Elko says the Aggies just need him to play like that consistently.

Cut 15 (16) “…really high ceiling.”

Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer is entering his third year in Tuscaloosa. He led the Crimson Tide to a College Football Playoff win last year, but he says he knows at Alabama, his success is measured by national championships.

Cut 17 (13) “…everyone around me.”

Ole Miss head coach Pete Golding said there’s no ill-will between him and LSU coach Lane Kiffin at SEC Media Days yesterday. He said he tells Rebels fans who ask about what he thinks of Kiffin to look at it this way…

Cut 13 (11)  “…it’s okay.”

And the Rebels are expected to be good again this season. They may have lost Kiffin and offensive coordinator Charlie Weis, but they return starting quarterback Trinidad Chambliss and running back Kewan Lacy, who rushed for 15-hundred yards and 24 touchdowns last season. Lacy wants to bring Ole Miss back to the College Football Playoffs and put up big numbers…

Cut 27 (14) “…my team”

Kiffin will speak at 8 AM.

Two of LSU’s biggest home games are against Texas A-and-M and Alabama. The Tigers host the Crimson Tide on November seventh. Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer says he’ll have a tough decision to make before the season starts at quarterback, it will be either three-year backup Austin Mack or former top recruit Keelon Russell…

Cut 18 (12) “….the football field”

When the Tigers take on the Aggies on September 26^th, they will see their former starting offensive tackle Tyree Adams now wearing maroon and white. A-and-M head coach Mike Elko says the former St. Aug standout has made an impression in College Station…

Cut 16 (18) “…a major role”

Former LSU and NFL safety Ryan Clark is no longer employed by ESPN. He was one of several on-air employees laid off as part of another round of cuts for the sports network. Clark has worked as an NFL analyst for ESPN since 2015 and Out-kick writer Dan Zaksheske says the writing was on the wall for Clark’s dismissal since signing a new contract with ESPN in 2024….

Cut 4 (12) “…kind of thing.”

A heavy hitter in the New Orleans sports scene is leaving his post. Doug Thornton, who has managed the Caesars Superdome since 1997, is leaving his job on September 4th. The Dome hosted its first Saints game in 1975; and to this day, it still hosts Super Bowls, major college football games and other big events.

Cut 13 (09)  “…building to succeed.”

Thornton oversaw the massive renovation of the Dome following Hurricane Katrina. Another four-year, 560-million-dollar renovation was completed in 2024.

Southland Conference Football Media Days took place in Houston yesterday. Nicholls went four and four conference play in Tommy Rybacki’s first season as the head coach and he expects improvement in year two…

Cut 17 (19) “…great practice one”

Blaine McCorkle has won just one game since taking over as the Northwestern State head coach in 2024. He says year one, they cleared the rubble; year two, they laid the foundation, and now year three is the time to start changing the scoreboard.

Cut 18 (18) “…of the game.”

Ragin Cajuns athletics director Bryan Maggard is leaving Lafayette to return to Missouri as the deputy athletics director and chief operating officer. Maggard, who has served as A-D since 2017, hired football coaches Billy Napier and Michael Desormeaux and oversaw a 65-million dollar renovation to the football stadium. In recent years, Maggard has had to work around budget cuts.

Doug Thornton, who has been in charge of daily operations with the Superdome and the Smoothie King Center since 1997, is stepping down from his current role. Thornton has played a critical role in New Orleans hosting big sporting events.

Cut 14 (09) “…live music events.”

Thornton says one of his biggest career highlights is the reopening of the Superdome in 2006 after Hurricane Katrina. Such an achievement helped put him in the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame.

Southland Conference Media Day was held in Houston yesterday. Southeastern Louisiana made the FCS playoffs with a 9-and-3 record last season. Quarterback Kyle Lowe returns to a team that ninth-year coach Frank Scelfo says has conference championship aspirations.

Cut 16 (15) “…to go to.”

McNeese coach Matt Viator (VEE-uh-tore) enters year two of his second stint in Lake Charles. The Cowboys were 5-and-7 last season. Starting quarterback Jake Strong is back, and Viator says he loves this year’s team.

Cut 19 (18) “…going next week.”

Two of LSU’s road opponents took the stage at SEC Media Days yesterday. LSU makes a trip to Tennessee November 21st. While it may not have the same vitriol as Kiffin’s return trip to Ole Miss in week three, fans in Knoxville have not forgotten about when the coach left them after just one season for USC in 2009. Volunteers head coach Josh Heupel says that’s a good thing.

Cut 18 (12) “…for his arrival.”

The Tigers visit former offensive coordinator Joe Sloan and Kentucky October 10th. First-year head coach Will Stein had high praise for his coordinator and Notre Dame transfer quarterback Kenny Minchey agrees.

Cut 17 (13) “…what he’s doing.”

Former LSU baseball star Tommy White had four hits in just his third major league game last night against the Diamondbacks. White was four-for-five at the plate with four singles and one run. The A’s took the 5-2 win and White is now batting .455 after going hitless Sunday.

Southland Conference Football Media Day is today in Houston. Southeastern finished second in the conference last year and returns most of its offensive production. Defensive lineman Peyton Anderson says the Lions have only gotten better.

Cut 22 (12) “…of that competitiveness.”

Nicholls was 4-and-4 in conference play under first-year head coach Tommy Rybacki. He says everything goes better the second time you do it.

Cut 21 (16) “…do better.”

SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey opened SEC Media Days by confirming there have been discussions among officials about the league breaking away from the NCAA…

Cut 28 (15) “…honest communication”

Sankey says the frustrations are over a governance system that does not allow the NCAA to enforce rules without them being challenged and overturned in court The commissioner gave no indication a breakaway is imminent, but his public comments come as the U-S Senate works on  federal legislation that attempts to bring rules and regulations to college athletics.

Southland football media day takes place today. UIW, Southeastern, McNeese and Nicholls are expected to contend for a conference title.

______________________________________________

Two of LSU’s opponents spoke on the first day of SEC Media Days. The Tigers will visit Kentucky on October 10^th. The Wildcats are led by new head coach Will Stein. Stein spent two seasons as the offensive coordinator at Oregon and is confident he can make Kentucky a winner in football…

Cut 16 (13) “…down and play”

The Tigers are at Tennessee on November 21^st. The Vos will have a quarterback battle in the preseason between redshirt freshman George MacIntyre and top-15 freshman Faizon Brandon. Coach Josh Heupel (HYPE-ul)…

Cut 19 (18) “…field with