Saints Coach Sean Payton is getting married again today according to NOLA-dot-com. Payton proposed to his longtime girlfriend, Skylene Montgomery, in November 2019 during a private party at the Longway Tavern in New Orleans. The marriage was reportedly set for March, but today is the big day for the happy couple, as they will tie the knot in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. Montgomery was Miss West Virginia in 2008.

In 2023, the college football playoff could be expanded from four to 12 teams. So what will happen to the Sugar Bowl? CEO Jeff Hundley expects their annual bowl game will be a playoff site…
cut 17 (16) “…really matters”
Conference commissioners met in Chicago today to discuss playoff expansion.

Governor John Bel Edwards has signed the legislation increasing the cost of annual recreational and commercial hunting and fishing licenses. The costs for the licenses will start to go up in July 2022. Prairieville Representative Tony Bacala says he had to bring this legislation because the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries was running out of money and fees had not been raised in decades.
Cut 13 (09) “…user pay”
LDWF officials say two-thirds of recreational sportsmen will only see their yearly costs go up about ten dollars, and Bacala says with that increase will come more consolidated licenses….
cut 15 (07)( “…one package”

LSU swimmer Brooks Curry qualified for the U.S. Olympic Team as he placed fourth in the 100-meter free final at the Olympic Swimming Trial. Curry is the first swimmer in program history to qualify for the U.S. Olympic team.

Four-star shooting guard Justice Williams committed to the LSU Tigers as the team’s second commitment in the 2022 class.  The 6’3 Philadelphia native is the number three shooting guard in the class.

LSu junior pitcher Landon Marceaux and freshman right fielder Dylan Crews have been named All-Americans by Baseball America and by National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association.  Marceaux finished the season with a 2.54 ERA and 116 strikeouts.  Crews batted .362 with 18 homers.

Louisiana Tech baseball coach Lane Burroughs has agreed to a two-year contract extension that would keep him in Ruston through 2026.  Burroughs led the Bulldogs to 42 victories this past season, their first divisional championship since 1992 and Tech hosted a regional for the first time in program history.

Conference commissioners are meeting in Chicago to discuss a proposed expansion of the college football playoff from four to 12 teams, possibly as early as 2023.  Sugar Bowl CEO Jeff Hundley says   hosting a big-time playoff game every year could increase fan interest and competitiveness of the Sugar Bowl.

Cut 18 (14) “started”

LSU football’s Derek Stingley Jr, Elias Ricks, and Cade York have been named to the Walter Camp preseason All-America team.

LSU swimmer Brooks Curry qualified for the U.S. Olympic Team as he placed fourth in the 100 meter free final with a time of 48.19.  Curry is the first swimmer in program history to qualify for the U.S. Olympic team.

Louisiana Tech baseball coach Lane Burroughs has agreed to a two-year contract extension that would keep him in Ruston through 2026. No word yet if he’s also receiving an increase in pay. Burroughs led the Bulldogs to 42 victories this past season, their first divisional championship since 1992 and Tech hosted a regional for the first time in program history.

Louisiana Tech third baseman Hunter Wells was named a Baseball America First Team All-American after finishing second in the nation in hits with 101.

LSU junior pitcher Landon Marceaux and freshman right fielder Dylan Crews have received All-American recognition. Both players made the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association third team.

Former LSU star Alex Bregman has been placed on the ten-game injured list with a quad strain. The Astros still clobbered the Chicago White Sox 10 to two yesterday.

Conference commissioners are meeting in Chicago to discuss a proposed expansion of the college football playoff from four to 12 teams, possibly as early as 2023. This has caused some to wonder whether this would negatively impact the importance of bowl games. Sugar Bowl CEO Jeff Hundley says while there are some concerns, he’s excited about what this could mean for college football.
Cut 16 (17) “…go forward.”
During the meetings in Chicago, there’s talk about scrapping the divisions, because winning a conference championship gets you into the 12-team playoff.

LSU men’s basketball has received a commitment from four-star prospect Justice Williams. He’s a six-foot-three shooting guard from Florida and he’s ranked as the 33rd best prospect for the Class of 2022 according to 24-7 sports.

In high school baseball, Mangham Coach Wayne Johnson has retired after 42 seasons. He won 880 games during his career.

Pelicans Executive Vice President David Griffin says the mutual decision to part ways with head coach Stan Van Gundy after only one season was due to philosophical differences in how to move forward with the young team. But Griffin praised Van Gundy in a press conference after the news broke.
Cut 16 (19) “…coach.”
A report in the Athletic shines more light on why Van Gundy is dismissed. Apparently, some of Zion Williamson’s family members found Van Gundy was too rigid and demanding. The report also says Zion’s family is concerned about the dysfunction within the franchise and they would like for him to play for another team.

Louisiana Tech has announced a contract extension for baseball coach Lane Burroughs that will keep him with the Bulldogs through the 2026 season. Tech just had its best season in program history, winning 42 games, a Conference USA Western Division title and they hosted a Regional.

The search for a new LSU baseball coach remains quiet. No new developments today. LSU junior pitcher Landon Marceaux and freshman right fielder Dylan Crews have received All-American recognition.

Louisiana Tech third baseman Hunter Wells was named a Baseball America First Team All-American after finishing second in the nation in hits with 101.

And in football…A trio of LSU players has been named to the Walter Camp Preseason All-American Team. Cornerback Derek Stingley Junior and kicker Cade York are first-team selections, while sophomore cornerback Eli Ricks made the second team.

And in the Athlon Sports’ preseason F-C-S Top 25, Southeastern Louisiana is ranked 15th and Nicholls is 24th.

Pelicans Executive Vice President David Griffin says the mutual decision to part ways with head coach Stan Van Gundy after only one season was due to philosophical differences in how to move forward with the young team. The Pelicans ended Van Gundy’s only season 31-41 good for only 11^th in the Western Conference, one spot shy of making the playoff play-in tournament.

Griffin made some puzzling comments during the press conference…

Cut 17 (17) “development”

Former Louisiana Tech women’s basketball star and coach Teresa Weatherspoon emerged as a potential head-coaching candidate.  Pels assistant Fred Vinson and Bucks’ assistant Charles Lee are also reportedly in the running for the job.

LSU’s longtime Director of Athletic Training, Jack Marucci has received a promotion as he’ll now serve as director of Performance Innovation at the school. The school says Marucci will use his expertise in sports science to develop new ways for all of LSU’s student-athletes to prosper in competition. Marucci spent the last 25 years leading LSU’s athletic training staff.

LSU softball’s Taylor Pleasants earned freshman of the year honors in the state of Louisiana and coach Beth Torina captured her second state coach of the year award.  Pleasants batted .314 with 11 homeruns and 47 RBI’s this past season.

Louisiana Tech third baseman Hunter Wells has been named a Baseball America first-team All-American.  Wells was second in the nation this season with 101 hits while batting .385 with 14 homers.  He is the third Bulldog to earn All-America honors this season and the ninth in program history.

The Pelicans and head coach Stan Van Gundy have parted ways after just one season that did not yield a playoff appearance. New Orleans went 31 and 41 and the 61-year-old Van Gundy turned out not to be a fit with a roster that features several players in their early 20s.

Former Louisiana Tech women’s basketball star and coach Teresa Weatherspoon emerged quickly based on media reports as a potential head-coaching candidate. Pelicans Executive Vice President of basketball operations, David Griffin, says that rumor was likely the result of Weatherspoon being named summer league coach…
cut 18 (22) “….itself”
Pels assistant Fred Vinson and Bucks’ assistant Charles Lee are also reportedly in the running for the job.

The NFL has announced new COVID protocols that will result in fans being able to attend training camp. The Saints have not made an announcement regarding fans at training camp, but that could be coming soon.

Also, players who are not fully vaccinated will have to test every day for the coronavirus during training camp. Daily testing is not required for vaccinated players. Also, players not vaccinated will have to wear masks at the club facility and during travel and once they get to the team hotel they have to stay there and can not eat at restaurants. The NFL is not mandating vaccines, but these protocols that the players association agreed to are designed to encourage players to get vaccinated.

LSU’s longtime Director of Athletic Training, Jack Marucci has received a promotion as he’ll now serve as director of Performance Innovation at the school. The school says Marucci will use his expertise in sports science to develop new ways for all of LSU’s student-athletes to prosper in competition. Marucci spent the last 25 years leading LSU’s athletic training staff.

Stan Van Gundy is out after one season as head coach of the Pelicans. Van Gundy failed to lead Zion Williamson and the Pels to the playoffs this past season. The team’s Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations David Griffin says they recognized that Van Gundy was not the fit they thought when he was hired….
cut 18 (18) “….we ahd”
Locked on Pelicans podcast host Jake Madison says a former Louisiana Tech women’s basketball star is a potential candidate to replace Van Gundy…
cut 8 (12) “….Vaneterpool”
If Weatherspoon gets the job, she’ll become the first woman head coach in a major American sport.

U-L Lafayette’s football stadium has a new name. It’s now called Cajun Field at Our Lady of Lourdes Stadium. It’s the result of a 15-year, 15-million dollar naming rights deal between the school and the regional medical center based in Lafayette. The 15-million dollars will help pay for renovations at the 50-year-old stadium that will include a full-service nutrition center for all U-L athletes.

450-million dollars worth in renovations are ongoing at the Superdome. Those renovations include 12 new field-level suites being built behind the north end of the stadium. Each of the suites can hold 20 to 24 people and they are expected to be ready for the team’s preseason opener on August 23rd against the Jaguars.

The NFL and its players’ association have agreed on new COVID-19 protocols for training camp and preseason games. If a player is not vaccinated, they will have test for COVID every day, remain socially distanced from others at the club’s facility, travel separately from vaccinated players, and not allowed to leave the team hotel to eat in restaurants.

Just eight months after he was hired, Stan Van Gundy is officially out as the head coach of the New Orleans Pelicans.  The Pels finished 31-41 during Van Gundy’s only season in the Big Easy.  He was originally hired to change the culture of a young team and have them compete for the playoffs but that didn’t happen. The defense was below average all season and the team lost 14 games this season when they had a double digit lead.

Two Tigers, Dylan Crew and Tre Morgan, were named Freshmen All-Americans by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association. Crews hit .362 this past season with 18 homers and 42 RBI. Morgan batted .357 with six homers and 42 RBIs. Both players scored 64 runs.

Former LSU basketball players Trendon Watford and Cam Thomas have been invited to the NBA draft combine which will take place later this month in Chicago.

The Ragin Cajuns football program will receive renovations to Cajun Field as Our Lady of Lourdes Regional Medical Center has committed a $15 million for the project for naming rights to the field. Updates will include premium suites including indoor private seating as well as available outdoor seating for suite holders and their guests, as well as numerous other amenities Coach Bill Napier says this will help his football program.

Cut 20 (20) “across the board”

The Saints are planning a 450 million dollar renovation project to the Superdome.  The changes include 12 field level suites to replace seating in the North End zone.  There are also plans to add a standing room only section.

The Rose Bowl will be at 100-percent capacity when the LSU Tigers visit the UCLA Bruins for the season opener of the college football season on September fourth. It will be the first time since 2019 the Tigers will play in a full stadium.

U-L Lafayette’s football stadium has a new name thanks to a 15-million dollar investment from Our Lady of Lourdes Regional Medical Center. The Cajuns’ stadium will now be known as Cajun Field at Our Lady of Lourdes Stadium as the hospital has agreed to a 15-year, 15-million dollar naming rights deal. Coach Bill Napier says this will help his football program…
cut 20 (20) “….across the board”
The 15-million dollars from Lourdes will pay for renovations on the 50-year-old stadium.

Nothing new on LSU’s search for a baseball coach. The latest reports have Ole Miss Coach Mike Bianco and East Carolina’s Cliff Godwin as the main candidates to replace the retired Paul Mainieri.

Two Tigers, Dylan Crew and Tre Morgan, were named Freshmen All-Americans by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association. Crews hit .362 this past season with 18 homers and 42 RBI. Morgan batted .357 with six homers and 42 RBIs. Both players scored 64 runs.

Former LSU basketball players Trendon Watford and Cam Thomas have been invited to the NBA draft combine which will take place later this month in Chicago.

Kevin Durant delivered one of the great NBA playoff performances of all time last night as K-D had 49 points, 17 rebounds and 10 assists to help Brooklyn beat Milwaukee 114 to 108. The Nets lead the series three games to two and game six is tomorrow in Milwaukee.

The Advocate Newspaper reports that LSU is focusing its search for a new baseball coach on Ole Miss coach Mike Bianco and East Carolina coach Cliff Godwin.  Big names like Vanderbilt’s Tim Corbin has been mentioned as an option but college baseball analyst Ronnie Rantz says convincing him to come to Baton Rouge would not  be easy.

Cut 17 (14) “in the country”

Bianco and Godwin have both spent time in Baton Rouge as assistant coaches, while Bianco also played for the Tigers in the late 1980’s.

Ragin Cajuns head basketball coach Bob Marlin has announced the hiring of Derrick Zimmerman as a new assistant coach for the Cajuns basketball program.  The Monroe native spent the last three seasons on the Mississippi State staff, serving as a graduate assistant for two seasons before becoming Director of Scouting and Analytics last year.

The Ragin Cajuns have received a verbal commitment from 2022 offensive lineman Bryant Williams, who helped lead Grand Lake to the Class One-A championship game last season. Williams is six-foot-eight, 315 pounds, and received an offer from U-L Lafayette in late January.

According to Rivals recruiting expert Mike Farrell, former LSU running back Kevontre Bradford will transfer to the University of Oklahoma.  Bradford signed with LSU as a four-star prospect in the class of 2020.  As a freshman, Bradford had 10 carries for 58 yards for the Tigers.

LSU Gymnastics Head Coach Jay Clark has announced Garrett Griffeth and 2004 Olympian Courtney McCook Griffeth as new assistant coaches. The Griffiths come to Baton Rouge after serving as assistant coaches for the last two seasons at the University of Utah. The Utes finished third nationally this past season.