The Saints rookies report for training camp today. Highlighting the group is center Erik McCoy. The second-round pick will battle with Nick Easton and Cameron Tom for a chance to snap the ball to Drew Brees.

Former LSU standout and Atlanta linebacker Deion Jones has agreed to a four-year, 57-million dollar contract extension. Jones made the pro bowl in 2017 but missed most of last season with a broken foot.

According to 24-7 sports, Louisiana Tech has the top recruiting class for 2020 as the Bulldogs have 17 commitments, 15 of them are three-star prospects.

SEC Media Days wrap up today in Hoover, Alabama with Vanderbilt, Kentucky and Auburn taking the stage.

Southland Conference Media Day is today. Nicholls is looking to repeat at champs, while Southeastern Louisiana and Northwestern State are trying to improve under second-year head coaches. Sterlin Gilbert is the new head coach at McNeese, replacing Lance Guidry.

UL-Lafayette has called a press conference for 11 AM to introduce Matt Deggs as its new baseball coach. Deggs is a former assistant for the Cajuns and spent the past five seasons as the head coach of Sam Houston State. The Bearkats have won the Southland Conference the last two seasons.

LSU left fielder Daniel Cabrera will wear number eight for the 2020 season. The number eight jersey is given to the upperclassman who exemplifies the spirit of LSU baseball through leadership and dedication to the program. Cabrera hit .284 with 12 home runs last season.

Former Alabama and Northwestern State head coach Mitch Gaspard has been hired as Louisiana Tech’s new hitting coach. He’ll replace Travis Creel, who went back to his alma mater Southern Miss. Gaspard was the head coach at Northwestern for six seasons, and Alabama for seven years. He’s been a volunteer assistant coach at Georgia the last two seasons.

Southern has been picked to win the SWAC’s Western Division, while Grambling State is predicted to finish in third place. Southern Coach Dawson Odums returns 17 starters…
cut 30 (10) “…2019″

LSU baseball announced today that left fielder Daniel Cabrera will wear number eight for the 2020 season. The number eight jersey is given each season to the upperclassman who exemplifies the spirit of LSU baseball through leaders and dedication to the program. Antoine Duplantis has worn the number eight jersy the last two seasons.

Former Alabama and Northwestern State head coach Mitch Gaspard has been hired as Louisiana Tech’s new hitting coach. He’ll replace Travis Creel, who went back to his alma mater Southern Miss. Gaspard was the head coach at Northwestern for six seasons, and Alabama for seven years. He’s been a volunteer assistant coach at Georgia the last two seasons.

The four players the Pelicans acquired in separate trades with the Lakers and Jazz all seem committed in making the New Orleans NBA franchise a winner. Lonzo Ball, Derrick Favors, Josh Hart and Brandon Ingram were introduced to the media on Tuesday.

The Pelicans acquired Favors in a trade with Utah. In nine seasons with the Jazz, Favors averaged 12 points and seven rebounds a game. He’s also known as a great team leader and guy who played a big role in making Utah a factor again in the Western Conference. Favors on his role in New Orleans
cut 19 (24) “down here”
Favors is 28-years-old and he’s entering the final year of his contract.

Southern has been picked to win the SWAC’s Western Division, while Grambling State is predicted to finish in third place. Southern Coach Dawson Odums returns 17 starters…
cut 30 (10) “…2019”
Southern has to replace its leading receiver from last season. Kendall Catalon transferred to Arkansas.

At SEC Media Days, here’s Texas A-and-M Coach Jimbo Fisher talking about his starting quarterback Kellen Mond…
cut 29 (14) “… every inch of it”
Mond told reporters at SEC Media Days that he believes he’s the best quarterback in the league. A tough schedule awaits the Aggies, who have to play Clemson, Alabama, Georgia and LSU.
New Pelicans players Lonzo Ball, Derric Favors, Josh Hart and Brandon Ingram were introduced to the media on Tuesday. Ball says he’s ready for a fresh start in New Orleans after two so-so seasons in Los Angeles. Ball has yet to show the ability to score at a high rate in the NBA, but Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations David Griffin says Ball is special on the defensive end of the court
cut 17 (19) “to do”
The new players all express their commitment to bringing a winner to New Orleans.

Visitation is Friday and the funeral is Saturday for longtime Ruston sports writer Buddy Davis. Visitation will be Friday from 4-7 PM at Owns Memorial Funeral Home in Ruston and the funeral is Saturday at 10 AM at Presbyterian Church in Ruston.

The Pelicans introduced their new acquisitions Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, Josh Hart and Derrick Favors to the media and all four of them expressed how much they are looking forward to playing in New Orleans. Hart played two seasons in L-A and is excited to see this young team grow in the Big Easy…
cut 18 (23) “…part of it”
Hart says after he was traded to New Orleans in the Anthony Davis deal, he called Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations David Griffin and told Griff he did not want to be traded from the Pelicans.

In college football, Southern is picked to win the SWAC Western Division, while Grambling is picked to finish third.

SEC Media Days in Hoover are halfway through. Yesterday, Texas A-and-M Coach Jimbo Fisher and three of his players made the rounds with reporters. Aggies Quarterback Kellen Mond and had a lot to say. One, he believes he’s the best quarterback in the SEC and had this to say about their seven overtime victory over the Tigers last November…
cut 20 (25) “…seven overtimes”
If you remember Mond threw an interception late in the fourth quarter, but the play was overturned after review.

Louisiana Tech is picked to finish third in the Conference USA West Division according to a poll of media members.

A lot of talk surrounding LSU this offseason has been centered on the offense and returning starter Joe Burrow at quarterback and new passing game coordinator Joe Brady. But at S-E-C Media Days, Coach Ed Orgeron says the Tigers have the best group of defensive backs he’s ever coached in 35 years. And the old D-Line coach plans to work more with the defensive line this season
cut 17 (24) “those guys”
LSU sophomore cornerback Kelvin Joseph reportedly reentered the NCAA transfer portal. Orgeron said on Monday he expects freshman cornerback Derek Stingley to start this season.

Louisiana Tech is picked to finish third in the Conference USA West Division according to a poll of media members. North Texas is the preseason favorite to win the West, with Southern Miss coming in second place. Marshall is the preseason favorite to win the east.

SWAC Media Days are today in Birmingham. Representing Southern is Coach Dawson Odums and offensive lineman Jodeci Harris and linebacker Calvin Lunkins. Grambling Coach Broderick Fobbs is back for his sixth season. He’s joined by wide receiver Quintin Guice and linebacker De’Andre Hogues. Fobbs expects Hogues game to step up now that two-time SWAC Defensive M-V-P De’Arius Christmas has moved on…
cut 30 (18) “…further ahead”
Grambling’s season opener is August 31st at ULM.

LSU Football Coach Ed Orgeron told hundreds of reporters at SEC Media Days that the Tigers will be running a spread offense and it’s not a threat, as he’s seen the playbook. Orgeron says the playbook also calls for quarterback Joe Burrow to run the football…
Cut 16 (25) “be physical”
Burrow was a big hit at SEC Media Days. He joked with reporters that the atmosphere at Tiger Stadium could change now that SEC schools are allowed to sell alcohol in general seating areas…
cut 29 (11) “…beings”

Louisiana Tech cornerback Amik Robertson has been named to the 2019 Chuck Bednarik Award Watch List, which goes to the College Defensive Player of the Year. Robertson is entering his junior season. The Thibodaux native had 61 tackles, 7.5 tackles for a loss, four interceptions and 12 pass break-ups in 2018.

Today is SWAC Media Day. Grambling’s Broderick Fobbs along with wide receiver Quintin Guice and linebacker De’Andre Hodges will speak with reporters today. Southern’s Dawson Odum has with him, offensive lineman Jodeci Harris and linebacker Calvin Lunkins.

Sun Belt Media Day is next week in New Orleans. Representing the Ragins Cajuns are coach Billy Napier, along with wide receiver Jarrod Jackson and defensive back Deuce Wallace. ULM will have Coach Matt Viator, quarterback Caleb Evans and defensive lineman Donald Louis.

The Pelicans have announced the signing of J-J Redick.

LSU is taking its turn at SEC Media Days today in Hoover, Alabama. Quarterback Joe Burrow showed up wearing roadrunner socks and talked about playing at LSU compared to his former school Ohio State…
cut 30 (37) “…human beings”
Burrow also says he no longer eats salads in public in Louisiana, because he would get made fun of for eating salads.

Longtime Ruston Daily Leader sports editor Buddy Davis passed away over the weekend at the age of 72. Lousiana Tech sports information director Malcolm Butler says Davis spent five decades covering sports in Lincoln Parish
Cut 10 (08) “…national standpoint.”
Davis covered icons like Terry Bradshaw and Karl Malone, the great Louisiana Tech women’s basketball teams and Eddie Robinson and his championship Grambling State football teams.

Louisiana Tech has two players on the 2019 Conference USA Football Coaches all-conference preseason team. Cornerback Amik Robertson has made the preseason team for a second straight season. Last year, he had four interceptions and 12 pass break ups. Junior wide receiver Adrian Hardy has also received preseason all-confernece votes after catching 75 passes for 1,145 yards and six touchdowns.

Today begins SEC Media Days as LSU is one of three schools that will go before the hundreds of reporters that will jam the Hyatt Regency Wynfrey Hotel in Hoover, Alabama. Coach Ed Orgeron will be asked about his offense and you can expect a response like this…
cut 30 (14) “…this team”
Alabama is once again the preseason favorite to win the SEC West. Braden Gall covers college football for Athlon Sports and ESPN-U Radio and says LSU matches up better than it has with the Crimson Tide and he says Auburn is another team to watch in the always difficult SEC West…
cut 9 (10) “…who knows”

The Pelicans run in the summer league ended last night with an 88-86 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies in Las Vegas. Trevon Bluiett had 16 points, Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Marcos Louzada Silva each had 14 points. For the game, the Pels shot just 37-percent from the floor.

Memphis will go on to play Minnesota in the Summer League Championship game. The Timberwolves cut down the Nets 85-77 as former LSU Tiger Naz Reid had 20 points, six rebounds and three blocked shots.

Longtime Lincoln Parish sports reporter O-K Buddy Davis passed away over the weekend at the age of 72. La Tech athletics director Tommy McClelland says Buddy Davis put Louisiana Tech athletics on the map with his stories that he began writing over five decades ago. Davis also covered Eddie Robinson’s legendary football teams at Grambling State and received criticism for it, because he was a white man reporting on a historically black school.

A Connecticut TV station is reporting that the father of former LSU basketball star Tremont Waters was found dead in a Super Eight motel in West Haven, Connecticut. Police found 49-year-old Ed Waters unresponsive at around 12:04 in the afternoon on Thursday. Tremont Waters was recently drafted in the second round by the Boston Celtics and played for the Celtics summer league team yesterday, scoring eight points and dishing out nine assists.

The Pelicans next Summer League game is Saturday at 5:30 central time when they take on Miami in the quarterfinals. New Orleans is a four-seed.

Former McNeese head basketball coach Dave Simmons is returning to Natchitoches as an assistant coach for Northwestern State. Simmons was an assistant for seven seasons under Mike McConathy before he took the head coaching job at McNeese and lasted at McNeese for 12 seasons.

Nicholls landed 11 players on the preseason All-Southland Conference team, including quarterback Chase Fourcade.

Saints rookie defensive end Carl Granderson was sentenced to six months in jail after a judge in Casper, Wyoming rejected a plea agreement in an alleged sexual assault case. Granderson’s attorney and prosecutors agreed that the 22-year-old should receive one year of unsupervised probation and a mental health evaluation. But a district judge said no. Two Wyoming University female students claim Granderson sexually touched them while they slept at his apartment.

Former LSU pitcher Jared Poche has decided to retire from professional baseball. Poche left LSU as the school’s all-time winningest pitcher with 39 victories. The former Lutcher star was having a rough season with the Oakland A’s minor league team in Stockton, California, 0-6 with an 8.53 ERA. In a social media post, Poche said it was an absolute pleasure to play the game as long as he did in front of the greatest fans in the game.

The second half of the Major League Baseball season got underway last night with the Rangers blanking the Astros five-zip.

A wild NBA offseason got a little more wild last night as Oklahoma City traded former MVP Russell Westbrook to Houston to join up with another former MVP James Harden. In return, O-K-C receives Chris Paul and draft picks. The Thunder are expected to trade Paul, possibly to Miami.

The Pelicans next Summer League game is Saturday at 5:30 central time when they take on Miami in the quarterfinals. New Orleans is a four-seed.

Saints rookie defensive end Carl Granderson was sentenced to six months in jail after a judge in Casper, Wyoming rejected a plea agreement in an alleged sexual assault case. Granderson’s attorney and prosecutors agreed that the 22-year-old should receive one year of unsupervised probation and a mental health evaluation. But a district judge said no. Two Wyoming University female students claim Granderson sexually touched them while they slept at this apartment.

Former LSU pitcher Jared Poche has decided to retire from professional baseball. Poche left LSU as the school’s all-time winningest pitcher with 39 victories. The former Lutcher star was having a rough season with the Oakland A’s minor league team in Stockton, California, 0-6 with an 8.53 ERA. In a social media post, Poche said it was an absolute pleasure to play the game as long as he did in front of the greatest fans in the game.

La Tech is losing its hitting coach to Southern Miss. Travis Creel is returning to his alma mater after three seasons with the Bulldogs. This past year, Tech was third in the Conference USA in hitting with a team average of .280.

The second half of the Major League Baseball season got underway last night with the Rangers blanking the Astros five-zip. Houston’s Alex Bregman left in the third inning after taking a nasty hop off the chin.

Nicholls landed 11 players on the preseason All-Southland Conference team, including quarterback Chase Fourcade.