06:45 LRN Sportscast August 8

The Baton Rouge Advocate has released details of the contract for new LSU men’s basketball coach Will Wade. He received a six-year deal worth 15-million dollars. That mean’s he’ll make two-and-a-half million dollars a year. And the contract does not include a buyout.

It doesn’t look like former LSU Tiger Jalen Collins has much of a future left with the Atlanta Falcons. The cornerback has received a second suspension for violating the NFL’s policy against performance enhancing drugs. Collins will have to miss the first ten games of this season. He served a four-game suspension last year. Falcons Coach Dan Quinn says Collins missteps could cost him a roster spot.

Broward County officials in Florida are investigating domestic abuse claims against Miami Dolphins receiver and ex-LSU standout Jarvis Landry. But Landry’s girlfriend says Landry would never, ever do anything to harm her or anyone else. She admits the couple had a vocal disagreement.

The Saints first preseason game is Thursday night at Cleveland and it’s unkown how much action Quarterback Drew Brees, running back Adrian Peterson and other veterans will play in that game. If they do see game action, don’t expect to see much action.

Ragin Cajuns Head Coach Mark Hudspeth says backup defensive back Jam Williams will miss the rest of the season because of a leg injury. Hudspeth also says potential starting linebacker Ferrod Gardner is expected to miss some time with a foot injury.

Ruston baseball star CJ willis has changed his verbal commitment from Ole Miss to LSU. Willis hit .388 with three home runs last season.

16:45 Sportscast, August 7th, 2017

Miami Dolphins’ star wide receiver Jarvis Landry out of LSU is under investigation for battery, according to sources. The alleged incident took place in a Fort Lauderdale apartment earlier this year, multiple outlets say, and it involves Landry’s girlfriend. She released a statement through a publicist saying there was never any concern “for my well-being” and that Landry “would never, ever do anything to harm me or anyone else.”

Falcons coach Dan Quinn said today former LSU star Jalen Collins’ second suspension for a violation of the league’s policy on PEDs has caused a “broken” trust that could cost the cornerback his job. He added no decision had been made at this time. Collins participated in Monday’s practice after his 10-game suspension to open the season was announced on Sunday.

The Saints will be facing Brock Osweiler in Thursday’s preseason opener against the Browns. Osweiler was chosen over several other QBs, and is an important stage in the competition for the starting job.

New Orleans has re-signed former long-snapper Justin Drescher and have added kicker Patrick Murray. Drescher had been New Orleans’ long snapper since the latter part of the 2010 regular season before being let go this past offseason.

USA Today has released its 2017 conference projections, and Coach O and LSU are expected to have a great season. The Tigers are picked second in the West, with a projected 10-2 overall record and 6-2 conference record.

Louisiana Tech is picked to win the C-USA West with a 8-4 overall record and 6-2 in conference.

UL-Lafayette got 7th place in the Sun Belt with a projected 5-7 record overall, and 4-4 in conference action.

Armand “Mondo” Duplantis, a soon-to-be-senior at Lafayette High School, became the youngest athlete to reach the men’s pole vault final at the world championships Sunday in London. The 17-year-old was one of 8 competitors to clear 18 feet, 8 and a quarter inches in the qualification round. Duplantis now has the opportunity to participate in the 12-man final tomorrow.

 

 

LRN Sportscast 16:45 August 4

LSU announces they are building a statue of the school’s lone Heisman Trophy winner, Billy Cannon. Cannon led the Tigers to the national championship title in 1958. The 80-year-old credits the erection of the statue to the work of his former teammates, Warren Rabb and Jimmy Fields and Athletic Director Joe Alleva….
cut 4 (10) “…fantastic”
Alleva says Cannon is largely responsible for the emergence of big-time football at LSU.

A marquee player from one of the top high school football programs in the state has committed to Alabama. All-purpose back Slade Bolden chose the Crimson Tide over TCU. He plays several positions for the Rebels, but he’s expected to be a slot receiver for Nick Saban. Bolden was an all-state selection in both football and baseball last season.

Morten Andersen will be the second kicker to be enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday. The Saints drafted Andersen in 1982 and he had 13 successful seasons in New Orleans. He’s still the team’s all-time leading scorer and the all-time points leader in NFL history.

At Saints camp, Five-foot-seven Tommylee Lewis is fighting for a roster spot. The second-year wide receiver from Northern Illinois caught seven passes last year. Lewis is also hoping to become the team’s primary punt returner…
cut 18 (14) “…great compeitition”

The Rain Cajuns men’s basketball team will begin a week-long trip to Cuba on Monday. Coach Bob Marlin’s team will play three games in Havana and participate in a couple of clinics for young children.

11:40 LRN Sportscast August 4

The LSU Athletic Hall of Fame Committee has decided to honor football legend Dr. Billy Cannon with a statue of him on the Baton Rouge campus. Cannon says having a statue of him at his alma mater was the farthest thing from his mind. He hopes it looks like he did in his glory days, young with a lot of hair….
cut 5 (09) “…present him”
Cannon won the Heisman Trophy in 1959 and led the Tigers to a national championship in 1958.

All purpose back Slade Bolden of West Monroe High School has committed to Alabama. Bolden plays a number of positions for the Rebels, quarterback, running back, wide receiver and defensive back. He’s listed as a three-star prospect and some compare him to Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman.

In major league baseball…Alex Bregman went three for four with a run scored and an RBI but the Astros lost their third straight as the Tampa Bay topped Houston five to three.

Former Saints kicker Morten Andersen will become the second kicker in history to be enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on saturday. The native of Denmark is the leading scorer in NFL history. The Saints selected Andersen in the fourth round of the 1982 draft and and finished his 25-year career with 2,544 points and 565 field goals made.

At Saints camp, starting left guard Andrus Peat is entering his third season. Peat says he’s trying to help out first round pick Ryan Ramczyk, who could be the starting left tackle for the injured Terron Armstead…
cut 17 (15) “…that aspect”
Peat says at first he didn’t feel comfortable at guard, but now he enjoys playing the position and is up to 325 pounds.

06:45 Sportscast, August 4th, 2017

After missing all of last season while recovering from his third torn ACL injury, Saints edge rusher Hau’oli Kikaha (ha-OH-lee key-KAH-hah) is ready to make a big impact on the Black and Gold defense. He’s battling with veteran Alex Okafor for starting weak side defensive end. Kikaha says he’s making progress…:
Cut 16 (20) “we’re advancing”
Yesterday’s practice, day 7, was moved indoors due to weather, but Coach Sean Payton said the intensity was still there and he liked what he saw..:
CUT 25 (10) “this tape”
The Saints open preseason action at the Browns Thursday.

The LSU football team will start the 2017 season at No. 12 in the Coaches Preseason Top 25 poll. Alabama is No. 1, then Ohio State, Florida State, USC and Clemson round out the top five. The AP Top 25 comes out August 21st.

The LSU Athletic Hall of Fame Committee has unanimously approved a proposal that a statue honoring football legend Dr. Billy Cannon be erected on campus. The Baton Rouge native was the winner of the 1959 Heisman Trophy as a halfback, and led the Tigers to the 1958 national championship. Details about the design and construction of the Billy Cannon statue will be announced in the coming months.

The Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium was dedicated during a ceremony that included the unveiling of a life sized likeness of the Saints and Pelicans owner, just before the Hall of Fame Game between Arizona and Dallas. Benson gifted $10 million in November 2014 towards the building of the stadium. In that first taste of football for fans this season, the Cowboys edged the Cardinals 20-18.

11:40 LRN Sportscast August 3

Offensive lineman Maea Teuhema has been granted his release from the LSU football team and will transfer to another school. Teuhema was suspended for a violation of team rules and Head Coach Ed Orgeron said earlier this week that the two-year starter was dealing with academic issues.

With Teuhema no longer on the team, Lloyd Cushenberry from Dutchtown High School has the first chance to take Teuhema’s starting spot at right guard. Starting left guard Garrett Brumfield says Cushenberry has been waiting for his chance after taking a red-shirt last season….
cut 17 (15) “…you need him”
LSU is ranked 12th in the coaches poll, which came out today. Alabama is number one, followed by Ohio State, Florida State, USC and Clemson.

At Saints training camp, Head Coach Sean Payton talked about how running back Mark Ingram could be a bigger part of the passing game this season…
cut 30 (20) “…as a runner”
The 27 year-old has caught 96 passes over the last two seasons. He had four touchdown catches last year.

The Saints announced today that they’ll hold their training camp practice on Sunday at Tulane’s Yulman Stadium. It will get underway at 7 PM and it is open to the public.

The Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium was dedicated today in Canton, Ohio. The facility is named after Benson, because he donated 10-million dollars to the building in 2014. The first preseason game of the year will be played there tonight as the Cowboys take on the Arizona Cardinals.

06:45 Sportscast, August 3rd, 2017

LSU announces offensive lineman Maea Teuhema has been granted his release from the team and will transfer to another school. This comes on the heels of a prior announcement that Teuhema had been indefinitely suspended. Now the Tigers have just eleven scholarship players on the offensive line, but starting left guard, Garrett Brumfield, says they still have what it takes
Cut 16 (22) “special happen”
Teuhema’s suspension and subsequent departure likely had to do with academics which Coach O mentioned at the start of practice Monday. With Teuhema gone, Lloyd Cushenberry of Dutchtown High School will take the spot at starting right guard.

The Saints returned to practice field Wednesday after taking Tuesday off. It marked the first of six straight days at camp before two days off, leading up to the preseason opener in Cleveland one week from today. Is it possible that coach Sean Payton is looking for a new punt returner? He’s been frank about Thomas Morstead struggling at camp…:
CUT 25 (18) “when you have it”
But analysts say it would be a big surprise to see anybody but Thomas Morestead punting for the Saints when the 2017 season kicks off.

According to a post he made on twitter, Justin Jefferson, a three-star wide receiver out of Destrehan High School, is scheduled to join LSU. He’s the third Jefferson brother to be a Tiger, the younger of former quarterback Jordan Jefferson and former safety Rickey Jefferson.

 

16:45 LRN Sportscast August 2

A two-year starter on LSU’s offensive line has been suspended indefinitely. Head Coach Ed Orgeron says Maea Teuhema violated team rules. Earlier in the week, Orgeron said Teuhema was not at practice because of academic reasons. He is the projected starter at right guard.

There is some positive news about LSU’s offensive line. Starting right tackle Toby Weathersby says he feels good as he’s coming back from an injury that forced him to miss all of spring practice due to an unspecified offseason surgery. Weathersby also says the younger guys working behind him are doing well…
cut 18 (14) “…are ready”
Meanwhile, quarterback Danny Etling says he’ll be ready for the opener against BYU as he’s in the final stages in his recovery from back surgery.

Saints guard Senio Kelemete practiced for the first time in training camp today as he was removed from the physically unable to perform list with an undisclosed injury. Kelemete was working with the second-team at center. Cornerbacks Delvin Breaux and Marshon Lattimore did not practice and the same goes for tight end Coby Fleener. Head Coach Sean Payton says Lattimore tweaked a knee and he’ll be fine.

Former LSU running back Leonard Fournette has hundreds of trophies and he’s decided to put them towards good use. The first round pick of the Jaguars will have the trophies melted down, so they can be used as an entire weight set for a Jacksonsville-area high school. Fournette said he wanted to do something positive with the trophies, because they were just sitting at home collecting dust.

Former Chalmette basketball star Mitchell Robinson has been granted his release from Western Kentucky, but he’ll need a waiver from the NCAA in order to play this season. Robinson is a potential lottery pick in the 2018 NBA draft.

11:40 LRN Sportscast

LSU Head Football Coach Ed Orgeron announced starting right guard Maea Teuhema has been indefinitely suspended for violation of team rules. Orgeron said earlier this week that Teuhema was not at practice, because of academic issues.

LSU Quarterback Danny Etling says he’ll be 100-percent by the season opener against BYU after undergoing surgery on his back. Etling also likes the progress the offense has made when it comes to learning offensive coordinator Matt Canada’s offense…
cut 17 (19) “…good about ourselves”

A major priority for UL Lafayette during preseason camp is to find a primary ball carrier to fill the shoes once occuppied by Elijah McGuire. Coach Mark Hudspeth says he likes what he sees from true freshman Elijah Mitchell from Erath….
cut 30 (18) “…backs too”
Darius Hoggins, Jordan Wright and Raymond Calais Junior are also battling for playing time at running back.

At Saints camp….cornerbacks Marshon Lattimore and Devin Breaux remain out because of unspecified injuries.

Former LSU Tiger and Arizona Cardinals star safety Tyrann Mathieu says he’s the best player in the world. But the Honey Badger is coming off a season where he had just one interception and one forced fumble. He’s also yet to play a full 16 game schedule, because of injuries.

06:45 Sportscast, August 2nd, 2017

LSU Quarterback Danny Etling says he feels a lot better than he did in the spring. Etling underwent a back procedure earlier this year and the senior from Indiana says he’s close to 100-percent…:
Cut 16 (15) “better and better”
Following Day 2 of practice, Etling said he also likes the progress the team has made when it comes to learning offensive coordinator Matt Canada’s system.

The Bayou Bengals could have their live mascot back by football season. LSU says it has found a tiger that could become Mike VII. Ginger Guttner with the LSU Vet School says the new tiger could arrive in mid-August, but he will be kept in the night house for about a week and not visible to the public…:
Cut 12 (08) “in August”

The UL-Lafayette football team’s new offensive coordinator Will Hall has clearly been doing some yelling over the Ragin’ Cajuns first days of practice…:
CUT 25 (09) “for me to be here”
Head coach Mark Hudspeth sung Hall’s praises Tuesday saying he’s brought a new dynamic to the offense, and that the Cajuns are about to throw something at the conference that they have not seen before.

College Football Playoff tickets for the January 1st Allstate Sugar Bowl in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome will go on sale to the public on September 1st.

According to sources, the New Orleans Pelicans have added Free-agent guard Ian Clark on a one-year, $1.6 million deal. Clark is a four year NBA Veteran and served as a helpful backup guard for the league champion Golden State Warriors last season.

The Saints, who had the day off Tuesday, have released veteran Guard Orlando Franklin, according the NFL transaction wire. Franklin signed right before the Saints opened training camp.