7/19/08 7:10 am CST

Good morning, Tiger fans. There are only 42 days until the start of the 2008 LSU football season.

This weekend and the first three days of next week are five very important days for the future of LSU football. High school talent from several states started arriving last night at LSU and many more will arrive at LSU today and Sunday on unofficial visits to checkout LSU's facilities, meet the coaches and meet other players attending the three-day Summer camp that starts Monday. The prospects visiting LSU the next few days will have to pay their own expensives to and from LSU. Over 400 players have signed up for the camp and about 60 are considered major college prospects. Many of the unknown players are hoping to impress LSU's coaches enough for them to watch their progress during the upcoming high school season and invite them back to attend a game or two.

There are probably about 100 high school football players in the state of Louisiana who are college prospects but not players LSU will offer scholarships to because of LSU's tremendous success in recruiting highly-touted prospects from Texas, Florida, Georgia and other states in the South. Les Miles will likely sign only 10-12 Louisiana prospect in the February of 2008 and that is great news for in-state schools such as LA Tech, ULM, ULL and Tulane. I am hearing those four schools' names mentioned with in-state prospects such as Jonathan Stewart, Deante Triplett, Robert Walker, Kenny Cain, Deon Anthony, DeQuinta Jones, Elon Grinstead, Montrell Conner, Rico Jones, Ricky Johnson, Kelvin York, Julius Warmsley and Alex Singleton, to name a few. LA Tech appears to be in on most of the prospects just under LSU's radar. As long as LSU continues to win 10-12 games each season, they will continue to have great success recruiting out-of-state players, and that is great news.

LSU received its 15th commitment of the year Friday afternoon in Josh Williford (OL, 6'7", 345) from Dothan, Alabama. Williford was not very heavily recruited and that has a few people upset. I am not going to question Les Miles' decision to offer Williford because I believe Miles is a great judge of talent and he must have seen something in Williford at the June Summer camp that merited a scholarship offer. Les Miles will likely sign 25 players in the February signing class.

In other important LSU football news, LSU will be playing Tulane at LSU on October 31 at Tiger Stadium instead of the Louisiana Super Dome. LSU and Tulane agreed to move the game to LSU to give LSU eight home games in the upcoming season. LSU will play Tulane in the Louisiana Super Dome in 2010 and 2011.

I will not continue my preseason predictions of LSU football games until Monday of next week. I have received several not so nice emails getting on my case for predicting LSU to win the first eight games of the 2008 season. I said before I started my predictions for the 2008 season that I thought LSU would go 10-2 and I still feel that way. In my opinion, LSU will lose two of the four games between Auburn, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida but I also believe LSU is capable of beating all four teams. I am going to continue picking LSU to win games that I believe they are capable of winning. I am going to let fans of other schools predict LSU to lose. In the last five years I have predicted LSU to go 76-0 and they have gone 66-10, and I will take that any day.

I have been asked several times in the last few weeks to post the current LSU Lady Tigers basketball roster. Here is a link to the updated roster sent to me from LSU.

Late-breaking News 7/18 3:50 pm CST

Josh Williford, (OT, 6'7", 345) from Dothan, Alabama has committed to play football at LSU according to a couple of websites. Willford chose LSU over Ole Miss and Alabama. More in tomorrow's update.

7/18/08 7:05 am CST

Good morning, Tiger fans, and thanks for the extra large number of emails the last few days. As many of you know by now, offensive tackle Jarvis Jones was kicked off the LSU football team Thursday afternoon for violating team rules, according to a statement released by Les Miles Thursday afternoon. I found out Wednesday that Jones had been dismissed from the team but I did not know why he was kicked off the team and I did not want to break the bad news. Jones battled Joseph Barksdale for the starting right tackle position last Fall and played in seven games. Jones (6'6", 265) has the body frame to play at 6’6”, 300, and according to what I was told last Spring his best days at LSU were in front of him.

In other LSU football news, I am hearing great things about freshman quarterback Jordan Jefferson in Summer workouts. I have been told that Jefferson has by far the strongest arm of all the quarterbacks at LSU and has the best foot speed of the three. Jefferson has been spending much of the Summer working on correcting a little flaw in his release throwing the football and has made great improvement. Jefferson is likely to receive a redshirt year but if he shows the ability to read defense alignments and make the proper checks at the line of scrimmage during Fall practice he could see some playing time. I am also hearing great things about the following true freshmen during Summer workouts: Patrick Johnson, Ryan Baker, Jhyryn Taylor, DeAngelo Peterson, Matt Branch, Tyler Edwards, Lavar Edwards, Kellen Theriot and Chaney Aghayere. I believe that Johnson will make a strong push to start in Fall practice as will Ryan Baker.

Today I will continue my 2008 season predictions with the LSU-Georgia game at Tiger Stadium on October 25. The game will most likely be CBS's prime game of the day. In my opinion, Georgia is the best team on the 2008 schedule without any weak spots. Mark Richt is entering his eighth year as the head coach with a 72-18 record. In his first seven years at Georgia, Richt has averaged 10 wins per season and two and a half losess per season. Georgia went 11-2 in 2007 with wins over Oklahoma State, Western Carolina, Alabama (in overtime), Ole Miss, Vanderbilt, Florida, Troy, Auburn, Kentucky, GA Tech and Hawaii in the Sugar Bowl. The Bulldogs only two losses were against teams that LSU defeated, South Carolina and Tennessee.

Georgia returns 17 starters, seven on offense and nine on defense. Georgia's strength on offense is at quarterback, running back and wide receiver. Junior Matthew Stafford (6'3", 230) will be the starting quarterback and has a gun for a arm. In 2007, as a first year starter, Stafford completed 194 of 348 passes for 2,523 yards and 19 touchdowns. The "Dawgs" are very thin at quarterback depth and could be in trouble if Stafford goes down early with an injury. Joe Cox, the backup quarterback, only threw 15 passes in 2007 with five completions. Knowshon Moreno (5'11", 209, SO) is Georgia's starting running back and in my opinion is the best running back in the SEC. Moreno has great balance and runs downhill. In 2007, as a freshman, Moreno rushed for 1,396 yards on 248 rushing attempts for 14 touchdowns. Mohamed Massaquoi (6'2", 198, SR) is Georgia's leading returning wide receivers. As a junior, Massaquoi had 32 receptions for 490 yards and four touchdowns. Tripp Chandler (6'6", 265, SR) is the starting tight end and will be an early round draft pick. Chandler had 21 receptions for 283 yards and two touchdowns in 2007. Georgia will be very explosive on offense with super star players at all positions. On defense, Georgia returns nine starters including all four starters in its defensive backfield. Georgia returns all three starting linebackers and three starting defensive linemen.

I give Georgia the edge at all positions on offense except for the offensive line. On defense, I give LSU a big advantage in the defensive line, but I give Georgia the advantage at the linebacker position and I call the defensive backfield even. I had my mind set since the end of the 2007 season that Georgia would defeat LSU at Tiger Stadium in a very close game, but I have decided, based on the fact that LSU defeated South Carolina and Tennessee who defeated Georgia, that I am going to pick LSU 28-26.

Other LSU football news from the LSU Sports Information office:

LSU put away the weights and the off-season conditioning drills on Wednesday night as the Tigers took part in a team building exercise in the form of a slow pitch softball tournament at a local ballpark south of campus.

The event, which was held for a second straight year, had the football squad being divided into eight 12-man teams. Each squad played two games with the two teams with the best record squaring off in the championship game.

“The players have worked so hard this summer in the weight room, it’s nice to be able to get away for a few hours and enjoy a team function outside of football,” LSU coach Les Miles said. “It’s fun to watch. You can tell which players have a baseball background and which ones have never really played the game before.

“This event is a great opportunity for us to bond together as a team in a way different than what we do each day within our football program. You can watch the players and see that this is something that they enjoy and that they are really having a good time. I think it’s events like this that really brings a team closer together.”

The event wasn’t just for the players as the coaching and support staffs also got involved. Members of the coaching staff served as umpires for the tournament, which included offensive line coach Greg Studrawa handling home plate umpire duties for the championship game.

Several members of the support staff – including Charles Baglio, Doug Aucoin, and Greg Stringfellow - cooked hot dogs and sausage po-boys for the players.

“This was a fun event for everyone on the staff and the entire team,” Miles said.

The championship game featured Team 3, led by wide receiver/first baseman Chris Mitchell and quarterback/shortstop Andrew Hatch, against Team 7, which was led third baseman/running back Charles Scott and shortstop/offensive guard Lyle Hitt.

Team 7 took an early 1-0 lead in the title game, scoring on an error in the top half of the first inning. The score remained that way until the bottom of the third inning when Team 3 pushed across three runs. John Williams tied the game at 1-1 with an RBI triple in the bottom of the third and Shomari Clemons broke the tie with an RBI double.

Down 3-1 in the fourth and final inning, Team 7 erupted for seven runs, which included Scott knocking in Hitt for the go-ahead run. Team 3 added one run in the bottom of the fourth inning but it wasn’t enough as Team 7 captured an 8-4 victory.

Patrick Lipoma, a running back, picked up the victory for Team 7, going all four innings and allowing just two earned runs. Kellen Theriot, a true freshman linebacker, got the loss for Team 3.

Other highlights during the tournament include defensive back Chad Jones with a nearly 400-foot home run during one of the early games as well as a home run by Trindon Holliday.

In addition to the tournament, the Tigers also held their own version of Home Run Derby with senior safety Curtis Taylor taking the crown with four home runs.

“It’s a lot of fun,” Scott said of the softball tournament. “It’s the second year in a row that I’ve been on the championship team. It’s nice to come out and get a break from our summer routine to play some softball.”

One more note on LSU football: LSU has moved the UL-L game from September 25, 2010 to September 19, 2009 in Tiger Stadium. LSU associate athletic director Verge Ausberry, in charge of football scheduling, is also looking for a non-BCS football team to fill the vacant November 14 open date in 2009. LSU currently has six home games scheduled for 2009 and needs to add one more home game for financial reasons. AM

7/17/08 7:20 AM

Good morning, Tiger fans. There are only 44 days before the start of the 2008 LSU football season and I will be glad when I have my season tickets in hand. I am really looking forward to the 2008 season and I'm also excited about the big three-day Summer camp at LSU that runs from July 20-22. Top-rated prospects from as far away as California will be attending the event. I have received emails from coaches and players from as far away as California and Utah telling me they would be attending the camp and bringing prospects with them. As far as I know, all the remaining in-state top prospects who are not committed to anyone will be at the camp. I look for a few Louisiana players who are not household names to step forward and turn some heads. I look for offensive lineman Jordan Mills (6'6", 300) from Assumption high school to have a great camp as well as linebacker Lamin Barrow (6'1", 210) from John Ehret and defensive tackle Benny Logan (6'3", 270) from Red River high school in Coushatta, Louisiana. I am not saying that the three players named above will be offered, but they will get lots of attention.

I have been asked several times during the last few weeks if I believe LSU will pick up any commitments from players attending the camp, and my answer is yes. I believe that as many as five or six players attending the camp will sign with LSU when it is all said and done. I am not sure how many, if any, commitments Les Miles will pick up at the camp, but I believe a few players will commit before next week is over. LSU is a very attractive school to top prospects at this time because LSU has been the best football program in the nation the last eight years winning two national championships, playing in four SEC championship games and winning three SEC titles. Les Miles is in position to be very selective in offering scholarships.

Today I will continue with my predictions for the 2008 LSU football season. After I finish my preseason predictions I will do a poll asking readers to vote on the team record for the regular season. Today I will cover the LSU-South Carolina game to be played at South Carolina on October 18. In 2007, South Carolina had a very disappointing season (6-6, 3-5). South Carolina won six of their first seven games with the only loss being to LSU. The Gamecocks' six wins came over ULL, Georgia, South Carolina State, Mississippi State, Kentucky, and North Carolina. The six games the Gamecocks lost were to LSU 28-16, Vanderbilt 17-6, Tennessee 27-24 in overtime, Arkansas 48-36, Florida 51-31 and Clemson 23-21.

South Carolina is coached by Steve Spurrier who has a 21-16 record in three years at USC and a 163-56-2 career record. The Gamecocks return six starters on offense, nine on defense, plus their punter and kicker. Chris Smelley, who started six games in 2007 as a redshirt freshman, will likely be the Gamecocks' starting quarterback but will be pushed by junior quarterback Tommy Beecher who has a stronger arm than Smelling but is not as good of a runner. In 2007, Spurrier moved quarterbacks in and out of the lineup like a fire drill and many Gamecock fans feel like Spurrier will need to settle on a quarterback early in the 2008 season for the team to be successful. Spurrier will have a major job replacing running back Cory Boyd who rushed for over 900 yards in 2007. South Carolina returns one of the top wide receivers in the SEC in Kenny McKinley who led the SEC with 78 receptions in 2007. They also return two great receiving tight ends in Jared Cook and Wesley Saunders who combined for 45 catches and 582 yards. USC's offensive line has not been very good the last few years but should be much better in 2008 with three full-time starters and two part-time starters.

South Carolina's defensive line will be very good with three returning starters and two part time starters. The strength of the team will be at linebacker and in the defensive backfield. The linebackers are led by the return of Jasper Brinkley (6'2", 275) and Eric Underwood (6'1", 270) and they can run. The Gamecocks returns all four starting defensive backs led by preseason All-SEC strong safety Emanuel Cook. South Carolina will be very hard to score on in 2008, and if they light up the scoreboard on offense they will have a great season. The Gamecocks have a very favorable home SEC schedule with home games against Georgia, LSU, Tennessee, Arkansas. The Gamecock's road SEC games will be at Vanderbilt, Mississippi State, Kentucky and Florida. Dandy Don picks LSU 24 South Carolina 13.

I have started my list of Louisiana's top 100 prospects for the 2010 signing class. If any of you coaches who read this page have any juniors on your team who you believe will be college prospects, please email me the player's name and I will get in touch with you and the player.

7/16/08 7:10 AM

Good morning, Tiger fans. There are only 46 days until the start of the 2008 LSU football season. I have already posted my predictions on the first five LSU games, Appalachian State, Troy, North Texas, Auburn and Mississippi State, and I predicted LSU to win all five games. The sixth game of the season will be against the Florida Gators at Florida. In my opinion, Florida is the second best team that LSU will play in 2008 behind Georgia, but it will be the hardest game on the schedule for the Tigers to win because it is a road game.

Florida is coached by Urban Meyer who has posted a 31-8 record at Florida in four years and 70-16 in his career as a head coach. Florida was 9-4 overall with a 5-3 SEC record in 2007. The Gators return 18 starters, nine on offense, eight on defense and the starting punter. The Gators are led by Heisman winner quarterback Tim Tebow (6'3", 235) who rushed for 900 yards on 210 carries last year. Florida scored 39 touchdowns rushing in 2007 and Tebow scored 23 of them. The junior to be completed 234 of 350 passes for 3,286 yards and 36 touchdowns with only six interceptions and finished second in the nation in passing efficiency last season. Percy Harvin, who is perhaps the most dangerous player in the SEC with the football in his hand, rushed for 800 yards on 83 carries last season for a 9.2-yard average and six touchdowns. Harvin also had 59 receptions for 858 yards and four touchdowns. Senior running back Kestahn Moore rushed for 591 yards and six touchdowns returns for his senior season. The Gators return three outstanding wide receivers including Harvin, Louis Murphy, and tight end Cornelius Ingram who is very fast and a very good pass receiver. Murphy had 37 receptions for 550 yards and five touchdowns. Ingram had 34 receptions for 510 yards and seven touchdowns. Thompson is a redshirt freshman with blazing speed. If the Gators have a week spot it is in the defensive line. The Gators will have three new starters in the defensive line and three sophomores. Florida's strength on defense will be at the linebacker position with three starters returning. Brandon Spikes, who made All- SEC first team in 2007, will be the leader on defense.

In my opinion, LSU is stronger than Florida at the running back position and in the offensive line, the defensive line and defensive backfield. I rate the wide receivers even and I give Florida the edge on special teams and a huge, huge advantage at quarterback. LSU defeated Florida 28-24 last season at Tiger Stadium and the Tigers roughed up Tebow several times. I never will forget Tebow walking off the field with his dad at the end of the game crying. I do not believe Tebow has forgotten the game and he will be fired-up to play. I believe the game will be a great one with LSU winning 43-42 in overtime.

Here are a couple of good reads: 1) SEC top 10 players on defense and offense. 2) LSU to repeat in the West.

Reader comments: Don, Just wanted to let you know that my son Jordan Rittiner committed to Coach Manieri to play baseball for LSU for the 2010 season. He is 6'2" 200lb. Left Hander from Jesuit High School. Sophmore year All-State 5A pitcher of the year 12-0 record. Junior year All-State 8-4 record. Senior year this spring. He is the younger brother of Perrin Rittiner who played back-up quarterback under Nick Saban 2001-2002.

LSU’S MILES AMONG MANY WHO WELCOME BACK TROOPS

BATON ROUGE – LSU football coach Les Miles and his youngest son Ben were among hundreds of family and friends who welcomed back 175 members of the Louisiana National Guard’s 769th Engineer Battalion here Monday night at the Baton Rouge Airport.

The battalion returned to Baton Rouge after a year-long tour of duty in Iraq.

“I wanted to be there to personally say ‘thank you’ for what they are doing for our country,” Miles said. “These young men and women are heroes and being there to welcome them home is a small way to show how much we appreciate them and their efforts.”

Also in attendance at Monday’s arrival were Governor Bobby Jindal and Mayor-President Kip Holden.

“A couple weeks ago I was emailed a picture of members of this battalion in Iraq showing off their LSU flags and banners and I said at that time that ‘I’ve got to meet these guys’,” Miles said. “It was truly a special moment to see the troops get off that plane and be greeted by family and friends who they haven’t seen in a year.

“It was very moving and something that I won’t soon forget.”

Reader comments: Dandy Don, Please have your readers vote for LSU's Les Miles as best head coach in college football. We certainly can't take a back seat to Nick Saban, Tressel, Carroll and Urban Meyer!!! Thanks and Geaux Tigers!! http://www.sportsline.com/collegefootball

CATCHING UP WITH THE LSU SOFTBALL NEWCOMERS

With nine incoming players having signed National Letters of Intent to play for the nationally ranked LSU softball team next season, the new Tigers have been making plenty of news around the nation this summer.

The nine players, who represent six states stretching from Georgia to California, including two from Louisiana, have all signed to play for LSU beginning in the 2009 season. From east coast to west coast, the Tiger signees include Katie Hamilton from Acworth, Ga.; Katie Guillory of Carencro, La.; Courtney Hollier from Kaplan, La.; Morgan Russell from Edmond, Okla.; Baylor transfer Kirsten Shortridge of Keller, Texas; Brittney Mack of Round Rock, Texas; Ashley Langoni from Pueblo West, Colo.; Anissa Young from Fontana, Calif.; and Juliana Santos from Newman, Calif. As a member of the Kell High School team in Marietta, Ga., Hamilton was named a first-team All-County selection by the Marietta Daily Journal. The team’s Most Valuable Player, the Longhorns won the Region 6-5A tournament and advanced to the sectional tournament.

The daughter of Tom and Erika Hamilton, her sister, Christie, is a pitcher for the University of Georgia softball team. Hamilton is a member of the Georgia Fire travel team, which finished tied for ninth at the 2006 Amateur Softball Association Gold tournament.

Guillory was a member of the 2008 Louisiana Class 5A all-state team out of Carencro High School. The speedy lefthander also played for the West squad in the 2008 School Coaches Association All-Star Doubleheader. She recorded a .425 batting average while slugging at a .600 clip at the plate as a senior.

A Louisiana all-state selection, Hollier was also named the state’s Most Valuable Player for Class 3A and the Daily Advertiser’s All-Acadiana MVP. A member of the Louisiana Softball Coaches Association All-Star team, she led Kaplan High School to the state tournament semi-finals last spring before the Pirates fell to Parkview Baptist.

The daughter of Carl and Julie Hollier, she is a member of the Louisiana Rebels travel ball team. When she was younger, Hollier earned Most Valuable Player honors of the Cal Ripken 9-10-year-old Boys District Tournament to lead the Kaplan All-Stars baseball team to a state tournament berth. She pitched all six innings of the district championship as a 10-year-old to beat the boys from Abbeville.

A catcher at Edmund Santa Fe High School, Russell helped the Wolves to the Oklahoma Class 6A state title game in 2006 and to win regional championships as a freshman and sophomore. A 2007 Oklahoma Fastpitch Coaches Association all-state selection, Russell culminated her high school career by playing in the Oklahoma Softball Coaches Association all-state game as a member of the Large West team.

The daughter of Brad and Angela Russell, she is a member of the Oklahoma Ultimate Gold travel team. Also an outstanding student, Russell carries a 3.5 grade point average and is a member of the Key Club, Young Live and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.

With an appearance in Sports Illustrated’s “Faces in the Crowd” already this summer, Mack was a first-team all-state, all-central Texas and all-Williamson County selection. She posted 18 wins with 338 strikeouts, six no-hitters and three perfect games in her senior campaign. Mack earned a spot in the Texas Girls Coaches Association All-Star game while leading Westwood High School to the Bi-District Championship.

The daughter of Scott and Janet, Mack is a member of the Stix travel team. She was a three-time Academic All-District selection, a member of the National Honor Society and National German Honor Society and named to the Who’s Who Among American High School Students.

Langoni earned first-team all-state honors in Colorado and played in the 52nd annual All-State Games. In the final weekend of her high school career, she hit a walk-off grand slam in the state playoffs to earn the final win of her career. She also posted a pair of hits in the all-star game as her Red team earned a 3-2 win. In 18 regular season games, she hit .585 with 15 extra base hits. The daughter of Robert and Terry, Langoni is a member of the Colorado Quicksilver travel team.

Earning all-state honors in the softball hotbed of California regardless of classification or year in school, Young joined future teammate Santos as two of the 30 members of the team. As a senior, she hit 14 home runs and finished her career with between 38 and 40 home runs, which may be the most for a career in the history of the state, but her freshman numbers are undetermined.

Named the Sunkist League Most Valuable Player for the third-straight year and Bloomington High School’s Female Athlete of the Year, Young carried a 3.1 grade point average and was a Principles Honor Roll selection. The daughter of Byron and Carla Young, Anissa is a member of the California Lite travel team and was the San Bernardino Sun’s Player of the Year and played in the San Bernardino/Riverside County Senior All-Star game.

In addition to joining Young on the all-state team, Santos was the Sacramento Bee’s Softball Player of the Year and the small school state Player of the Year. Despite battling Crohn’s Disease, Santos hit .667 as a senior and led her section with 55 RBIs on 21 doubles and 11 home runs. She led Orestimba High School to its second-straight Sac-Joaquin Section championship, winning its final 15 games to end the season.

The daughter of Yvette and Rafael, she is an outstanding student, who carried a 4.0 grade point average on a 5.0 scale. During the summer, she volunteers with her former pre-school teacher to help young children develop life skills and build character. She would like to become a pediatrician and specialize in Crohn’s Disease.

A side note. The list does not include pitcher Rachelle Fico who is committed to LSU and hopeful will sign with LSU in November. Fico will be a senior in high school at Oxford ,Connecticut in 2008. Accomplishments: Went 27-0 with an 0.07 ERA for CIAC Class LL champion and state's top-rated team. Struck out 486 batters and walked seven in 195 innings. Allowed 21 hits and opponents batted .036 against her. ... Had 24 shutouts and seven perfect games among 12 no-hitters. Pitched five consecutive perfect games, retired 130 consecutive batters and went 221 consecutive innings From May 22, 2007-May 24, 2008 without allowing an earned run. ... Also batted .424 with three home runs and 21 RBI.

7/15/08 7:25 AM

Good morning Tiger fans, today I will continue my predictions for the 2008 LSU football season. I have already posted my picks on the first four games and today I will predict the LSU-Mississippi Stategame.

MSU was one of the surprise teams in the nation and in the SEC in 2007 and things are looking up for their 2008 season. The Bulldogs are coached by Sylvester Croom who will be entering his fifth year as the head coach. Croom's record after four seasons is 17-30. MSU returns seven starters on offense including junior running back Anthony Dixon and seven on defense including FS Derek Peques. Dixon and Peques will be strong candidates to receive postseason honors.

MSU went 8-5 in 2007 with wins over Auburn, Alabama, Kentucky, Ole Miss and a 10-3 win over UCF in the Liberty bowl. Wesley Carroll, a 6'1", 190 sophomore, will be the starting quarterback and if he has a good to average season MSU will be playing in a bowl game for the second year in a row.

LSU and MSU have played each other 100 times which is the most games LSU has played against any team. The LSU-MSU series started in 1896 and LSU holds a 64-33-3 advantage. LSU has beaten MSU seven times in a row. In 2007, the Tigers defeated the Bulldogs 45-0 in a Thursday night game on ESPN. I do believe this season's game will be much closer. Dandy Don picks LSU 33-20.

In recruiting news, the 2009 LSU signing class could be one of the best recruiting classes in LSU's history if the last half of the recruiting class is as good as the first half. LSU's biggest needs going into this signing class were to sign six defensive linemen including defensive ends and four wide receivers. At this time, Les Miles has received commitments from two defensive lineman, Joshua Downs and Michael Brockers. Downs is a 6'2", 270 defensive tackle from Bastrop and Brockers is a 6'6", 260 defensive end from Houston Chavez. LSU is a lock to sign defensive tackles Chris Davenport from Mansfield and Darrington Sentimore from Destrehan if he offered. With the addition of Davenport and Sentimore, LSU would need to sign two more defensive ends. LSU will lose six defensive linemen this season including Marlon Favorite, Tyson Jackson, Charles Alexander, Kirston Pittman, Tremaine Johnson and there is a good chance that Ricky Jean Francois will opt for the NFL after this season.

As for wide receivers, Les Miles has not received commitments from any pure wide receivers at this time. Janzen Jackson (6'1", 185, 4.38) from Barbe high school and Drayton Calhoun (6'1", 175, 4.4) from Tucker, Georgia are great athletes who could play wide receiver if needed. Les Miles is hoping to receive commitments from Kenny Bell (6'1", 185, 4.5) from Rayville and Rueben Randle (6'3", 200) from Bastrop in the near future. Should Bell and Randle commit, LSU would still need to sign one or two more wide receivers to allow Jackson and Calhoun in the defensive backfield.

It is a great time to be a Tiger fan. In fact, I hate to think of how life will change for many fans when LSU loses four or five games in a single season. I hope that doesn't happen anytime soon. Please vote for LSU as the team of the decade.

7/14/08 7:25 AM

Good morning, Tiger fans. Les Miles received commitment number 14 Sunday when Stavion Lowe committed to play for LSU. Lowe is a 6'4", 305 offensive lineman from Brownwood, Texas, and is projected to play guard in college. Lowe was highly recruited and received over 20 scholarship offers before committing to LSU including offers from Auburn, Tennessee, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas A&M, Tennessee, Arkansas, TCU and Alabama. Lowe is the fourth player from Texas to commit to LSU for the 2009 signing class. LSU should always be able to sign five or six top prospects each year from the lone star state because the state produces so many super prospects and because Texas and Texas A&M cannot sign more than 25 players each year. Here is a profile on Stavion Lowe.

Today I will continue my preseason predictions of LSU football games. Earlier I posted my predictions on the Appalachian State, Troy and North Texas games. LSU's fourth game on the 2008 schedule is against the Auburn Tigers. In my opinion, Auburn is the most bitter rival that LSU plays each season. At one time, the Ole Miss game was the biggest rivalry for the Tigers each year and Alabama might very well become LSU's biggest rival, but at this time I believe that Auburn is the team that LSU fans look forward to playing the most.

LSU and Auburn have played some very memorial games including the 1988 7-6 LSU win. Tommy Hodson hit Eddie Fuller in the back of the end zone for the win in the loudest game I have ever attended. In 1969, LSU defeated Auburn 21-20 after a 62-yard halfback pass to Andy Hamilton from Jimmy Gilbert on the first play of the game. LSU blocked a PAT in the fourth quarter and made a great goal line stance late in the game for the win. In 1970, Auburn was ranked No. 6 in the nation and lost to LSU 17-9 at Auburn. LSU won the SEC with a 5-0 record that year. In 1980, LSU defeated Auburn 21-17 on a late goal-line stance after Auburn had blocked an LSU punt. In 1995, Gerry DiNardo's first year at LSU, the Tigers defeated Auburn 12-6 on an interception by Troy Twillie in the corner of the end zone on the last play of the game.

Auburn is coached by Tommy Tuberville who, in my opinion, is the most underrated coach in college football. Tuberville's all-time coaching record is 105-53 with a 50-24 record at Auburn. Auburn went 9-4 in 2007 and returns nine starters on offense and seven on defense. Tuberville will have a new offensive coordinator in Tony Franklin from Troy who is replacing Al Borges, and a new defensive coordinator in Paul Rhoads who will be replacing Will Muschamp who is the new defensive coordinator at Texas. The biggest problem facing new offensive coordinator Tony Franklin will be finding a replacement for three-year starting quarterback Brandon Cox. Kodi Burns, who is a threat throwing the football and running, is the leading candidate for the job. Auburn is loaded at the running back position led by Ben Tate, Brad Lester and Mario Fannin. Auburns returns two of the best tight ends in the SEC in Troy Trott and Gabo McKenzie.

Auburn has perhaps the most speed of any team in the SEC on defense led by linebacker Troy Blackmon and cornerback Aairon Savage. Auburn is not very big on defense, but plays hard-nosed physical defense and very seldom gives up big plays. The Auburn Tigers have not recruited as well as several SEC team in past few years, but they have recruited well enough to be competitive against all SEC teams. The game should be a great one, and if LSU does not commit any turnovers deep in its own territory and give Auburn a short field to work with, and if LSU can keep the number of penalties under control, I believe LSU will win. Dandy Don's pick is LSU 17 Auburn 14.

In other LSU football news, it is being widely reported that LSU signee Deanangelo Benton will not be eligible to play next season at LSU and will enroll at a Mississippi junior college next month. Benton signed with LSU out of Bastrop high school and was one of the most highly recruited wide receivers in the nation. I expect Benton to have two great years playing JUCO ball and then re-sign with LSU in two years.

In baseball news, there is nothing new to report on the status of Matt Clark, Ryan Verdugo and Louis Coleman. If I was a betting man, I would bet that Clark and Verdugo will sign pro contracts and that Coleman will return for his senior season. I do expect the LSU baseball sports information office to announce in the next few days that LSU has signed a few more players who decided not to sign pro baseball contracts.

Late Breaking News 5:25 PM

LSU picked up commitment number 14 today when Stavion Lowe called Les Miles to give him the good news according to Orangebloods.com, a University of Texas website. Lowe had received over 20 scholarship offers from schools nationwide. I listed Lowe as a 70-30 lean to LSU in my Sunday morning update. I will have more in my Monday morning update.

7/13/08 7:05 AM

Good morning, Tiger fans. There are only 48 days before the start of the 2008 LSU football season, only 20 days before the team reports back to campus for the start of Fall practice and only seven days before the big July 20 Summer camp at LSU that has many Tiger fans excited. At LSU there are five football "seasons" - the regular season, national signing day, Spring practice, Fall practice and year-round recruiting. In my Monday morning update I will get back to my preseason predictions and today I will write about recruiting.

As of today, LSU has 13 commitments with five from within the state of Louisiana. LSU will probably sign 25-26 players and has a pretty good idea as to who they would like to receive commitments from to finish out the recruiting class. LSU has probably offered 60-70 prospects and will only be able to take 12-13 more commitments from the list of players already offered. The goal of Les Miles and Josh Henson, LSU's defensive coordinator, is to receive commitments from the highest ranked prospects remaining on the recruiting board at each position. I believe Coach Miles will sign one more running back, three to four more wide receivers, two more offensive linemen, four defensive linemen including defensive ends, one or two more big-time linebackers and two more defensive backs.

Here is a partial list of players who I believe are very high on LSU's recruiting board and who have a strong interest in LSU:

Rueben Randle (WR), 6’3”, 200, 4.45, Bastrop, 60-40
Chris Davenport (DL), 6’4”, 300, Mansfield, 80-20
Eddie Lacy (RB), 6’1”, 200, Dutchtown, 70-30 (grades)
Darrington Sentimore (DT), 6’3”, 280, Destrehan, 80-20
Kenny Bell (WR), 6’2”, 190, Rayville, 80-20
Barkevious Mingo (LB), 6’4”, 216, West Monroe, 70-30
Joey Fontana (OL), 6’4”, 300, New Orleans, 70-30 if offered
Kenderick Washington (DE), 6’6”, 270, Shreve., 60-40 if offered
Jordan Mille (OL), 6’6”, 330, Assumption, 70-30 if offered

Out-of-state players:
Josh Williford (OL), 6’7”, Dothan, Alabama, 70-30
Stavion Lowe, (OL), 6’4”, 305, Brownwood, Texas, 70-30
Toben Opurum, (FB), 6’2”, 230, Plano East, 60-40 if offered
Jamarkus McFarland (DT), 6’3”, 285, Lufkin, Texas, 50-50
Chris Williams (LB), 6’0”, 230, Abilene, Texas 70-30
Craig Loston (DB), 6’3”, 210, Aldine Eisenhower, 40-60

Key LSU football dates:

July 23: SEC Football Media Days, Hoover, Ala. (LSU coach Les Miles, C Brett Helms, DE Tyson Jackson)
Aug. 3: Players report to campus
Aug. 4: First day of practice
Aug. 8: LSU Media Day
Aug. 10: LSU Fan Day (time and location TBA)
Aug. 25: First day of LSU fall semester classes
Aug. 30: LSU vs. Appalachian State, 4 p.m., Tiger Stadium (ESPN)

I will be getting into basketball recruiting in a few weeks.

Readers comments: Don, I know that Tiger fans have had a lot of discussion and concern about the QB position since the departure of Perrilloux. I am not worried. I believe that both Lee and Hatch are capable of leading this LSU team to a great season and that neither one of them is going to have to win games with pure athleticism. I went back over the last few seasons and looked at the 8 QBs that have started at least one game for LSU. I have subjectively ranked them on their athleticism, QB tools, etc.:

1. JaMarcus Russell - It is hard to argue with being selected #1 in the NFL draft.
2. Rohan Davey - Rohan was a winner. He had some great games for the Tigers and stuck around the NFL for a few years.
3. Ryan Perrilloux - Could be more talented than JaMarcus and Rohan, and looked great at times on the field. Because of limited playing time, I rank him 3.
4. Josh Booty - Had the physical tools, but not as much talent around him at LSU as some of the other QBs. He was ranked the #1 QB in the country coming out of high school and stuck in the NFL for a few years as a backup.
5. Matt Mauck - Did a steady job and lead the Tigers to a championship.
6. Matt Flynn - Did a steady job and lead the Tigers to a championship.
7. Craig Nall - Did not get much of a chance at LSU, but did hang around the NFL for a couple of years.
8. Marcus Randall - good athlete, but I have a hard time forgetting how many short passes to open receivers that he missed on.

My point is that #5 and #6 lead us to the National Championship. If either Lee or Hatch can step up as a leader, we will be fine with all of the talent in the line and at receiver and running back. As incredible as Perrilloux is, I was worried about his tendency to do dumb things off the field. That has to detract from his ability to be a leader. Another positive of Ryan's departure is that the media is putting much less pressure on LSU and that will allow the Tigers to play lose early in the season.

Reader comments: It's nice to see our BCS Champs getting some respect.


7/12/08 7:05 AM

Good morning, Tiger fans. I hope all of you enjoy your weekend with family and friends. Things are very slow at LSU at this time but we all know that the slow period will soon be over. Things are not very slow for high school football prospects who are trying to narrow their list of schools of interest to three or four, and in some cases down to two or three, before the start of their high school season. Currently, LSU has 13 solid commitments and will likely sign 25 players in the February 2009 signing class. LSU is in the thick of things with about 40 of the nation's remaining uncommitted prospects.

Many of the nation's top prospects and their parents are spending the Summer visiting different campuses, meeting the head coaches and checking out the academic side of things. One of the most impressive things that LSU has going for it, besides winning two national football titles in the last four years, is the Cox Communications Academic Center for student athletes. The study area is 54,000 square feet with 75 computer work stations, 14 private computer rooms in a state of the art computer lab and a 1,000 seat auditorium for classes and lectures.

In addition to the Cox Communications Academic Center, LSU also has a new football complex for football players to reside, and an indoor practice facility that is second to none. Another great thing LSU has going for it is its location. LSU is a one hour drive from New Orleans, a two-hour drive from Monroe, La., Jackson, Ms. and Biloxi, Ms, three hours from Mobile, Al., four hours from Shreveport, La., Pensacola, Fl. and Houston, Tx. LSU is only a five-hour drive from Little Rock, Ak, and a six hour drive from Dallas,Tx.

Monday I will continue my pre season predictions and take a look at the LSU-Auburn game. The game will be played on the Plains in Auburn, Alabama. Auburn has been very good for a long time and will continue to be very good as long as Tommy Tubervile is the head coach.

Other football related news: LSU will honor the 1958 and 2003 national championship teams prior to the start of the kick off for the LSU - North Texas game, according to information I have recently received.

Below is a press release I received about Joe Alleva being promoted to Associate AD for Facility Services and Maintenance:

LSU new athletic director Joe Alleva has promoted Ronnie Haliburton, who has supervised facility services in the LSU Athletic Department for the last four years, to Associate Athletic Director for Facility Services and Maintenance.

“The condition, maintenance and future improvements to athletic facilities is critical to our success and it is important for fan enjoyment, so this is an important position in our athletic program,” Alleva said. “In my initial discussions with coaches and staff members, it is clear that Ronnie does a tremendous job coordinating facility maintenance, and his position will become more important as new facilities like the baseball and softball stadiums open next year.”

Haliburton came to the athletic department in December of 2003 from LSU’s facility maintenance department where he served as manager since 1998. In March of 2007 he was promoted to the position of Assistant Athletic Director for Facility Services.

Haliburton played for the LSU football team from 1986-89, and was a member of two Southeastern Conference championship teams. He later played for the Denver Broncos of the NFL for three years.

He first joined LSU in an administrative capacity in 1994 as resident assistant of Broussard Hall, then the school’s athletic dormitory, before moving to the weight room as a student assistant strength coach for LSU’s student-athletes.

He became a resident manager in 1996 before being named coordinator of residence life later that year. In 1998 he became Manager of Facility Maintenance at LSU.


7/11/08 7:00 AM

Good morning, Tiger fans. There are only 50 days before the start of the 2008 LSU football season and Tiger fans are starting to get excited. As I reported last week, SEC Media Day starts Wednesday, July 23 with Les Miles and Bobby Johnson of Vanderbilt addressing the media. Brett Helms and Tyson Jackson will make the trip with Coach Miles to represent LSU. Brett is a three-year starter and a team leader on offense. Jackson is also a three-year starter on defense. I have never thought of Jackson as being a team leader on defense, but I hope that he will take a leadership role this coming season.

A few important dates to remember leading up to the season. The full team will report to campus Sunday, August 03, and the first practice is scheduled for Monday, August 04. The team will practice in shorts and head gear the first four or five days before practicing in full gear. Media Day for the local media is scheduled for August 08. The very popular Fan Day will be August 10. The time and location has not been determine as of today. I am hoping that Fan Day will be moved up to three or four p.m. and that more time will be made available for fans to have memorabilia signed.

While in Winnfield for the last three days for my brother Cotton's funeral, I spoke to a large number of older LSU football fans, many of whom I attended high school with, whose biggest concern for the 2008 season is the quarterback position and defensive backs. I tell people that I believe the quarterback position is going to be in good hands.

I have no reason to believe that Jarrett Lee and Andrew Hatch cannot do as good a job at quarterback as Matt Flynn did in 2007. Andrew Hatch and Jarrett Lee took 90 percent of all the quarterback snaps in Fall practice and did very well. Tiger fans also need to understand that LSU offensive coordinator Gary Crowton is one of the brightest offensive coordinators in the nation.

As for LSU's defensive backfield, it is going to be very good but will be tested early and often in games because LSU's defensive line will be one of the best in the nation and will often shut down the running game and force opposing teams to throw the football. I think that Chad Jones, Patrick Johnson, Phelon Jones, Harry Coleman, Ron Brooks, Chris Hawkins, Curtis Taylor, Danny McCray, John Williams, Jai Eugene and Steffon Francois are going to be very good and will make Tiger fans very happy.

I also had several LSU football fans ask me what I thought about having co-defensive coordinators and who would call the defensive signals. Doug Mallory will call the defensive signals from the press box upstairs and will send the signals down to Les Miles and Brad Peveto. Brad Peveto will be on the sideline making sure that the right personnel is in the game for the scheme that Mallory signals from the press box. I do not believe the average LSU football fan will be able to see any difference in the defense.

Today I am going to give my prediction for the North Texas game that will be played in Tiger Stadium under the lights on September 13. The game will likely be shown on Tigervision. North Texas is coached by Todd Dodge who will be in his second season at North Texas which is a Sun Belt conference school. The Mean Green went 2-10 in 2007 with wins over ULM 31-21 and Western Kentucky 27-26. North Texas lost to Oklahoma 79-10, SMU 45-31, Florida Atlantic 30-20, Arkansas 66-7, Louisiana Tech 38-28, Troy 45-7, Middle Tennessee 48-28, Navy 74-62, Arkansas State 31-27 and Florida International 38-19. North Texas was one of the worse defensive teams in the nation in 2007 and lost most of their better players. Coach Les Miles should be able to play a lot of players in the game and have his starters well rested for Auburn the following Saturday at Auburn. Dandy Don's pick is LSU 55 North Texas 10.

There is no late-breaking recruiting news to report. LSU's name is being mentioned with most of the remaining top prospects who have not yet committed to any school and many of the prospects have setup visits to attend a game at LSU next season. LSU is battling schools like Florida, Miami, Alabama, Georgia, Texas, OU, USC and ND for top prospects and will get its share of highly touted players. A large number of the nation's top prospects such as Rueben Randle, Chris Davenport and Barkevious Mingo are going to take several visits before committing, but I believe in the end they will sign with LSU. Geaux Tigers!


7/10/08 6:30 AM

Good morning, Tiger fans. There are only 51 days before the start of the 2008 football season, less than two weeks before the final Summer camp and less than four weeks before the football players report to Fall practice. I believe the team will report to Fall practice in great shape and ready to take care of business.

This Summer has been very quiet with no arrests, problems with the law or other distractions, and that is a good thing. I think that Les Miles would like to receive four or five major commitments before the start of Fall practice and I am hearing great things to make me believe that LSU is in great shape on several big-time prospects and will receive several commitments at the Summer camp or soon after.

It is a great time to be an LSU Tiger fan and I honestly believe the football program will continue to be one of the premier programs in the nation and that good things are ahead in basketball, baseball, softball, track and field and all the minor sports.

I will be returning home Thursday afternoon and will start back posting my college picks Friday. I want to thank all of you for your support and understanding. Have a great day.


7/9/08 6:50 AM

Good morning, Tiger fans. I would like to thank all of you for your emails of condolences for my brother Cotton who passed away Monday afternoon. My brother Cotton was not only my brother, he was also my best friend who I could pick up the phone and talk to about things not concerning LSU sports such as gardening, fishing, politics and family. My life will be much different without Cotton to talk to several times each week.

As for LSU sports, as all of you know things are very slow at Tiger Town at this time, as it is every year. I ask that Tiger fans do their best to make it through July and August and things will get better in a hurry. I did receive several nice links from readers yesterday trying to help me with information for my updates during this time of adjustment from my brother's passing. I will add the links later in this update.

In baseball news, the LSU Sports Information department announced Tuesday that Daniel Bradshaw and Austin Ross were named to the SEC freshman honor roll. With Bradshaw and Ross having outstanding seasons, Anthony Ranaudo coming on strong the last few weeks of the regular season and catcher Michal Gibbs being named freshman All-American, the future looks very bright for LSU baseball.

Bradshaw, a native of West Monroe, La., made 26 appearances during the 2008 season, including two starts. He posted a 4-5 record and a 4.12 ERA with four saves in 54.2 innings. Bradshaw recorded 52 strikeouts and 13 walks, and opponents batted just .243 against him.

Ross, a Shreveport, La. product, made 21 appearances, including two starts. He recorded a 3-1 mark with a 2.58 ERA and three saves in 52.1 innings. Ross registered 37 strikeouts and nine walks, and he was named the Louisiana Sportswriters Association Pitcher of the Week on April 8 after a magnificent relief win at Southern University.

Ross entered the Southern game in the second inning and fired seven shutout frames, limiting the Jaguars to four hits with a career-best eight strikeouts.

To qualify for the SEC Freshmen Academic Honor Roll, each student-athlete must 1) have a cumulative GPA of 3.00 or above; 2) be on scholarship or a letter winner; 3) have completed 24 semester hours of non-remedial credit; and 4) have been a member of the varsity team for the sport's entire NCAA Championship segment.

LSU baseball coach Paul Mainieri is still waiting for Louis Coleman and Ryan Verdugo to make their final decisions as to whether they will return to LSU for their senior seasons or sign pro baseball contracts. Reports are that Coleman will return and Verdugo is a lean to going pro.

Reader comments: DD: here is a good, long article on ESPN.com with a reviewof the LSU football team for the 2008 season, and heres one on the SEC

Reader comments: Here is a link to a very nice article about a top basketball prospect who may be transferring to LSU.

Reader comments: A couple of links of interest:
Stud alert: Players ready to break out
LSU to repeat in the West

I will start back on my game by game picks for the 2008 season Friday. Have a great day


7/8/08 7:20 AM

Good morning, Tiger fans. I have to start this email with some bad news. My brother Cotton Long, 75, from Winnfield died Monday afternoon at about 1:30. Cotton was a good man and was loved and well respected by all who knew him. Please keep Cotton and his family in your prayers. Cotton’s body will be exposed tonight and his funeral will be at 2.00 p.m. Wednesday. I most likely will not have a Thursday morning update.

Today I will post my prediction on the LSU-Troy game. The game will be played at Tiger Stadium with a 7 p.m. kickoff. The game will likely be shown on Tigervision, according to what I have been told. Troy is a very good football team that went 8-4 in 2007 with wins over Oklahoma State (41-23), ULL (48-31), ULM (24-7), Florida International (34-16), North Texas (45-7), Arkansas State (27-0), Western Kentucky (21-17) and Middle Tennessee (45-7). The Trojans' four losses came against Florida Atlantic (32-28), Arkansas (46-26), Georgia (44-34) and Florida (59-31). I believe that Troy is a better team than LSU's first opponent of the season, Appalachian State, and if LSU is not ready to play it could be a disappointing night in Tiger Stadium.

Troy is coached by Larry Blakeney who is one of the most underrated coaches in the nation. Blakeney has been the head coach at Troy for 17 years and has a 136-68-1 record. In my opinion, this is a very scary game for LSU because the Tigers could be overlooking the Trojans after defeating Appalachian the week before. This game reminds me a lots of the LSU- UAB game in 2002 that LSU lost 13-10.

Troy returns 16 lettermen, seven on offense and defense and two on special teams. Troy is a veteran team with 37 junior or seniors in the two-deep depth chart. Troy will have to find replacements for quarterback Omar Haugabook, wide receiver Gary Banks and running back Kenny Cattouse on offense, and cornerbacks Elbert Mack and Leodis McKelvin on defense. Dandy Don's pick: LSU 24-14.

In baseball news, several LSU players are off to a rocky start in Summer leagues that use wooden bats. The last information I received was that Blake Dean was hitting .235 in four games, Jared Mitchell was one for 11 (.091) in five games, Sean Ochinko was hitting .207 in eight games with 25 at bats, D. J. LaMahieu was hitting .167 in five games, Ryan Schimpf was hitting .368 in 19 at bats in four games, Leon Landry was hitting .286 with two hits in seven at bats and Johnny Dishon was hitting .308 in four games with four hits in 13 at bats. Anthony Ranaudo had given up nine hits in four innings and had a 15.75 ERA. I have been told that Ranaudo pitched two scoreless innings after I received his first stats.

While on baseball news, former LSU pitcher Brian Wilson was voted to the NL All-Star team for the first time. He is currently the closer for the S.F. Giants.

Six LSU track athletes have qualified for the Olympics next month. Three former Tigers qualified - Lolo Jones (United States, 100-meter hurdles), Muna Lee (United States, 100-meter and 200-meter sprints) and Isah Phillips (Jamaica). Three members of this past season's track teams qualified - Kelly Baptiste (Trinidad), Richard Thompson (Trinidad) and Nickiesha Wilson (Jamaica). Walter Davis finished fourth in the triple jump and didn't qualify. Xavier Carter was scratched from the 200-meter finals due to an ankle injury and didn't qualify. LoLo Jones placed 1st in the 100m hurdles final at the Olympic Trials in Eugene. Muna Lee placed 2nd in the 200m final at the Olympic Trials in Eugene Oregon.


7/7/08 7:05 AM

Good morning, Tiger fans. I hope all of you had a great July 4th holiday and are ready to get back to work. Things have been very slow for LSU sports news because of the holiday, the dead period in football recruiting, and the fact that much of the coaching staff was on vacation. The entire LSU football squad and coaches will be returning to LSU this week to begin the final three weeks of Summer workouts before the start of Fall practice. The coaching staff will also be preparing for the huge Summer camp July 20-23. After the final session of the Summer camp on Wednesday, Coach Miles and two select players will be in Atlanta for SEC Media Day. At the close of the media day conference, the media and coaches will vote on who will win the SEC East and West and will select All-SEC teams. I believe Georgia will edge out Florida for the SEC East title and LSU will edge out Auburn to win the West.

According to all reports I have received, the first half of Summer workouts went great. Several incoming freshmen looked very good including Patrick Johnson, Matt Branch, Tyler Edwards, Jordan Jefferson, Cordian Hagans, Ryan Baker, Chancey Aghayere, DeAngelo Patterson, Kellen Theriot and the Taylor brothers. The only three signees who did not take part in the first half of Summer workouts were Rocky Duplessis, Deanangelo Benton and Tim Molton. Duplessis will take a greyshirt year, meaning that he will pay his own way the first semester and re-sign with LSU in January, and Benton and Molton are still working on becoming eligible to play as true freshmen.

LSU has had great success in football in the last eight years with an 82-22 record including two BCS national championships, three SEC championships and six bowl game wins. LSU has done a great job in recruiting the last eight years, but I believe that much of the credit for the success should go to strength and conditioning coach Tommy Moffitt for his Summer strength and conditioning program. In my opinion, Moffitt is the nation's top strength and conditioning coach and perhaps the most valuable coach on LSU's staff. Moffitt spent four years at Tennessee and two seasons at Miami before accepting the head strength and conditioning job at LSU. I hope that Moffitt will remain at LSU for several more seasons.

Today I am going to start my 2008 predictions for each game on the LSU schedule. The Tigers open the season at home against Appalachian State, the 1-AA champions for the last three years. Appalachian is a high-powered offensive team that averaged around 35 points per game in 2007 including 34 points against Michigan. There are many LSU fans who believe that LSU will blow away the Mountaineers and the game will be no contest. I believe the game is going to be a great one that the Tigers will have to come from behind in the second half to win. I believe LSU's huge offensive line will wear down the Mountaineers' smaller defensive front and LSU's speed will be more than the visiting team can handle. LSU 33 Appalachian State 20.

In other news related to LSU, pitcher Ben McDonald has been inducted into the College Baseball Hall of Fame in Lubbock, Texas. McDonald pitched at LSU from 1987-89 and was the first player drafted in the 1989 MLBD by Baltimore. McDonald might be the best pitcher to have ever pitched for the Tigers.

Reader comments: Please see this link. This young man took a beating on the AJC blog when he committed to LSU, but stood his ground. Apparently, he's still locked in to the Bayou Tigers, but the firestorm resumes!!


7/6/08 7:40 AM

Good morning, Tiger fans. There are only 56 days before the start of the 2008 LSU Fighting Tigers football season. The 2008 season promises to be a very exciting one if the quarterback situation comes around and a couple of linebackers step forward in Fall practice and take a leadership role. LSU is picked as high as number five in Sporting News and as low as number 13 by Phil Steele.

With a little spare time on hand Saturday afternoon, I took a look at some of the big college games scheduled this year and came up with my top 11 games of the season, and I believe LSU will be involved in three of them. My top 11, in no particular order of importance, are listed below.

Alabama at LSU November 08
Georgia at LSU October 25
Alabama at Clemson August 30
Ohio State at USC September 13
LSU at Auburn September 20
Virginia Tech at Nebraska September 27
LSU at Florida October 11
Michigan at Ohio State November 22
Texas at OU October 11
Georgia at Auburn November 15
Florida at Georgia November 01

I think the August 30 match up between Alabama and Clemson is going to be a great game and one that both head coaches need to win. It should tell a lot about how much Alabama has improved. I think the USC-Ohio State game will draw lots of media coverage because USC and Notre Dame are the darlings of the media. Virginia Tech at Nebraska will be a very interesting game for Cornhusker fans and should give them a good idea of what to expect when the Big Red open Big 12 conference play the following week against Missouri. The Texas-OU game might be a very important game for Mack Brown to win because the Longhorns have been underachieving the last few years in the eyes of Texas fans. The Michigan-Ohio State game will be a very important game for Michigan first year head coach Rich Rodriquez. I think the LSU-Alabama game will be very interesting because it will be the return of Nick Saban to LSU and the game will have an affect on the SEC Western division standings. The LSU-Georgia game will be of major importance in the national standings as will the LSU-Florida game.

In other football news, SEC Media Day with Coach Les Miles will being on July 23. LSU players reports to campus on August 03 and the first day of practice will be August 04. The first day of the Fall semester is August 25.

In recruiting news, I have been told by my Texas connection that LSU is the clear leader for linebacker Chris Williams (6'0", 230) from Abilene. Williams has over 20 offers from schools nation wide and had 26 tackles for loss yardage and nine sacks in 2007, according to Dave Campbell's Texas high school magazine which is a must-have for LSU fans who follow Texas high school recruiting. I have also been told that LSU is the slight leader for defensive tackle Jamarkus McFarland. I have also been told that Craig Loston, the Texas preseason player of the year, is still a solid commitment to Clemson. LSU appears to be in pretty good shape with offensive lineman Stavion Lowe (6'4", 305) from Brownwood, Texas.

Former LSU track athlete Walter Davis has qualified for Sunday's U.S. Olympic Trials finals in the triple jump. Three other former LSU track athletes - Xavier Carter, Stephanie Durst and Muna Lee - advanced to Sunday afternoon's quarterfinals in the 200-meters. Former LSU track athlete Lolo Jones will take part in the preliminaries for the 100-meter hurdles Saturday.

Reader comments: Heres a great video that might bring a tear to your eyes.


7/5/08 7:00 AM

Good morning, Tiger fans. There are only 56 days before the start of the 2008 LSU football season.

LSU will open the season August 30 at 4 p.m. against 1-AA Appalachian State and the game will be televised on ESPN. The Appalachian State Mountaineers are not just another 1-AA school playing a 1-A powerhouse to receive a large pay check. The Mountaineers shocked the college football world last season with a stunning 34-32 upset win over Michigan who was ranked in the top-five nationally. The Wolverines missed a short field goal in the final seconds of the game before a crowd of 107,000 mostly Michigan fans.

The Mountaineers won the 1-AA national title last season with a 49-21 win over Delaware. Appalachian State finished the 2007 season with a 12-2 record and averaged scoring 33 points per game. The Mountaineers' offense is led by junior quarterback Armanti Edwards who completed 148 of 222 passes for 1,968 yards and 17 touchdowns, rushed for 1,588 yards on 237 rushing attempts and scored 21 touchdowns including an 80-yard run and four touchdown runs of more than 40 yards.

The Mountaineers caught Michigan by surprise and jumped out to a four-touchdown lead early in the game and managed to hold on at the end for the win. Appalachian State will not slip up on the Tigers, but they will keep the game close for at least the first half. I believe that LSU's depth and team speed will be more than the upset-minded Mountaineers can handle. I will have more on the game next week when I start my predictions of the 12 games on the schedule.

Things are a little slow in all sports at LSU at this time. Recruiting is as slow as a snail's pace and there are many Tiger fans hungry for recruiting information. At my Friday morning meeting with my coffee group, everyone was asking for recruiting news and all I could tell the group was that recruiting is going great and LSU is in great shape with all the remaining in-state prospects including the following:

- Rueben Randle (WR), 6'3", 196, Bastrop, 60-40
- Chris Davenport (DT), 6'4", 290, Mansfield, 80-20
- Kenny Bell, (WR), 6'2", 190, Rayville, 70-30
- Eddie (RB), 6'0", 190, Dutchtown,70-30 (Grades)
- Barkevious Mingo (LB), 6'5", 212, West Monroe, 70-30
- Darrington Sentimore (DT), 6'2", 300, Destrehan, 80-20 (Grades)

I will make a few phone calls in the next few days to get updates on grades of a few prospects LSU is recruiting and to get an update on out-of-state recruits. I have a feeling that Les Miles is going to pick up several commitments at the July 20-23 camp.

In other LSU news of interest, former LSU defensive tackle Kyle Williams signed a three-year contract extension with the Buffalo Bills Thursday worth roughly $14 million. Williams played his high school football at Ruston High and is one of LSU fans' all-time favorite players.


7/4/08 6:55 AM

Good morning, Tiger fans, and Happy Independence Day. I would like to thank all the men and women serving in the military, and all veterans, for protecting our great country.

There are only 57 days until the start of the 2008 football season and Tiger fans are getting fired-up. For the last two weeks I have been writing mostly about football and I have been very pleased with the response I have received from my readers. I did a sneak preview of the offense and defense the last two weeks plus posted my new depth chart in my Thursday morning update. I made a few mistakes on the depth chart such as posting the 2007 jersey numbers of a few players who have new numbers such as Richard Dickson who is now wearing No. 18 that had been worn by Jacob Hester the last four years. Joseph Barksdale is wearing jersey number 78 this season instead of 96. I also had the wrong classification by a few players' names such as Kirston Pittman who I had listed as a junior but will be a senior in 2008. I also overlooked a few players' names on the depth chart such as Patrick Johnson who I have written about several times. I believe I have corrected most of the mistakes and I appreciate your patience.

Thursday I received several emails from readers who disagree with my depth chart, especially at the running back and defensive back positions, and I do not have a problem with that. My depth chart is my opinion only. I am sure I will make several changes during Fall practice and at the start of the 2008 season. As always, there will be a few position changes in Fall practice and a few surprises. It would not surprise me at all to see a new face or two at the full back position in Fall practice, and I would not be surprised to see a couple of new faces at the wide receiver position.

Here's a reminder that the South Carolina - LSU football game from 2007 will be replayed Sunday at 7 p.m. on CST (Cox Sports Television). I predict that the Tigers will score on a fake field goal! The game is part of the CST countdown to the 2008 season. Every victory last season will be aired leading up to this year's first game against Appalachian State. CST will again televise LSU football replays on Sunday and Wednesday nights following each game in 2008.

I am going to keep this update short because today is July 4th and it is a day to be with family and friends. In closing, I want to thank all of you for your concerns and prayers for my wife.


7/3/08 7:35 AM

Good morning, Tiger fans, and happy Independence Day in advance. Wednesday was a knock out day for emails from LSU football fans who are ready for the start of the 2008 football season. Most of my emails had to do with my preseason profile of the LSU defensive team, especially linebackers and defensive backs. I also received several emails wanting to know when I would be adding the incoming freshmen names and numbers to my depth chart and what incoming freshmen I expect to see playing time in 2008.

I am happy to report that I updated my depth chart Wednesday afternoon and I would appreciate your comments. The 2008 depth chart is very deep at most positions. The only signees from the 2008 signing class whose names are not listed in my depth chart are Deangelo Benton, Tim Molton and Rocky Duplessis. Benton and Molton are still not eligible to enroll in school and Duplessis is going to take a greyshirt year and re-sign with the Tigers in January. Most of the incoming freshmen on my depth chart are listed near the bottom or at the bottom because they have not yet practiced with the team.

True freshmen who I expect to play in 2008 are Patrick Johnson, Matt Branch or Tyler Edwards (not both), and Benton if he becomes eligible or Chris Tolliver if Benton does not become eligible. I am expecting Ryan Baker and Kellen Theriot to play as true freshmen. I strongly believe that the entire offensive and defensive lines will receive redshirt years and that is a good thing. I really like watching fifth year seniors in the offensive and defensive lines play.

I have been asked several times if I thought Jordan Jefferson would play as a true freshman and the answer is no. Jordan Jefferson has all the tools to be a great player at LSU but he will be facing some stiff competition the next four years. In my opinion, Jordan is two years away from seeing playing time for the Tigers.

Starting Monday, July 07, I will post my predictions for each of the 12 games on the schedule. I am going to wait until Monday to start my predictions because my number of readers will be fewer than normal the rest of this week because of the July 04 holiday. I will tell you in advance that I believe LSU will go 10-2 in 2008 but I do believe the Tigers are capable of beating all the teams on the schedule, it's just not likely to happen because of the way the schedule falls. LSU plays Auburn, Florida, South Carolina and Arkansas on the road plus home games against Mississippi State, Alabama, Ole Miss and Georgia. I believe that Auburn and Georgia are going to be LSU's two hardest games on the schedule. Ole Miss might be the surprise team in the SEC and I believe that Florida and Alabama are the two most overrated in the SEC. I know that many of you are laughing because of me saying that Florida and Alabama are overrated, and you might be correct. I believe that SEC teams are going to find a way to shut down Tim Tebow much like Michigan did in the Capital One bowl game last season. The Gators do play a very easy SEC schedule with only one hard SEC road game at Tennessee on September 20.

In recruiting news of interest, Dave Campbell's Texas high school football magazine has hit the market and below is a little information on players already committed to LSU and a few players that LSU is still recruiting along with a few comments from Dave Campbell.

Dexter Pratt (RB, 6-1, 225, 4.5, Navasota) -- 3rd Team Super Offense

Russell Shepard (QB/Util, 6-2, 190, 4.4, Cypress Ridge) — 1st Team Utility Player -- “could have been first QB too”, “most exciting player in Texas”

Michael Brockers (DL, 6-6, 260, 4.9) -- 2nd Team Defense

Notable among recruits considering LSU: Jamarkus McFarland (DL) -- 1st Team Defense — dominates, great quickness to ball

Craig Loston (DB) -- 1st Team Defense -- #1 Defense Player of Year, also plays offense, kick returns and runs track

Chris Williams (LB, 6-0, 235) -- 1st Team Defense — explosive, punishing, most heavily recruited LB in Texas

Stamon Lowe (OL, 6-4, 305) - 3rd OL

Toden Opurum (RB/FB, 6-2, 230, 4.5) -- 3rd RB

Knile Davis (RB, 6-0, 205, 4.4) 2nd RB -- best downhill runner in state

In LSU women's basketball news, the Lady Tigers will be playing Notre Dame in the State Farm Tip-Off classic at LSU on November 16. LSU second year coach Van Chancellor will have to replace all nine players from the 2008 team plus all five starters. Chancellor signed eight players in the 2008 signing class which has been ranked as high as number three in the nation. Here's the full article from LSUSports.net.

Reader comments: Don, The final stop of the Tiger Tour is July 20th in New Orleans. We just added Coach Mainairi, so the speakers will be "Big 4" (Les Miles, Paul Mainieri, Trent Johnson, Van Chancellor) plus Joe Alleva. Visit www.CrescentCityTigers.com for more information.


7/2/08 7:35 AM

Good morning, Tiger fans. I hope that all of you who are on vacation are having a great time and those of you leaving for vacation during the July 4th holiday have a great trip. Please be careful and do not forget to wear your LSU clothing and show your LSU pride.

Today I will continue my preview of the 2008 LSU football season and will cover cornerbacks, safeties and nickel backs. Les Miles will have to find replacements for two-year starters Chevis Jackson and Jonathan Zenon at cornerback and Craig Steltz at strong safety. The two leading candidates to fill Jackson and Zenon's shoes entering Spring practice were Jai Eugene (5'11", 184, SO) from Destrehan and Chris Hawkins (6'1", 184, JR) from Walker, Louisiana. Both players made tremendous progress during Spring practice and will enter Fall practice number one at left and right cornerback. Eugene and Hawkins both have 4.4 speed and good cover skills. Cornerbacks have to be very fast and able to defend the pass. Right and left cornerbacks have one on one coverage of split ends or flankers depending on formations. Cornerbacks can have help from the strong safety if they are on the strong side of the field. If they are on the weak side, they are all by themselves and better not let receivers get behind them.

In my opinion, Hawkins is better at one-on-one man-to-man coverage than Eugene, but Eugene might be a step faster. Hawkins and Eugene will be pushed to the limit during Fall workouts by redshirt freshman Ron Brooks (5'11", 180, 4.4) from Irving, Texas and incoming freshman Patrick Johnson (6'1", 183, 4.4) from Pompano Beach, Florida. Brooks was outstanding the last half of Spring practice and finished bubbling with confidence. Johnson was a Parade magazine high school All-American in 2007 and was considered the number three overall prospect in the nation. Johnson is turning heads in Summer workouts at LSU. It would not surprise me at all if Brooks and Johnson are listed as starters at the end of Fall practice.

Redshirt freshman John Williams (5'10", 180) from Breaux Bridge, who will likely return punts in 2008, is also a strong candidate to receive playing time, as is redshirt freshman Phelon Jones (5'11", 195) from Mobile, Alabama. Jones came to LSU highly recruited and has a great future at LSU. Jones is also a possibility to play free safety. Incoming freshmen Ryan ST Julien (6'1", 175, 4.4) from Catholic of New Iberia, Karnall Hatcher (6'2", 185) from Delray Beach, Florida and Derrick Bryant (6'0", 183) from Peachtree Ridge, Georgia were very highly recruited in high school and will likely play cornerback, but that has not yet been determined.

As for the nickel back position, I believe that Jai Eugene or Patrick Johnson will be the starter depending on which one of the two starts at cornerback. The term nickel back is used when a fifth defensive back is added to the lineup on passing situations with the Buck (strong side) linebacker leaving the game. The nickel back's responsibility is covering the wide receiver on the end of the line of scrimmage on the strong side of the formation. The nickel back can expect to receive help from the strong safely on deep pass routes.

The strong safety will play on the strong side of the offensive team's formation, and as a rule he plays about 10-15 yards deep facing the tight end. Chad Jones, Danny McCray and Stephon Francois will likely play strong safety based on what I saw during Spring practice and the Spring game. The strong safety is usually the best tackler in open field.

The weak or free safety plays opposite the side that the tight end lines up on and is normally fast and has to cover from sideline to sideline. Curtis Taylor and Harry Coleman are the leading candidates. Taylor is a 6'3", 204, three-year letterman, Coleman is a 6'2", 205 junior from West ST Mary high school in Baldwin. Coleman was outstanding in LSU's win over Ohio State in the national championship.

Les miles' defensive staff will have a lot of great players to work with when Fall practice starts, and in my opinion the biggest problem Miles is going to have is finding a way to keep everyone happy. I do believe that Miles will play a lot of players on defense, especially early in the season, and that should keep everyone happy. In my opinion, Chad Jones will need to be on the field at all times on defense in games that are competitive. As matter of fact, I have been hoping ever since Jones arrived at LSU that he would be moved to linebacker.

In basketball news, ground-breaking took place Tuesday at LSU for a $14 million basketball practice facility for the men and women that will open in October of 2009. The new facility, which will be 60,000 square feet, will be North of the Pete Maravich Center. The practice facility will be one of the most up-to-date practice facility in the nation and is long overdue.

While on the subject of basketball, first year coach Trent Johnson has been very busy since being named the head coach at LSU. He has been making contact with all the top recruits in the state of Louisiana and said in several TAF Spring tours stops that he hopes 80 percent or more of his recruits will be from the state of Louisiana. The state of Louisiana has been a very fertile recruiting ground for out-of-state schools the last few years and it appears that Johnson is going to see that Louisiana's top prospects sign to play for the fighting Tigers. For more information on the new facility, please go to LSUSPORTS.NET.

In baseball news, Coach Paul Mainieri has been named coach of the year by Rivals Sports, and he is very deserving of the honor. I am sure that Fresno State fans will not agree with me. The 2009 LSU baseball team has a chance to be very good if Mainieri can bring in a couple of big-time pitchers, and the 2010 team might be one of LSU's all-time great teams. Here is a nice link from Rivals Sports.


7/1/08 7:00 AM

Good morning, Tiger fans. Monday was a great day for email and I want to thank all of you for reading my page. The 2008 season is fast approaching with only 60 days before the 4 p.m. kickoff against Appalachian State.

Monday I wrote about LSU's defensive front four and today I will write about linebackers. It has been several years since LSU has had a rock solid group of linebackers due to injuries and a player or two not living up to expectations. I do believe that LSU has the potential to be much stronger at the linebacker position in the 2008 season, but still not rock solid strong. Linebacker coach Brad Peveto will have to find replacements for Ali Highsmith and Luke Sanders from the 2007 team.

As most of you know, LSU runs the 4-3-4 defense. The three linebackers in the defensive scheme are called the Will, Mike and Buck. The Will linebacker is the weak side linebacker. He plays opposite the tight end. Kelvin Sheppard, Ace Foyil and true freshman Ryan Baker are the top three at this time. The Mike linebacker is in the middle. Darry Beckwith, Jacob Cutrera, Ace Foyil are the top three. Beckwith is listed on some of the post-season teams' watch lists and should have a great season if he stays free of injury. Beckwith's job is to not get caught out of position on draw plays and delayed hand-offs such as he did in the BCS national championship game against Ohio State. Beckwith is a very physical linebacker who can shed blocks from the opposing team's guards and fullbacks. Jacob Cutrera had shoulder surgery this spring and has been slowed down a little. Cutrera needs to have a full season, free from injury, to show what he can do. The Buck linebacker is the strong side backer who normally plays on the tight end side. This is normally the linebacker that comes out when LSU goes to a nickel package for pass coverage. Perry Riley, Shomari Clemmons and Kellen Theriot are the top three at this time. Theriot has recentley had minor shoulder surgery but he should be back at 100 percent for the start of Fall practice and is a player to keep an eye on.

In other LSU football news, five members of the LSU football team - three on defense and two on offense - have been named to watch lists for the 2008 Maxwell and Bednarik Awards. Headlining the list of LSU’s candidates for the Bednarik Award is senior defensive end Tyson Jackson, who has already been named as a preseason All-America selection. The other two Tigers on the Bednarik list include senior linebacker Darry Beckwith and junior defensive tackle Ricky Jean-Francois. LSU senior wide receiver Demetrius Byrd and junior running back Keiland Williams are among 75 players from across the country named to the watch list for the Maxwell Award, which goes to the most outstanding collegiate football player.

Monday night I watched the replay of LSU's win over Oklahoma in the 2003 national championship and sure did enjoy watching the game. I have been asked several times to compare the two national championship teams and I have been telling readers that I believe the 2007 team was better than the 2003 team, but after watching last nights replay I am not so sure.

In baseball news, LSU catcher Micah Gibbs was named Monday to the Baseball America magazine's first-team Freshman All-America squad. Gibbs, a product of Pflugerville, Texas, batted .322 (56-for-174) this season with 16 doubles, two homers, 35 RBI and 31 runs. He was the Tigers’ leading hitter in SEC regular-season games, batting .345 (29-for-84) with seven doubles, one homer and 21 RBI. Gibbs performed magnificently behind the plate, committing just one error in 392 chances (.997 fielding percentage) while throwing out 17 runners attempting to steal. Gibbs is competing this summer for the USA Baseball National Team, a squad comprised of the top non-draft-eligible college players in the United States.

In other LSU baseball news, the Tigers finished sixth in the three major polls for the 2008 season. I expect LSU to be a preseason top 10 pick for the 2009 season, especially if Louis Coleman returns for his senior season. Blake Martin has already signed a pro baseball contract and Ryan Verdugo and Matt Clark are expected to sign pro contracts in the near future. Rene Escobar has received his release from Coach Mainieri and will play the 2009 season for a smaller school on the West coast. Two high school recruits, Jon Michael Redding and Ryan Chaffee, will be signing pro contracts in the near future and will not attend LSU. Two seniors from the 2008 team, Michael Hollander and Jared Bradford, have signed pro contracts.

In softball news, please checkout the Rachele Fico file. Fico is perhaps the top high school pitcher in the nation and is committed to LSU for the 2010 signing class. Click here for the complete story.

WHO - Rachele Fico
WHAT - Connecticut Post Female Athlete of the Year
SCHOOL - Masuk
CLASS - Junior
AGE - 17
SPORTS /POSITIONS - Softball pitcher
RESUME - Three-time All-SWC, All-State, Connecticut Post MVP. Went 27-0 with an 0.07 ERA to help Masuk win its second consecutive Class LL softball championship. Fico Struck out 486 batters while allowing just 32 to reach base (21 hits, 7 walks, 4 hit batters). In 27 games threw 24 shutouts, including 21 in a row, 12 no-hitters and seven perfect games. At one point retired 130 batters in a row and threw five consecutive perfect games. Didn't allow an earned run in 224 consecutive innings dating back to 2007. Offensively, batted .424 with 28 hits, 21 runs and 20 RBIs. Hit seven doubles, three triples and three home runs. Has a career pitching record of 79-2, has struck out 1,387 batters in 81 games (17 per game), has thrown 35 no-hitters, 16 perfect games and 71 shutouts. Verbally committed to attend Louisiana State University in 2009.


6/30/08 6:50 AM

Good morning, Tiger fans. There are 61 days before the start of the 2008 LSU football season. Last week I profiled each position on offense, and this week I will cover the defensive side.

Les Miles will have to find replacements for All-Americans Glenn Dorsey and Craig Steltz plus Chevis Jackson, Ali Highsmith, Jonathan Zenon and defensive coordinator Bo Pelini. It will not be easy replacing Dorsey, Steltz and Pelini, but I do believe the defense will be stronger than in 2007. Brad Peveto and Doug Mallory will take over the defensive coordinator duties and I do not believe we will see any drop off.

Today I am going to profile the starting front four on defense. Kirston Pittman (6'4", 255, SR) from East ST John high school and Tyson Jackson (6'4", 292, SR) from West ST John high school, both two year starters and three-year lettermen, will start at the two defensive end positions. Pittman was granted an extra year from the NCAA because of missing two seasons with a foot injury. Jackson, who was rumored last season as leaning toward entering the NFL draft, surprised Tiger fans by returning to LSU for his senior season. I believe that Jackson and Pittman are capable of receiving post season honors in 2008 and will improve their NFL draft status. In my opinion, Jackson underachieved in 2007 and will have a great senior season.

LSU will have great depth at defensive end in Al Woods (6'4", 315, JR), Pep Levingston (6'4", 258, SO), Rahim Alem (6'3", 255, JR), Tremaine Johnson (6'2", 278, SR) and Sidell Corley (6'4", 270, redshirt freshman). Levingston had a great Spring, is very strong and spends a lot of time in the weight room. Alem, who is Chad Jones' older brother by one year, showed signs in 2007 of being a solid player as did Tremaine Johnson who is a little undersize but makes up for his size with his quickness. Corley, who came to LSU highly recruited out of Mobile, Alabama, will also see some playing time.

The starting defensive tackles will be Ricky Jean Francois (6'3", 281, JR) and Charles Alexander (6'3", 294, JR). Drake Nevis (6'1", 285, SO), Marion Favorite (6'1", 295, SR) and Kentravis Aubrey (6'3", 285, redshirt freshman) will add solid depth to the front four.

Coach Miles signed four great defensive linemen in the 2008 signing class. Chase Clement (6'6", 245) from E. D. White, Chancey Aghayere (6'4", 245) from Garland, Texas, Cordian Hagans (6'5", 290) from Duluth, Ga. and Lavar Edwards (6'4", 275) from Desire Street Academy in Baton Rouge. Clement will probably play defensive end if he does not play tight end, Aghayere is very fast and will play defensive end. Hagans and Edwards will likely play defensive tackle. I will write about linebackers in my Tuesday morning update. Last Friday when I wrote about special teams I forgot to mention who will return punts. I believe that John Williams will enter Fall practice number one followed by Chad Jones.

In other LSU football news of interest, Trindon Holliday did not make the final cut to run in the Summer Olympics. I was pulling for Holiday to represent LSU and Louisiana, but he will have several chances in 2008 on the football field to represent LSU and Louisiana. A 100-yard kick return against Georgia or Florida would work.

In recruiting news, there is nothing to report on the LSU front except that things are going great. I am looking forward to the July 20-23 LSU Summer camp that will have a lot of big-name prospects in attendance including several from California, two from Utah, and at least two big-time players from Missouri and South Carolina. There will be a large number of players from Alabama, Mississippi, Texas and Louisiana attending the camp. The big focus point from the camp will be to get final decisions from several out-of-state players. Several of the out-of-state prospects who will be attending the camp are national recruits and LSU will need to know where they stand before the prospects leave campus.

LSU athletic director Skip Bertman will be stepping down as the LSU athletic director today and will be replaced by Joe Alleva. Skip is better known nationwide as a baseball coach winning five national titles and largely responsible for making the SEC the best baseball conference in the nation. Skip will also be remembered for hiring Nick Saban and Les Miles who both won national titles at LSU. Bertman leaves the LSU sports program in great shape and I wish him the best of health and a long, happy retirement.

In other college football news, one school that has been gaining ground the last few seasons is South Florida who is preseason picked to win the Big East and finish in the top 20 by most of the publications. Jim Leavitt has led the Bulls to back to back 9-4 seasons. This past week UCF received seven major commitments.

In baseball news, LSU catcher Micah Gibbs was two for three yesterday with four RBI for the USA National team in a 12-1 win. He has 5 RBI thus far and has gotten five hits in three games.


6/29/08 6:55 AM

Good morning, Tiger fans. There are only 62 days before the start of the 2008 LSU football season and it will be here before we know it.

Yesterday (Saturday) I went to Books-A-Million and bought three new 2008 football publications and enjoyed reading what the three had to say about LSU. Lindy’s has Georgia preseason number one, Florida sixth and LSU seventh. Athlon picks Florida number one, Georgia number five and LSU number nine. Phil Steele has Florida picked number one, Georgia number nine, Auburn number 12 and LSU number 13. I am not surprised that LSU is not picked in the top five because of lack of experience at the quarterback position, and I can understand there way of thinking, because Jared Lee and Andrew Hatch are very inexperienced. I am glad that LSU is not preseason picked in the top five with high expectations.

It is the general consensus of the three publications that Florida, Georgia, LSU and Auburn are the preseason four best teams in the SEC. All four teams play very hard schedules. LSU and Georgia play each other plus they each play Florida and Auburn. Florida and Auburn do not play each other but they both play Tennessee, and Auburn plays at West Virginia. In my opinion, every team in the SEC will have at least one loss at the end of the season. I would encourage all SEC football fans to pick up a copy of Phil Steele’s publication because it is filled with lots of great information.

There is nothing new to report in recruiting and things will most likely be slow until the July 20-23 Summer camp. Most of the LSU coaches and players on campus for Summer workouts will be headed in different directions later this week for a few days of rest and relaxation in observance of the July 04 holiday. I have learned from someone living in Tyler, Texas who is in the know that LSU is in great shape with defensive tackle Jamarkus McFarland from Lufkin,Texas and it will come down to LSU and the University of Texas for McFarland. I was also told that LSU is still in the running for defensive back Craig Loston from Aldine, Texas, a linebacker from Texas whose last name is Williams, an offensive lineman from Brownwood, Texas whose last name is Lowe and a fullback from Plano, Texas whose name my source did not have.

In my Friday morning update, I forgot to mention that former LSU basketball player Anthony Randolph was the number 14 pick in the NBA draft Thursday by the Golden State Warriors. Randolph was the first SEC player taken in the draft after only playing one season for the Tigers. A total of six players from the SEC were drafted.

In track and field news, there will be four current and eight former LSU track athletes competing at the US Olympic Trials which begin this weekend. The current athletes are Trindon Holliday (100-meter dash), Ryan Fontenot (110-meter hurdles), Juanita Broaddus (100-meter dash) and LaTavia Thomas (800-meter run). The former athletes are Xavier Carter (100-meter dash), Russ Buller (pole vault), Walter Davis (long jump), Derrick Brew (400-meter run), Stephanie Durst (100 and 200-meter dash), Muna Lee (100 and 200-meter dash), Lolo Jones (100-meter hurdles) and Cynetheia Rooks (200-meter dash and 400-meter run).

Reader comments: The first week in July is the number one week of the year for vacations. For those of you heading to Destin, Florida there are some great concerts for Tiger Fans to enjoy if they are vacationing in the Destin, FL area July 4th weekend. Wayne Toups and Zydecajun will be at Trader Vic's in Destin for 2 shows 7pm and 9pm July 4th, and Chubby Carrier and the Swamp Band will be at the Village of Baytowne Wharf in Sandestin, and at the Funky Blues Shack in Sandestin July 2nd, 4th, and 5th. I am letting our local chapter know about these events, and should be a couple of great concerts with fantastic Louisiana music, and tons of Tiger Fans!!! Head to www.lsuecbb.com for more details. Have a safe drive to Destin if you are coming over...the weather is beautiful!

6/28/08 7:55 AM

Good morning, Tiger fans. This week I posted my previews of each position on the offensive side of the football for the 2008 LSU football season. I have received a lot of great emails from readers who enjoyed reading the previews and are looking forward to my previews of the defensive side that I will start next Monday. After completing my position by position previews, I will post my predictions for each game of the 2008 season.

In LSU football news, things are a little on the slow side and will be until the last camp of the Summer that runs from July 20-23. I have been told that upward of 300 campers will be at the camp which will feature as many as 30 of the nation's top recruits including several juniors. I believe that Coach Miles and his staff will offer several prospects such as defensive tackle Darrington Sentimore from Destrehan who will commit to LSU as soon as he is offered. I believe that Miles is going to put pressure on a few prospects at the camp to commit or risk the chance of being left out in the cold because of running out of scholarships. LSU has 13 solid commitments at this time and will likely take commitments from 12-13 more prospects. Les Miles has received commitments from three offensive linemen, two linebackers, two defensive linemen, two running backs, two quarterbacks, one wide receiver and one athlete. I believe that Miles would like to sign two more offensive linemen, three more defensive linemen, three more wide receivers, two more linebackers, one more running back and two more great athletes. Below is a list of players that I believe LSU is recruiting and LSU's chances of signing each, if offered. I think it is a long-shot that anymore than one or two of the "if offered" prospects will be offered but it is a long time until February and in recruiting any thing is possible.

Rueben Randle (WR), 6'3", 190, Bastrop, 60-40
Chris Davenport (DL), 6’4”, 300, Mansfield, 80-20
Kenny Bell (WR), 6'2", 190, Rayville, 80-20
Darrington Sentimore (DT), 6'2", 280, 90-10, if offered
Barkevious Mingo (LB), 6'5", 212, West Monroe, 70-30
Joey Fontana (OL), 6'4", 280, Bro. Martin, 80-20, if offered
Lamin Barrow (LB), 6'2", 210, John Ehret, 64-40, if offered
Kenderick Washington (DE), 6'7", 270, Huntington (Shreve) 70-30, if offered
Jonathan Stewart (LB), 6'4", 220, Byrd (Shreve) 50-50, if offered
Jordan Mills (OL), 6'6", 307, Assumption
Kenny Cain, (LB), 6'2", 195, John Curtis
Ricky Johnson, (WR), 6'1", 180, Carencro

In LSU basketball news, all of the scholarship players are at LSU taking part in Summer workouts, and according to what I have been told things are going very well. Tasmin Mitchell is back at near 100 percent and is looking very good after sitting out the 2007 season with an ankle injury. According to my reports, Terry Martin and Marcus Thornton are shooting the ball very well from beyond the three-point line. Chris Johnson has gained 10-15 pounds and looks very good. True freshmen Storm Warren (6'6") from Monroe and Denis Harris (6'10") from Jonesboro, Georgia, and Delwan Graham from Atlanta, Georgia, are good looking players. Harris might be the most pleasant surprise of the incoming freshmen.

LSU first year head coach Trent Johnson and his staff inherited a pretty good situation with five scholarships to give in the early signing period next November. Johnson and his staff will hit the road recruiting July 6-15 and July 22-31 which is an evaluation period under NCAA guidelines. I am hoping that Johnson will be able to sign at least one outstanding point guard next November.

The 2007 LSU sport season officially ended after LSU was eliminated from the college world series and it was a great year for LSU sports. LSU finished number eight in the NCAA directors cup thanks to finishing first in football and women's track and field, second in men's track and field and winning the SEC tournament in baseball. Stanford won the title for the 14th straight year mainly because of winning national championships in several minor sports. LSU has a great chance at finishing in the top 10 again in 2008. Both track and field teams could win national titles along with baseball if Paul Mainieri is able to bring in a couple of big-time pitchers which is a good possibility.

In baseball news, tomorrow I will post information on LSU players playing Summer league baseball in leagues that use wooden bats. I will also include links to the web sites for the various leagues. I hope that many of you will save this information and occasionally check the progress of LSU players.

Reader comments: Don, There will be four current and eight former LSU track athletes competing at the US Olympic Trials which begin this weekend. The current athletes are Trindon Holliday (100-meter dash), Ryan Fontenot (110-meter hurdles), Juanita Broaddus (100-meter dash) and LaTavia Thomas (800-meter run). The former athletes are Xavier Carter (100-meter dash), Russ Buller (pole vault), Walter Davis (long jump), Derrick Brew (400-meter run), Stephanie Durst (100 and 200-meter dash), Muna Lee (100 and 200-meter dash), Lolo Jones (100-meter hurdles) and Cynetheia Rooks (200-meter dash and 400-meter run).

The site referenced below includes 2008 schedules for all the SEC schools.

Reader comments: My name is Ken Hawkins and I am the developer of SEC Football Zone. With SEC Football Zone, I try to offer the best information about the Southeastern Conference with respect to the twelve different SEC institutions' football teams.


6/27/08 8:10 AM

Good morning, Tiger fans. I hope that all of you had a good week and have a great weekend.

Continuing my profile of the 2008 LSU football team, today I will write about special teams which is a very important part of all successful football programs. Joe Robinson will be coaching special teams in 2008 replacing Brad Peveto who will serve as co-defensive coordinator along with Doug Mallory. Robinson comes to LSU with great credentials and should do a great job because of the talent he has to work with. There are several forms of special teams that sometimes go unnoticed by your everyday football fan. Five very important parts of special teams play are the kickoffs to begin games, the kickoffs after scoring plays, field-goals and extra-point attempts, and the punting game.

Special teams on kickoffs to begin games are made up mostly of linebackers, running backs or defensive players. I often refer to players who play on special teams as "athletes" (ATH). I am not certain what 11 players will be on the field when LSU linesup to kick to Appalachian State to start the first half or second half. but am almost certain that Chad Jones, Harry Coleman, Charles Scott, Kelvin Sheppard, Curtis Taylor, R.J. Jackson, Ace Foyil, Chris Hawkins, Jai Eugene and Colt David will be on the field and I also believe that one of the following three, Patrick Johnson, Phelon Jones or Ron Brooks, will be on the field. Kickoff teams require players with a very aggressive style of play and also a couple of players with great speed to prevent long returns for touchdowns or great field position. The two players with great speed duties are not to cross the mid-field mark and are trained to not let the kick returner get behind them.

Several of the above listed players will be on the kick return team that will most likely have Keiland Williams, Trindon Holliday and John Williams as the deep return men. Stevan Ridley and Quinn Johnson will likely be the two-up players around the 25-yard line to field or fair-catch sky kicks. LSU could have the best kick return team in the SEC in 2008.

Joe Robinson will have several options as to who will be kicking-off in 2008. Josh Jasper and Andrew Crutchfield started the 2007 season alternating on kickoffs and that did not work very well. Sean Gaudet did most of the kickoff duties the second half of the season. Colt Da