How X Games Found Its Perfect Match in New Orleans

HOUSTON, Texas - If there was one message SLU wanted to send at the 2026 Southland Conference Opening Drive, it was simple: the Lions aren't rebuilding. They're reloading. Representing SLU at media day were head coach Frank Scelfo, starting quarterback Kyle Lowe, and senior defensive lineman Peyton Anderson. Across multiple interviews and media sessions, one theme consistently emerged above all else: culture. Whether discussing leadership, recruiting, player development, or expectations for the upcoming season, the trio repeatedly returned to the same idea. At SLU, everyone is expected to protect the team, push one another, and focus on the little details that ultimately separate good teams from championship teams. A New-Look Team With Familiar Expectations SLU enters the 2026 season looking much different than last year's squad after replacing a senior class of 26 players. Despite the younger roster, Scelfo made it clear that the expectations of the program haven't changed. "You can expect to see an explosive, talented team," Scelfo said, adding that fans will see more players rotating into meaningful roles thanks to the depth the coaching staff has built. The Lions have posted the conference's best record over the past two seasons, and Scelfo believes the next wave of talent is ready to continue that success. Building Through Louisiana During the coaches' roundtable, Scelfo doubled down on SLU's recruiting philosophy. While NIL has become a valuable tool to fill immediate needs, he emphasized that high school recruiting remains the heartbeat of the program. SLU signed 28 players in its most recent recruiting class, the largest class in the Southland Conference, knowing today's college football landscape means some players may eventually move on through the transfer portal. "We'll continue recruiting high school players," Scelfo explained. "We might lose them after three or four years, but that's just the nature of the beast." Unlike many conference rivals that recruit heavily in Texas, SLU continues to build primarily from Louisiana, particularly Southeast Louisiana. As the easternmost football member of the Southland Conference, the Lions have found success by keeping local talent close to home. That philosophy became even more relevant during a discussion about recruiting footprints. East Texas A&M head coach Clint Dolezel praised Texas as the premier recruiting state in the country, referring to it as the "king" of high school football recruiting. He also highlighted Florida and California while failing to even acknowledge Louisiana. Dolezel went on to tout the benefits of hosting the Southland Conference Media Day in Houston, all but suggesting Louisiana schools should be thankful for the opportunity to recruit in Texas' backyard. That sentiment didn't sit uncontested. Northwestern State head coach Blaine McCorkle quickly came to Louisiana's defense. "Per capita there is no more passion and talent than the state of Louisiana," McCorkle said, adding that Louisiana has produced more NFL players per capita over the past 40 years than any other state. For a program like SLU that has built its roster around Louisiana talent, the exchange reinforced the recruiting identity Scelfo has embraced. The results only speak for themselves. While ETAMU has managed only 5 wins over the past 2 seasons, SLU has won 13 over that same timespan along with an FCS Playoff berth this past year. Protect the Team No phrase was repeated more throughout the day than "Protect the Team." Lowe and Anderson each described a locker room where accountability isn't optional. Teammates challenge one another daily on the practice field, in the weight room, in the classroom, and away from football. "Hammond fans are extremely passionate and supportive," Lowe said. "The team feels that support, and we want to play for the people who have our backs." Anderson echoed that sentiment from a different perspective. As a St. Amant High School alumnus, growing up just 30 minutes from Hammond, he said SLU has always felt like home. He is thankful that his friends and family have the opportunity to see him play every week he's in Strawberry Stadium. "The culture in our locker room is a team that's bought in," Anderson said. "When you have a team with that passion that's willing to push each other outside their comfort zones, good things are bound to happen." Both players repeatedly emphasized that "Protect the Team" isn't just a slogan. It's something they strive to live every day, whether on the football field, in the classroom, or throughout the community. The Details Matter During a one-on-one interview later in the day, Scelfo expanded on what separates this team. He pointed to players like Lowe, who has already earned his MBA in five years, and Anderson, who will be completing an engineering degree in just four years. "They're detail-oriented people," Scelfo explained, saying that attention to detail translates directly to success on the football field. That same mindset was echoed by Anderson during his own interview. "The little things will be the difference maker," he said. "If you're comfortable, you're not great." For Anderson, success comes from embracing his role, taking pride in the details, and continually improving year after year. Loyalty Still Matters One of the more refreshing storylines surrounding SLU is player loyalty. In an era where the transfer portal has reshaped college football, Anderson is entering his fourth season with the Lions. 4th Round NFL Draft pick Kaleb Proctor of the Arizona Cardinals also spent four years in Hammond. Sources have indicated that Anderson had opportunities to transfer, including reported interest from a touted SEC program, but chose to stay at SLU and finish what he started. That decision speaks volumes about the culture inside the program. For recruits considering where to spend their college careers, SLU is selling more than playing time. The Lions are selling development, stability, and a program that invests in its players both on and off the field. Eyes on the Prize Coming off another successful season, Lowe believes the Lions still have another level to reach. "We want to get over the hump," he said. "Win the conference and make a deep playoff run." Personally, Lowe has focused his offseason on improving his accuracy, becoming a stronger leader, distributing the football more effectively, and continuing to develop both his strength and mobility. Those goals mirror the team's mentality as a whole. Every interview throughout the day circled back to improving the small things, trusting one another, and continuing to build the culture that has made SLU one of the Southland Conference's most consistent programs. A Program Built to Compete Scelfo also took time to highlight what makes Saturdays in Hammond, America so special. From the atmosphere surrounding Strawberry Stadium to one of the conference's premier tailgating scenes, he described game day at SLU as one of the most unique experiences in the Southland. He also praised the league itself. "Southland football is exciting," Scelfo said, pointing to the level of talent throughout the conference and the quality of competition fans can expect every weekend. If Opening Drive served as an early glimpse into the 2026 season, SLU made one thing abundantly clear. The Lions may be younger than they've been in recent years, but inside the program, expectations haven't changed. The culture remains intact, the leadership is in place, and the goal is the same as it's been all along: compete for a Southland Conference championship and make a deep run in the FCS Playoffs. Photo Credit: @LionUpFootball on X

It’s the night before the draft, and you’re scrolling on X to see what all the NFL insiders and draft analysts have to say about your team. Trying to find any clues about who is going where and what the latest rumor is that could be the biggest surprise of Thursday night. The NFL Draft is one of the few times during the year when every fan has some level of hope and optimism in their team. The draft is a three-day event where it can make or break a franchise to where you can be set up for a Super Bowl contention or be stuck in the doldrums. This year, Saints fans get to have some hope and optimism after how well the 2025 NFL Draft went. Kelvin Banks and Tyler Shough headline their draft class, which showed great promise for the Saints moving forward. Now it is on Mickey Loomis, Jeff Ireland, and company to keep the momentum going and have back-to-back successful drafts. Something they haven’t been able to really do in almost ten years now. But pressure isn’t new to Mickey Loomis, the man is not fazed by the likes of you or me posting online how poor of a job he’s done. No, the man simply chews his gum into a microphone defiantly with the confidence knowing that when his back is against the wall, he can capture lightning in a bottle. Mickey did it for the 06’ draft as well as the 17’ draft. The 2025 draft doesn’t appear to be quite like those, however, getting a starting Quarterback in the second round might help make a case, but that’s beside the point. The Saints don’t need to shoot for the moon with the 2026 NFL Draft, they aren’t one player away, which Mickey confirmed today in his annual pre-draft interview. All the Saints have to do is draft good football players and not get cute. Which I know is putting it way too simply, and is easier said than done. But I don’t want the Saints to get trigger-happy and make a costly trade that backfires on them à la Trevor Penning or Marcus Davenport. If a trade opportunity comes along that they deem is reasonable, then by all means, I hope they take advantage, but just make sure you’re not the ones being taken advantage of. The Saints might have already done the hardest part by finding a QB, so now they can do the fun part of the roster building. I’ll admit there is some nervousness as a Saints fan about the draft and rightfully so, but as I type this out, the Saints are in a spot where they can’t really go wrong with their first pick in the draft. All the players being mocked to them can and should help the team in a major way as a rookie. They could go with a dynamic wide receiver like Jordyn Tyson or Carnell Tate, a do-it-all safety like Caleb Downs, a productive edge rusher like Ruben Bain, or maybe even trade up for a cyborg-like linebacker in Arvell Reese. The Saints have plenty of options, and all of them should be quality options. So now the question is, who is going to be the Saints fans’ present Thursday evening? We don’t have to wait much longer to find out. Merry Draftmas, everyone.

The Sun Belt Conference announced its "set" 2026 football schedule today, which includes the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs. Normally, it does not take this long for the Sun Belt to release their annual football schedule. But ongoing issues between Louisiana Tech and Conference USA has complicated the process and delayed the schedule releases for both conferences. That said, I would take this "set" schedule release with a grain of salt (with heavy emphasis on the quotation marks). A few days ago, reports surfaced that the Sun Belt would indeed release its football schedule today and that it would include Louisiana Tech. The Bulldogs have already accepted an invite to join the Sun Belt last July, and is pushing to make the move this summer, pending a court ruling next week. Late Thursday night, however, Conference USA unexpectedly released its own "set" 2026 football schedule out of nowhere, which also includes Louisiana Tech as one of its member schools. The timing itself raised eyebrows, making it seem like the conference did it out of pettiness to release their version of the schedule with the Bulldogs included prior to the Sun Belt's scheduled Friday release, which was also set to include the Bulldogs. As a result, Louisiana Tech is technically listed as a member of both conferences according to the newly released schedules. Of course, the Bulldogs cannot play in two conferences at once, which is why both schedule releases should be viewed as tentative for now. A court ruling between the UL System (which oversees Louisiana Tech) and Conference USA is currently rumored to take place on Thursday next week (March 19th). The decision at this rumored hearing is expected to have a solution on whether Louisiana Tech can move to the Sun Belt in the summer or remain in the Conference USA for one more year before making the move in the summer of 2027. Until then, it is a wait-and-see game for members of both the Sun Belt and Conference USA. Ultimately, one of these newly released schedules will be right, while the other will be forced to change. But it is in the best interest that both sides have their backup non-Louisiana Tech schedules ready to go in case the ruling swings one way over the other. Here is the 2026 Sun Belt Football Schedule, per the Sun Belt Conference: TEAM-BY-TEAM SCHEDULES SUN BELT EAST DIVISION APP STATE 9/5 Maine 9/12 at East Carolina 9/19 Charlotte 9/26 at North Carolina State 10/10 Old Dominion* 10/16 at Coastal Carolina* 10/22 James Madison* 10/31 at Georgia Southern* 11/7 Georgia State* 11/14 at Marshall* 11/21 ULM* 11/28 at South Alabama* COASTAL CAROLINA 9/5 at West Virginia 9/12 Fordham 9/19 at Delaware 9/24 Liberty 10/3 Georgia Southern* 10/10 at Marshall* 10/16 App State* 10/31 at Georgia State* 11/7 Old Dominion* 11/14 Arkansas State* 11/21 at Louisiana* 11/28 at James Madison* GEORGIA SOUTHERN 9/5 Charleston Southern 9/12 at Clemson 9/19 at Jacksonville State 9/26 Houston 10/3 at Coastal Carolina* 10/10 James Madison* 10/15 at Old Dominion* 10/31 App State* 11/7 Marshall* 11/14 at Georgia State* 11/21 at Troy* 11/28 Louisiana Tech* GEORGIA STATE 9/5 North Carolina A&T 9/12 at Kennesaw State 9/19 at UCF 9/26 Northern Illinois 10/3 Old Dominion* 10/17 at James Madison* 10/24 at Arkansas State* 10/31 Coastal Carolina* 11/7 at App State* 11/14 Georgia Southern* 11/21 at Marshall* 11/28 Louisiana* JAMES MADISON 9/5 Liberty 9/12 Wagner 9/19 at San Diego State 9/26 at Old Dominion* 10/3 Marshall* 10/10 at Georgia Southern* 10/17 Georgia State* 10/22 at App State* 10/29 Troy* 11/5 at Southern Miss* 11/14 at UConn 11/28 Coastal Carolina* MARSHALL 9/5 at Penn State 9/12 Middle Tennessee 9/19 at Missouri State 9/26 Gardner-Webb 10/3 at James Madison* 10/10 Coastal Carolina* 10/20 South Alabama* 10/31 at Old Dominion* 11/7 at Georgia Southern* 11/14 App State* 11/21 Georgia State* 11/28 at ULM* OLD DOMINION 9/5 Norfolk State 9/12 at Virginia Tech 9/19 East Carolina 9/26 James Madison* 10/3 at Georgia State* 10/10 at App State* 10/15 Georgia Southern* 10/24 at Louisiana Tech* 10/31 Marshall* 11/7 at Coastal Carolina* 11/21 at UConn 11/28 Southern Miss* SUN BELT WEST DIVISION ARKANSAS STATE 9/5 at Memphis 9/12 West Georgia 9/19 at TCU 9/26 Kennesaw State 10/3 at Louisiana* 10/8 South Alabama* 10/17 at Southern Miss* 10/24 Georgia State* 11/7 ULM* 11/14 at Coastal Carolina* TBA^ at Louisiana Tech* 11/28 Troy* LOUISIANA 9/5 Lamar 9/12 at USC 9/19 UAB 9/26 at Charlotte 10/3 Arkansas State* 10/10 at Louisiana Tech* 10/17 Troy* 10/24 at Southern Miss* 11/7 South Alabama* 11/12 at ULM* 11/21 Coastal Carolina* 11/28 at Georgia State* ULM 9/5 at Mississippi State 9/12 at UAB 9/19 Southeastern Louisiana 9/26 Florida Atlantic 10/3 at South Alabama* 10/17 Louisiana Tech* 10/24 at Troy* 10/31 Southern Miss* 11/7 at Arkansas State* 11/12 Louisiana* 11/21 at App State* 11/28 Marshall* LOUISIANA TECH 9/5 Northwestern State 9/12 at LSU 9/19 at Baylor 10/3 Army 10/10 Louisiana* 10/17 at ULM* 10/24 Old Dominion* 10/31 at South Alabama* 11/7 at Troy* 11/14 Southern Miss* TBA^ Arkansas State* 11/28 at Georgia Southern* SOUTH ALABAMA 9/5 Southeastern Louisiana 9/12 at Tulane 9/19 Ohio 9/26 at Kentucky 10/3 ULM* 10/8 at Arkansas State* 10/20 at Marshall* 10/31 Louisiana Tech* 11/7 at Louisiana* 11/14 Troy* 11/21 at Southern Miss* 11/28 App State* SOUTHERN MISS 9/5 Alcorn State 9/12 at Auburn 9/19 UConn 9/26 at Tulane 10/6 at Troy* 10/17 Arkansas State* 10/24 Louisiana* 10/31 at ULM* 11/5 James Madison* 11/14 at Louisiana Tech* 11/21 South Alabama* 11/28 at Old Dominion* TROY 9/5 Sam Houston 9/12 Alabama State 9/19 at Missouri 9/26 at Utah State 10/6 Southern Miss* 10/17 at Louisiana* 10/24 ULM* 10/29 at James Madison* 11/7 Louisiana Tech* 11/14 at South Alabama* 11/21 Georgia Southern* 11/28 at Arkansas State* * Sun Belt Conference Game ^ TBA as 11/19, 11/20 or 11/21

When: Saturday, October 18th, 2025, 11:00 AM Where: FirstBank Stadium, Nashville, TN Channel: ABC Spread: Vanderbilt -2.5 O/U: 47.5 The Tigers will be playing Saturday morning in Music City. This matchup will tell us a lot! Vanderbilt, 5-1 (1-1), is entering into this contest coming off of a bye week. Vandy does appear to be a little beat up. Keep an eye out for this. The Commodores have the 4th best rushing offense in the SEC as well as the 5th best total offense in the SEC. Diego Pavia is the leader of this team. Pavia has over 1400 passing yards, over 300 rushing yards, and 16 total TDs. Sedrick Alexander and Makihilyn Young are the leaders in the running back room. The leading pass catchers are Eli Stowers, Junior Sherrill, and Tre Richardson. The defense is led by safety CJ Heard, edge rusher Miles Capers, and Bryan Longwell. This isn't your grandpa's, your dad's, nor your Vanderbilt. This is a high strung team. The Tigers are in for a fight. LSU, 5-1 (2-1), enters the contest coming off of a big win against South Carolina. Garrett Nussmeier appears to be healthy. The ball really jumped off of his hand last week. The Tiger signal caller will look to cut back on the interceptions. Caden Durham and Ju'Juan Johnson will take care of the backfield duties for the Tigers. Both Durham and Johnson had solid games last week. The offensive line will look to build off of the momentum from last week. Trey'Dez Green had a great game last week. It will be interesting to see how the Tigers use Green. Kyle Parker has stepped up big time in recent weeks. I would like to see Parker continue to be involved. Aaron Anderson appears to be good to go for this one. This is huge for the Tigers. The Tiger defense is a solid unit with talent at all 3 levels. Jacobian Guillory is the leader on the line. Whit Weeks, who is a bit dinged up, is the leader in the linebacker room. Tamarcus Cooley and AJ Haulcy are the leaders in the defensive backfield, but this defensive backfield is LOADED with talent! KEYS TO THE GAME - The Tigers shut down Diego Pavia last year. This defense had practice last week facing LaNorris Sellers. Let's see if the Tigers can make Pavia one dimensional. - Can the Tiger defense get off the field on 3rd down? - Can the Tigers keep the running game going? This will be a perfect way to start the day, Tiger fans. This looks to be a great game. Fun Fact: The 1st time these teams met was in 1902. LSU finished the season 6-1 with the only loss being to Vanderbilt. The Tigers went on to capture a co-conference championship. Follow me on X (the artist formerly known as Twitter) @eazytro