Louisiana Sports Enterprises
P.O. Box 86638
Baton Rouge, LA 70879
Lee Brecheen
Ph: 225-262-7667
Fax: 225-262-7737
Email: LBrecheen@aol.com
Lee Brecheen of Louisiana Football Magazine is hosting Louisiana Football TV Magazine on Cox 4 every Tuesday from 6:30-7:30pm. If you miss it at that time, you can catch a replay later that night at 10:30pm or on Sundays at 10:30pm. Guests include top recruits, football legends, coaches, and college & pro players. Our one hour show can now be seen in the Lafayette area on Cox Cable. Look for your local listings.
Do you know how recuiting works? Are you a parent or a recruit? For more information, email me at LBrecheen@aol.com.
Football News
5/15/07 - LSU’S STELTZ NAMED TO SPORTING NEWS’ ALL-SPRING
TEAM
BATON ROUGE – LSU strong safety Craig Steltz has been named to the
Sporting News’ All-Spring Team, which was announced this week.
Steltz, a senior from New Orleans, capped his final spring with the Tigers
by being named the recipient of the Alvin Roy Fourth Quarter Award as
well as the Mike Miley Leadership Award. The Alvin Roy Award was for outstanding
performance in LSU’s off-season program, while the Miley Award was
given to the defensive player who displayed outstanding leadership skills
during spring drills.
In LSU’s annual spring game, Steltz posted five tackles, including
a tackle for a loss, in the Purple’s 20-14 win over the White team.
Steltz, who takes over as LSU’s starting strong safety this year,
was joined on the All-Spring Team by wide receiver Early Doucet, who was
an honorable mention selection.
Doucet capped a tremendous spring with a team-best nine receptions for
115 yards and one touchdown in the spring game. Doucet, who ranked second
on the squad a year ago with 59 catches for 772 yards and eight touchdowns,
was given the Jimmy Taylor Award at the conclusion of spring practice.
The Jimmy Taylor Award is given annually to the player who displays the
best effort, leadership and performance during the spring.
5/8/07 - LSU’S JOSEPH INKS FREE AGENT DEAL WITH 49ERS
BATON ROUGE – Former LSU defensive back Sammy Joseph became the
13th player from last year’s 11-2 squad to join an NFL franchise
as he signed a free agent deal with the San Francisco 49ers.
Joseph becomes the eighth Tiger to sign a free agent deal with an NFL
team. Five LSU players were selected in the NFL Draft last month, led
by quarterback JaMarcus Russell who was taken with the first overall pick
by the Oakland Raiders.
Other free agent contracts signed by LSU players include: running back
Justin Vincent with the Atlanta Falcons, defensive back Daniel Francis
with the Washington Redskins, punter/kicker Chris Jackson with the Buffalo
Bills, offensive lineman Peter Dyakowski with the New Orleans Saints,
offensive lineman Brian Johnson with the Arizona Cardinals, defensive
back Jessie Daniels with the Carolina Panthers and defensive lineman Ryan
Willis with the St. Louis Rams.
Joseph, a native of New Orleans, spent three seasons with the Tigers after
transferring from Colorado following the 2003 season.
Joseph saw action in 17 games during his LSU career, recording nine tackles
and a tackle for a loss. As a true freshman at Colorado in 2003, Joseph
played in 12 games and ranked among the team leaders with 55 tackles.
He also recorded a pair of interceptions during his rookie season with
the Buffaloes.
LSU Players In the 2007 NFL Draft and Free Agent Signings
Player Franchise How Acquired
JaMarcus Russell, QB Oakland Raiders No. 1 overall – First Round
LaRon Landry, S Washington Redskins No. 6 overall – First Round
Dwayne Bowe, WR Kansas City Chiefs No. 23 overall – First Round
Craig Davis, WR San Diego Chargers No. 30 overall – First Round
Chase Pittman, DE Cleveland Browns No. 213 overall – Seventh Round
Jessie Daniels, DB Carolina Panthers Free Agent
Peter Dyakowski, OT New Orleans Saints Free Agent
Daniel Francis, DB Washington Redskins Free Agent
Chris Jackson, P/PK Buffalo Bills Free Agent
Brian Johnson, OL Arizona Cardinals Free Agent
Sammy Joseph, DB San Francisco 49ers Free Agent
Justin Vincent, RB Atlanta Falcons Free Agent
Ryan Willis, DL St. Louis Rams Free Agent
4/30/07 - SEVEN TIGERS SIGN FREE AGENT DEALS WITH NFL TEAMS
BATON ROUGE – A day after LSU saw five of its players selected in
the NFL Draft, seven more Tigers joined the league as free agents.
LSU’s list of free agents who inked deals on Monday include: running
back Justin Vincent with the Atlanta Falcons, defensive back Daniel Francis
with the Washington Redskins, punter/kicker Chris Jackson with the Buffalo
Bills, offensive lineman Peter Dyakowski with the New Orleans Saints,
offensive lineman Brian Johnson with the Arizona Cardinals, defensive
back Jessie Daniels with the Carolina Panthers and defensive lineman Ryan
Willis with the St. Louis Rams.
The list of seven free agent signings ran LSU’s total to 12 players
from last year’s Sugar Bowl Championship team to join the NFL.
The Tigers set a school record by having four players selected in the
first round of the draft, led by quarterback JaMarcus Russell who was
the No. 1 overall pick by the Oakland Raiders. Other first round picks
for the Tigers included: safety LaRon Landry sixth overall to the Redskins;
wide receiver Dwayne Bowe 23rd overall to the Chiefs; and wide receiver
Craig Davis 30th overall to the Chargers.
Defensive end Chase Pittman was the other Tiger taken in the draft as
he was a seventh round selection of the Cleveland Browns.
LSU Players In the 2007 NFL Draft and Free Agent Signings
Player Franchise How Acquired
JaMarcus Russell, QB Oakland Raiders No. 1 overall – First Round
LaRon Landry, S Washington Redskins No. 6 overall – First Round
Dwayne Bowe, WR Kansas City Chiefs No. 23 overall – First Round
Craig Davis, WR San Diego Chargers No. 30 overall – First Round
Chase Pittman, DE Cleveland Browns No. 213 overall – Seventh Round
Jessie Daniels, DB Carolina Panthers Free Agent
Peter Dyakowski, OT New Orleans Saints Free Agent
Daniel Francis, DB Washington Redskins Free Agent
Chris Jackson, P/PK Buffalo Bills Free Agent
Brian Johnson, OL Arizona Cardinals Free Agent
Justin Vincent, RB Atlanta Falcons Free Agent
Ryan Willis, DL St. Louis Rams Free Agent
4/30/07 - Newman Signs with Falcons
RUSTON – Louisiana Tech wide receiver Eric Newman signed a free agent contract with the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons late Sunday night and will be reporting to the team in the next two weeks.
Newman joins fellow wide receiver Johnathan Holland, who was drafted by the Oakland Raiders in the seventh round of the 2007 NFL Draft Sunday.
The former Oak Grove High School prep star finished his Louisiana Tech career with 104 receptions for 1,608 yards and 14 touchdowns – the touchdown total tying for 10th best in Bulldog history.
Newman led Louisiana Tech in receiving each of the past two seasons, including recording 45 catches for 565 yards and two scores in 2006.
As a junior, the 6-foot- wide out caught eight touchdowns, including two in the regular season finale upset of Top 25 Fresno State.
Newman also finished his collegiate career as one of the all-time leaders in kickoff returns, registering 66 returns for 1418 yards, a 21.5 yard per return average.
Atlanta selected only one wide receiver in the NFL Draft this week in
Illinois State’s Laurent Robinson (3rd round).
4/28/07 - FOUR TIGERS GO IN FIRST ROUND OF NFL DRAFT; RUSSELL GOES
NO. 1 OVERALL
BATON ROUGE – Former LSU standout JaMarcus Russell became only the
second player in school history to be selected with the No. 1 overall
pick in the NFL Draft as he, along with safety LaRon Landry and wide receivers
Dwayne Bowe and Craig Davis, were all taken in the first round of the
draft Saturday at Radio City Music Hall in New York City.
For the first time in the history of the NFL Draft, LSU had four players
selected in the first round. The previous high for first round draft picks
from LSU came in 1951 when the Tigers had three players selected.
“It’s a great feeling to be part of a group of guys who made
history,” Bowe said. “The class that I came in with was a history
making class and to be a part of an NFL Draft that has four LSU Tigers
picked in the first round is very special.”
Russell, who capped his LSU career with a 25-4 mark as a starting quarterback,
was taken by the Oakland Raiders. Landry was selected with the sixth overall
pick by the Washington Redskins, Bowe was taken 23rd overall by the Kansas
City Chiefs and Davis was tabbed with the 30th overall pick by the San
Diego Chargers.
Bowe, a Miami native, and Davis, a native of New Orleans, became only
the third set of receivers from the same school to be drafted in the first
round since the inception of the Common NFL Draft in 1967. The only other
two times its happened came in 1997 when Florida’s Ike Hilliard and
Reidel Anthony were taken in the first round and in 2001 when Miami’s
Santa Moss and Reggie Wayne were both first round picks.
“This is a great day for LSU and a great day for these young men
and their families,” LSU coach Les Miles said on Saturday. “We
are very happy for these guys. They are very deserving of being picked
in the first round and we are very proud of them. All four of these guys
have worked extremely hard to get to this point in their career. They
all played a major role in the success of our football program and LSU
athletics in general over the past four years.
“The other thing that I’m proud of is that they are all quality
individuals who have tremendous character. They have always represented
LSU, our community and the state of Louisiana in a first class fashion
and I’m sure they will do the same for the franchises they will be
representing in the NFL.”
Miles also noted that all four players are on schedule to graduate within
the next 12 months.
With four first round picks this year, LSU has now had seven players taken
in the first round of the draft over the past four years. LSU’s also
had at least one first round pick for four straight years, a streak that
began with Michael Clayton going 15th overall to Tampa Bay in 2004.
By going first overall, Russell joins former Heisman Trophy winner Billy
Cannon as the only players in school history to be picked with the first
pick in the NFL Draft. Cannon was taken No. 1 by Los Angeles in 1960.
Landry, who is from Ama, La., became the highest LSU defender ever picked
in the Common NFL Draft, topping former Tiger linebacker Eric Hill, who
was taken with the 10th overall pick by the Phoenix Cardinals in 1989.
Also, by going to the Redskins, Landry will be just miles apart from his
brother Dawan, who is a starting safety for the Baltimore Ravens.
Bowe and Davis join a group of four other LSU receivers who have been
drafted since 2004. Clayton and Devery Henderson were both taken in the
2004 draft, while Skyler Green and Bennie Brazell were picked a year ago.
“I’m very excited to have the chance to go to the next level,”
Bowe said. “This is a great opportunity and I’m looking forward
to the chance to play for the Kansas City Chiefs.”
4/24/04 - LSU’S RUSSELL IN LINE TO JOIN ELITE COMPANY
BATON ROUGE – When the NFL Draft takes place this weekend in New
York City it won’t take long to find out if LSU quarterback JaMarcus
Russell will be admitted to a club that includes the likes of Shaquille
O’Neal, Billy Cannon and Ben McDonald.
Russell goes into the 2007 NFL Draft projected as the No. 1 overall pick.
If Russell is taken with the first pick, he will become the fifth player
in the history of LSU athletics to be selected as the No. 1 overall selection
in a professional draft.
Cannon was the first Tiger to be selected No. 1 overall in a draft as
Los Angeles took the Heisman Trophy winner with the first pick in 1960.
McDonald was picked No. 1 overall by the Baltimore Orioles in the 1989
Major League Baseball Amateur Draft, while O’Neal was taken first
by the Orlando Magic in the 1992 NBA Draft.
Most recently, women’s basketball standout Seimone Augustus was taken
with the first overall pick in the 2006 WNBA Draft by the Minnesota Lynx.
By going first, Russell would also become the 16th player in Southeastern
Conference history to be selected first in the NFL Draft. Of the 15 SEC
players picked first in the NFL Draft, four have been quarterbacks. The
SEC’s most recent No. 1 overall pick came during the 2005 draft when
Eli Manning was taken first by the San Diego Chargers.
The NFL Draft will be broadcast beginning at 11 a.m. on Saturday by ESPN.
The first three rounds of the draft will take place on Saturday followed
by the final four rounds on Sunday. All seven rounds of the draft will
be televised on ESPN and ESPN2.
LSU’s All-Time No. 1 Overall Draft Picks
Year Player League Franchise
1960 Billy Cannon NFL Los Angeles
1989 Ben McDonald Major League Baseball Baltimore
1992 Shaquille O’Neal NBA Orlando
2006 Seimone Augustus WNBA Minnesota
4/23/04 - LSU-ARKANSAS FOOTBALL GAME MOVED TO FRIDAY, NOV. 23 FOR
CBS
BATON ROUGE -- In what has become an annual event, LSU's 2007 football
game against Arkansas in Tiger Stadium has been moved to the day after
Thanksgiving to accommodate CBS television, the Southeastern Conference
has announced.
The Tigers and Razorbacks will square off a 1:30 p.m. in Tiger Stadium
in a nationally televised contest. The game was originally scheduled for
Saturday, Nov. 24.
LSU and Arkansas have played on the Friday after Thanksgiving 11 straight
years with the Tigers winning eight of those games. LSU has won four straight
against Arkansas dating back to the 2003 season. LSU's game against the
Razorbacks will be televised by CBS for the 12th consecutive season.
Last year, the Tigers posted a thrilling 31-26 win over the Razorbacks
in Little Rock in a victory that helped propel LSU into the Allstate Sugar
Bowl.
The winner of the LSU-Arkansas game has gone on to represent the SEC Western
Division in the league's championship game four times in the past six
years.
2007 LSU Football Schedule
Date Opponent Site TV
Aug. 30 Mississippi State Starkville, Miss ESPN
Sept. 8 Virginia Tech Tiger Stadium
Sept. 15 Middle Tennessee Tiger Stadium
Sept. 22 South Carolina Tiger Stadium
Sept. 29 Tulane New Orleans, La.
Oct. 6 Florida Tiger Stadium
Oct. 13 Kentucky Lexington, Ky.
Oct. 20 Auburn Tiger Stadium
Oct. 27 Open
Nov. 3 Alabama Tuscaloosa, Ala.
Nov. 10 Louisiana Tech Tiger Stadium
Nov. 17 Ole Miss Oxford, Miss.
Nov. 23 Arkansas Tiger Stadium CBS
4/23/07 - LSU’S RUSSELL ON COVER OF TWO NATIONAL MAGAZINES THIS
WEEK
BATON ROUGE – It’s NFL Draft week and LSU quarterback JaMarcus
Russell, who is the consensus No. 1 pick in the draft, is featured on
the cover of two national magazines leading up to draft day in New York.
Russell, a native of Mobile, Ala., is on the cover of the April 23 issue
of ESPN the Magazine, which is currently on news stands. Russell is also
featured on the cover of the Sporting News.
Both cover shots were taken at LSU. ESPN the Magazine’s photo shoot
was done at the LSU Indoor Practice Facility and has Russell’s image
super-imposed over the Manhattan skyline.
The Sporting News shot was taken in Tiger Stadium with the east upper
deck in the background.
Russell, who opted to bypass his senior season, capped his LSU career
ranked second in school history in completion percentage (61.9) and touchdown
passes (52) and third in passing yards (6,625) and completions (493).
He finished his career with a 25-4 record as LSU’s starting quarterback.
Russell will learn his next destination as a player on Saturday when the
NFL Draft takes place in New York City. The draft will be televised live
by ESPN starting at 11 a.m. on Saturday.
4/19/06 - Tech Wraps Up Spring Practice
RUSTON -- Tech head coach Derek Dooley spent 14 Spring practices with his team in preparation for Saturday’s T-Day scrimmage and the 2007 season and said he is happy with the progression from his Bulldog squad.
“I’ve been very pleased with the progress we’ve made over the course of 14 practices,” Dooley said. “The effort, the attitude has been great. The players have improved each day. They’ve showed a willing to buy into what we’re doing. Whenever we were disappointed in certain things, the next day they responded. That’s all we can ask for in the players. We have a long way to go as a football team, but compared to where we were 14 practices ago, it’s been excellent.”
Tech’s spring practices have led to Saturday, where the coaches will be able to see their team in live game situations and can make better evaluation of the players. Dooley said he believes the spring game will be a good opportunity for the players to show what they can do.
“We’ve tried to simulate it with a scrimmage, but the spring game is a good opportunity to see who can step up and make plays,” Dooley said. “The one thing we do in the spring game is we keep it very simple. There should be no confusion, and the guys should be able to play fast and it’s a one on one competitive matchup at every position. That’s really the best way to evaluate the players.”
For senior quarterback Zac Champion, this will be his last spring practice and scrimmage as he prepares for his final season in a Bulldog uniform and said he is pleased with the way the Spring went for the team.
“I thought it was good,” Champion said. “I thought we had an awesome spring practice. As far as overall, I think the feelings of the team are high. There’s a lot of different stuff going on, but we’re responding to it well, and we’re having a blast doing it too. I think it’s all going to be fun to watch.”
Sophomore linebacker Quin Harris also said he felt good about Spring and is looking forward to Saturday’s T-Day scrimmage.
“Saturday will show how much we’ve progressed during the spring,” Harris said. “I think it will show we are better as a team and a unit, not just as an offense or a defense but as a team and as a whole. What I really like is we’re all getting accustomed to the schemes on all sides. We’ve done a ton of work to be here, but we know there’s still a lot of work to be done to be where we want to be. I’m excited to see us come together as a team, not just as individual units as offense or defense.”
Saturday’s game will be open to the public and is scheduled to start at 1 p.m.
4/19/07 - TULANE FOOTBALL DONS HELMETS & SHORTS IN DAY 14 OF SPRING PRACTICE
20-period day short on physical play but not on intensity as Green Wave prepare for Saturday’s scrimmage
NEW ORLEANS, La.–With the Green Wave wearing helmets, shorts and shoulder pads, Thursday’s practice was short on physical play but not intensity as the Tulane University football team completed day 14 of sprig practice at the Westfeldt Practice Facility.
New head coach Bob Toledo and his staff worked diligently with the team and had them shuffling personnel and running on and off the field based on situational drills. While the Green Wave did not install any new schemes on Thursday, they did add a new wrinkle as Tulane ran through a two-minute drill with all three quarterbacks – junior Scott Elliott, sophomore Anthony Scelfo and redshirt-freshman Kevin Moore – taking a turn under center.
“We did our two-minute drill today,” Toledo said. “We call it our ‘clutch series’ and the reason we call it clutch is that you’d better be clutch in that situation. It’s just an opportunity to learn the system in a rapid form and get the plays that we’ll run during the course of the year during our two-minute drill.
“It was a good day in that it was kind of a mental day. We ran around pretty good, but we didn’t hit anybody. We were just in helmets. It was a review day and an assignment day and just tried to get more stuff on video so we can have an opportunity to teach them what we’re trying to do on video.”
While the team did not go full contact due to the attire for the day, the practice session was not without its highlight plays as junior cornerback Charles Harris jumped a route to break up a pass and sophomore corner Alex Wacha made a nice play on an out route for a pass break-up of his own.
Offensively, redshirt-freshman wide receiver Casey Robottom made a couple of nice grabs, as did junior wideout Brian King, and senior running back Matt Forté showed some good moves in the open field.
The Green Wave will enjoy a day away from the practice field on Friday before closing out spring practice on Saturday, April 21. Saturday’s practice is slated to begin with team meetings, and at 10 a.m., the team will take the field for situational drills. From there, the team will hold its annual spring scrimmage, which will run for approximately one hour.
There is no charge for admission and free food and beverages will be provided to the public courtesy of the Conk Naquin Memorial Golf Classic. Fans are encouraged to park in the nearby Diboll Parking Garage due to limited parking space near the James W. Wilson, Jr. Center because of construction to Turchin Stadium.
Season tickets for the 2007 Tulane football season are now on sale through the Tulane Athletics Ticket Office. Adult sideline seats are $200, while adult end zone seats are $100 and youth (under 18) end zone seats are just $80. For more information, contact the Ticket Office at (504) 861-WAVE.
4/18/07 - GREEN WAVE DEFENSE HIGHLIGHTS PHYSICAL DAY IN SPRING PRACTICE
No. 13
Tulane defense picks up the pace with several big plays, including
three safeties in situational drills
NEW ORLEANS, La.–Defense was the word of the day for the Green Wave
as the Tulane University football team went through a physical day 13
of spring practice Wednesday morning at the Westfeldt Practice Facility.
After getting beat by the offense in goal-line situationals early in the
day, the Tulane defense rose to the challenge and dominated the team across
the ball for most of the rest of practice. The Green Wave “D”
made several big plays, including three consecutive safeties in a situational
that had the offense playing first-and-long from their own one yard line.
“Except for our goal-line situation, the defense did a great job,
which always concerns you as a head coach because that means your offense
didn’t do a very good job,” new head coach Bob Toledo said.
“But I thought the defense played with some intensity and some emotion
and made some plays. They did a really good job today.
“(The three straight safeties) makes me happy for the defense, but
not for the offense. That is something you have to continue to emphasize.
That’s why we do all these different situations in practice, to make
them aware that these things are going to happen during the course of
a game and we have to be good at it. You don’t just go out and run
plays. You run plays according to situations and that’s what we’re
doing.”
Drawing praise from Toledo for their effort throughout spring practice
were defensive linemen Avery Williams and Frank Morton, as well as defensive
backs Chinonso Echebelem, Joe Goosby and Alex Wacha. Williams and Morton
combined for several stops behind the line of scrimmage, while the DBs
forced several incomplete passes and made some solid tackles in run support.
In addition, senior strong safety David Skehan made a nice play to break
up a pass intended for wide receiver Brian King and also jumped a route
for an interception.
The offense was not without its highlights on Wednesday as King hauled
in a couple of passes for sizeable gains and senior running back Ade Tuyo
bolted up the middle on first-and-goal from the 10 drills for a touchdown.
Whether it was offense or defense shining throughout the spring, however,
the two steadying forces have been physical play and intensity. Toledo
said before the spring season began that he wanted to learn about his
new team and that the coaching staff would be implementing a sizeable
portion of its offensive, defensive and special teams approaches.
“We hit them pretty good today, so hopefully they recover and get
rid of some of that soreness and be ready for Saturday,” Toledo said.
“I think there was signs of intensity during the course of the spring,
but there were periods where we kind let our guard down, and that’s
when either the offense or the defense took charge. So you have to play
with intensity each and every play. I said from the start that it’s
going to be a very physical spring. We’ve had a very physical spring
in the days that we can scrimmage.”
The Green Wave will return to the practice field on Thursday for a day
in helmets, jerseys and shorts and will enjoy a day off on Friday before
closing out spring practice on Saturday, April 21. Saturday’s practice
is slated to begin with team meetings, and at 10 a.m., the team will take
the field for situational drills. From there, the team will hold its annual
spring scrimmage, which will run for approximately one hour.
There is no charge for admission and free food and beverages will be provided
to the public courtesy of the Conk Naquin Memorial Golf Classic. Fans
are encouraged to park in the nearby Diboll Parking Garage due to limited
parking space near the James W. Wilson, Jr. Center because of construction
to Turchin Stadium.
Season tickets for the 2007 Tulane football season are now on sale through
the Tulane Athletics Ticket Office. Adult sideline seats are $200, while
adult end zone seats are $100 and youth (under 18) end zone seats are
just $80. For more information, contact the Ticket Office at (504) 861-WAVE.
"Our thoughts & prayers are with the families from New Orleans and surroundings areas."
Sincerely,
Lee Brecheen and staff
