On the May 5th edition of Tiger Rag Radio, Jeff Palermo, Todd Horne and Glenn Guilbeau discuss LSU Baseball’s recent winning ways and can it get continue in Athens. They also discuss men’s basketball coach Will Wade’s comments that his program has seven or eight guys that are signed, but have yet to officially sign. Glen West of 247sports helps us break down the men’s basketball transfer portal and gives us a couple of names to watch for., LSU pitching coach Nate Yeskie to talk about the some of the successes and struggles with this year’s pitching staff. One of the nation’s best high school athletes has committed to LSU. Matt Belinson from the Ruston Leader joins us to talk about Ahmad Hudson committing to LSU. We also get Koki Riley’s take on the LSU baseball team and tells us how next year’s recruiting class is shaping up.
Here is the complete transcript of the show from YouTube. Tiger Rag apologizes for any AI generated mistakes:
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This is Tiger Rag Radio live from Super Chevy Dealer Studio and good evening everyone. Welcome to
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another edition of Tiger Rag Radio. How you doing everyone? Jeff Barmo, news and sports director of Louisiana Radio
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Network along with the executive editor for Tiger Rag magazine, Todd Horn. Gwen Gilbo, also the editor, joining us here
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for another great two hours of talking LSU sports. Obviously, a lot of baseball talk today. We’ll talk some football
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recruiting. A huge commitment over the weekend and Rustin two sports star Ahmad Hudson committing to the LSU Tigers. And
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we’ll talk some football, we’ll talk some men’s basketball portal. We actually got to hear from coach Will Wayade today. He appeared on a couple of
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different podcasts and apparently the roster is coming along just fine. Thank you. So, we’ll get into that. There’s some great articles over at tiger.com.
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Glenn did a good job in recapping what Coach Wade had to say today and we’ll we’ll go over it today as well. But, uh,
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guys, uh, how we feeling tonight? It’s kind of boring, man. Why is that? It’s just boring.
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There’s nothing going on. Yeah.
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Hey. Oh, I guess the baseball game tonight. It’s a midweek game, Glenn, and it’s important.
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Well, they’re all important when you’re not winning your SEC games regularly,
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but they they still have a fighting chance. I mean, they’re 56 RPI.
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uh you know they got to make sure they don’t lose to two lane which has a terrible RPI in the hundreds but uh you
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know if they could somehow get one or two at Georgia they’d really have a good shot because they just get one at Georgia then they’d kind of have to
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sweep Florida that’d be difficult and they still got to win a few in the SEC tournament so their backs are against the wall but they’re uh they’re looking
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better you know for sure South Carolina wasn’t a great opponent but the way they had been playing they would have lost to statues, you know, with the wild pitches and walks. So, they they have improved,
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so there’s hope.
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Yeah, it was crisp, clean baseball this past weekend at the box. It was uh it was nice to see the walks were down, the wild pitches were down, just two errors.
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One of them committed by Steven Milm out of all people. Uh couldn’t catch a couple of popups, but uh they got past that. And then just some clutch hitting.
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It it wasn’t uh gorilla ball out there at the box this past weekend, but it was some clutch hitting. And you know, Mason Brawn and Omar Cerna continue to really
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impress. And it’s a shame they’re having such a a down season because Kate Aaron Bey is having a fantastic year. Well, he
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was struggling in in the preseason or the preseason and you know, he had that whatever that
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injury was that uh sat him down for a while, but he certainly has come back with a vengeance. Yeah, he had a shin problem, right?
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And he was still coming back from it when he hit those four home runs at Tennessee when when everything looked great. That’s when they were six and six.
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But I mean, Zack Cowan, his last two efforts have been superb. And Schmidt’s going to start Friday at Georgia and
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then Marcos Paw Saturday. And then if Kase continues to uh uh get better as
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the days go by, he he’s pitching in the bullpen,
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uh then he may be your starter on on Sunday. And and if they if they can get away without using Cowan in the first
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two games, they might have him for Sunday as well. So, it’s going to be interesting to see how they do. You know, I kind of halfway expect that if
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if it follows the same trend as most LSU pitcher pitching injuries that we keep waiting for him to come back and then we’re going to get an announcement that
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he’s gone for the season sometime in the next week or so.
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No, I don’t think so. That’s what happened with Cooper Moore, but um Kase really doesn’t have an injury. He he he
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just kind of had some arm stiffness and and soreness. So he may he may really benefit uh from the rest because you
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know he didn’t start that much last year. He was he was just relieving. So so maybe the starting caught up to him.
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Uh 10 straight starts he had. Um but um so let me ask you guys this. Do you think realistically, let’s assume that they beat two lane tonight?
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Do you think realistically they can take one or two at Georgia?
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Maybe they can win one. I I still don’t trust this pitching staff. I still don’t trust William Schmidt. You’re going from
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facing the worst offensive team in the SEC to the best.
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And right, South Carolina has zero power, right?
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And they really can’t swing the bat very well at all. So, it’s probably easier to pitch against that. I would think
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I thought Saturday you could not ask for a better day to pitch in early May. The wind’s blowing in. You’re playing a a
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weak hitting team. All William Schmidt and it was followed up by Marcos Paws. Just fill the strike zone up, right?
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Just just go after these pitchers. You can go you you felt comfortable if you made a mistake, the ball wasn’t going to be hammered. right?
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What you would have the only way you would have gotten yourself in trouble against South Carolina is if you started walking guys and then of course he
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commits some errors and so forth like that. But uh this is going to be different. You just can’t throw it over the heart of the zone against these
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guys. I mean what do they have like five guys that I know one of them is out this weekend. One of their power hitters is out but uh they got like five guys that
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have 15 home runs or more. I mean, this is just this is a a huge a huge increase in in competition.
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Now, they could steal one. I mean, if things go right, uh William Schmidt goes out there and gives you six innings of
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three-run ball or fourrun ball and you score enough runs and you play clean defense, you can win a game and then that sets you up for potentially having
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to sweep Florida. So, I I wouldn’t be surprised if they won a game, but I don’t see them taking the series. it it would almost be easier for them to just
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win the SEC tournament because you know you know in 2024 when they when they got in at 13 and 17 they made the SEC
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tournament final and they lost that game to Tennessee but um they probably didn’t need to win as many games as they did at
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that that tournament but uh yeah this it may come down to them having to uh to win that tournament and and they would
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have I think they would have a better chance of winning the tournament than winning four games against Georgia and Florida because in the tournament
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the some of the teams they play will not be throwing their best pitchers because they don’t need to win whereas LSU will right and it’s also is this the first
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year it’s a single elimination all the way through. It was last year too. Okay.
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Yeah. Last year was single elimination all the way through too. So which I hate. It’s stupid. Um but uh it is what
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it is. So, um, and but I I think this is a good test. This is it was a pleasure
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to see this past weekend. I I think LSU fans enjoyed it just to again to see him play baseball where it’s not the wild
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pitches, it’s not the errors, it’s not the walks, it’s not the the lack of clutch hitting which we saw so much during the nineame SEC losing streak.
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All right. So, now they they were able to get over the hump. They they got a little swagger back if you would. Um, you know,
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these freshman are playing loose. The team seems to be playing loose. Let’s Let’s see what they got. Let’s see what happens in Athens. How How I’m sorry. Go ahead.
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Well, I was just going to say and and even if they don’t make it, they’re playing with a bunch of freshman who are all coming back next year and they’re
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all playing well right now like P, like Mason Brawn, you know. So that that’s a good thing because if you’re losing with transfer guys who aren’t coming back,
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it’s it’s there’s no value to it as as Jay started saying a few weeks ago,
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you know, if if you’re losing with he had five freshman in the lineup uh f uh Sunday, counting the pitcher pause. So
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So that’s that’s a good thing because it it bodess well to next year. Pearson’s back in the lineup tonight.
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Um Wow. Because he he he didn’t sound like he would be. Uh may is he dhing? No, he’s playing third.
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Didn’t he say Pearson was further behind than Stanfield?
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No, he said Stanfield was further behind Pearson, but he didn’t have Pearson. He said Pearson was still a ways away. So,
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well, and third base is still a bit of a hole for this team. Um, you know, they tried a variety of guys out there, you know, still with the Tanner Reeves, Seph
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Dardar combination. Um, so Pearson is a guy to at least I think what we’ve seen out of him is someone that can get a hot
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offensively for you. Uh, obviously can hit the ball over the the fence defensively. He leaves a lot to be desired, but right Julane might try to bunt on him.
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I would. Sarna is not in the lineup tonight. Interesting. Well, maybe maybe a day.
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Hopefully it’s not, you know, some sort of uh injury issue or something like that. But yeah, that would be And it’ be interest uh who’s the starting pitcher?
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Lacken.
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Lackenmire. Okay. You know, the last two Tuesday nights, uh they’ve they’ve used Zack Cowen a lot. They’re obviously not
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using him here, but that gave you an idea of the urgency to win those Tuesday games. I mean, he went four innings
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Cowan did last Tuesday against South Eastern Louisiana. He had him start the the Tuesday prior to that. So now you’re
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really going to be relying on some of these other guys to step up. And we will be hearing obviously he’s not going to be talking to us while he’s in the
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dugout, but we did do an interview with pitching coach Nate Yki. So you’ll hear that later on in the show and you’ll want to stay tuned for that because that
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was a really good interview. Uh Nate was pretty open about some of the struggles that these guys have had and why they’ve
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had it and u it takes takes ownership over it as well. Um as far as what has happened
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if Kase is not a case Evans is not able to start this weekend. Do you think Zack Cowan is the Sunday starter?
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Possibly if if he’s not having to be used on uh Friday or Saturday. But, you know, I I think tonight they they may
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have to use a guy that they ordinarily wouldn’t on a midweek game because they really can’t lose this game. Uh, so I I mean, I don’t think that’ll be cowan,
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but you know, I don’t know. Maybe maybe pause. Who Who knows?
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Well, I don’t think he’ll use that. But could you get quality? Could you get a quality two or three innings maybe from a guy like Jaden New could
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Oh gosh. When’s the last time you I don’t know. I know that. I mean,
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you’re using the bottom of your They only used what, seven pitchers this past weekend. Like, you know, you didn’t see any of these guys that have really been
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struggling uh this season. Um but you I wouldn’t be surprised at the end of the game uh if you saw Sharon or uh Gavin Gry, one of those guys tonight.
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Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. That that’s that’s probably more more like it. Uh maybe he’s got Pearson in there hoping he can hit a home run in his first at it
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bothers me that Cerna is not in the lineup because it is such an important thing. Yeah.
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Yeah. He might I’m sure he’ll be in there before long.
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Getting back to Case Evans, I would not be s if he does pitch this weekend. I would not be surprised if he doesn’t go back to his bullpen role.
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That would I was thinking of that too.
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You know that that might be a better comeback uh for him. Like so so let’s say they don’t use Cowan Friday or Saturday. start Cowan and then come back with Kase.
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Yeah, I I think u I think that might be the the role for him the rest of the way out. I it just hasn’t really worked with
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him as a Friday night starter. It it hasn’t been good. Obviously, he won’t do it this weekend or um so he was most successful coming out of the pen.
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Maybe they can move Schmidt to the pin, too.
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I don’t think so. I mean, they got they got to have somebody starting the game.
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It would be nice though to see William Schmidt go up against if you had other starters. Yeah,
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it would be nice to see William Schmidt go up against an explosive lineup like this and good pitching beats good
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hitting. Can he do that? That would be really nice to see.
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But that that park is such a crackerjack park,
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especially down to right especially right field.
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Yeah, it’s a short disadvantage for a pitcher to begin with. And and you know the thing is what’s what’s scary is maybe the only reason they didn’t walk
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so many against South Carolina is cuz they weren’t afraid of him hitting the ball.
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No, they weren’t. They weren’t. And it helped that the wind was blowing in and all that. So all that was was helpful in that game. All right,
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we’re coming up uh on our first break here on Tiger Rag Radio. Glad you could be a part of it. Uh we’re going to hear from Glenn West from 247 Sports. He’s
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going to join us here in about 10 minutes as I mentioned. We’ll also hear from uh Nate Yesi. He will be part of the show as well in hour number two.
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Matt Bellinsson from the Rustin Leader,
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he will join us. We’ll talk Ahmad Hudson uh with him. And then Cookie Riley who covers LSU baseball for the Advocate will also be on the show. So stay tuned.
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Much more coming up here on Tiger Rag Radio from the Super Chevy Dealer Studio.
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Warm up your taste buds. Your East Baton Rouge Parish Library will feature an edible book festival. Yummy. It’s National Poetry Month, so get your literary juices flowing. And as always,
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a staple of the EBR public library system, specialized story times at various library locations, and business
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focused workshops. For a more detailed look at what your library is offering this month, go to ebrpl.com, your East Baton Rouge Parish Library,
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the heart of the community.
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How you doing? This is Snow Golf Tiger Rag. Tiger Rag Radio. Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, you are tuned in. Talk LSU sports interviews, opinions,
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and newer calls around the Tiger Nation.
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Bad road was a life for me, home of LSU Tigers. Now, more Tiger Rag Radio.
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We love to score and get highlights in the championship play to win.
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Tiger Rag Radio and welcome to Tiger Rag Radio from the Super Chevy dealer studio. Glad you could join us tonight.
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Jeff Polmo along with the executive editor for Tiger Rag magazine. That would be Todd Horn and the editor Glenn Gilbo. And if uh you miss uh this show
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or can’t um listen for the full two hours, don’t forget you can get us anywhere you get your podcast
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or you can uh check it up on YouTube about a half hour after the show. Well,
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um, Will Wade has been very quiet since he’s been named a new head coach at LSU Tiger for the LSU Tigers, but he spoke
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today on two different podcasts and he basically told everyone to relax even though LSU’s only announced one
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commitment or one commitment has been announced as far as players coming into the transfer portal. Uh, Glenn, you were able to listen to what Will Wade had to
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say today. It sounds like he’s got about seven or eight players that um he’s ready to announce. They’re just they’re just waiting.
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I don’t believe it. I don’t believe it.
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I’m just going to go on record of saying that.
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Okay. Yeah. It was on a podcast called the um Tindle the Ting Tingle and uh Tingle and
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Company Tingle and Company podcast. And he said he said we’ve got way more than one player. Uh and he he als he also had
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an interesting comment. He said uh um he he says we’ve got a majority of those
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guys signed. He’s talking about we’re only going to pay for eight or nine guys the deep backups that fill out the
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roster. They’re not going to pay. And he said um we’ve uh we’ve got a majority of those guys signed. And then he said at some level they’re signed.
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I don’t know what that means. They’re either signed or they’re not. But may maybe he means they they’ve agreed to come and they’re still working out the
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uh so that means they’re not signed.
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Right. Right. And he also mentioned clearing waiverss and I wasn’t sure what he meant about that.
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So he went to Europe and he’s got all these all these uh European players lined up to this is what I take from it
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to potentially come play at LSU but they have to wait for their playoff season to end right in the European League. And
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maybe there some of them want to go like, you know, maybe they’ll be on waivers and see if they’re going to get picked up by somebody else, right? That’s what he means by waivers. Okay.
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And then also and maybe the metric system is involved,
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right? And then there’s there’s also Yeah, maybe. So, and then there’s also the uh the the kid whose whose brother
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played for Wade at LSU who Yeah, he’s still playing in California who is waiting to see if he gets drafted or not and then make that decision,
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right? because they can get unlike in the NFL, they they can go through the draft, get drafted and decide not to play in the NBA and and play overseas,
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which is what what what the Italian player that LSU’s supposedly close to getting did, or they can uh decide to play college.
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Yeah. And so what the reason I’m skeptical that they have seven or eight signed already is because I don’t
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believe they have seven or eight signed already, right?
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They may have 15 players that could fill out seven or eight. I have no doubt they will have seven or eight players signed
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that they’re paying. And he went on to say, I don’t know if it was on that podcast or Jeff the other podcasts, but he went on to say that that he realizes
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they have to make the tournament next year and that he thinks they’ll be a top 15 team.
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He also said that since they’re bringing more teams into the tournament, that’s not what it’s about anymore. He said they should make the tournament every
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year. That should be your base. and and with especially with more teams, he’s talking about the first four or the first eight they’re going to call it.
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So, he he’s saying that he sees it as as much more than that, but um still there’s one player on the roster, you know,
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and and 20 29 coaches, right?
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Yeah. Four four coaches. And he also said that there weren’t there there weren’t as many good players in the portal this year as there were last
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year. He said that and he he said that’s one of the reasons they they started going overseas and they did have overseas plans before the portal opened
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because you know that’s one of the main reasons he brought in Stanberry and he had Stanberry before he even had his press conference which was before the
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portal opened. I am also hearing that one of the reasons why there’s been a little bit of a slow up here is that
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they are waiting to see from the um division one board of uh I guess it’s called the the division one cabinet now
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the the rule of five years and five or yeah they’re waiting to see that rule they’re waiting to see if that gets
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approved which I think would occur sometime this month. Okay. How would that impact this class?
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Because that would be next season. It would be the first year supposedly. None of this is finalized. That’s why they’re waiting for it. But
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but why is that stopping him from signing players?
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I think it may open it up so he could sign additional players that will have another year of eligibility. I see.
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Right now, he’s not sure those players would have eligibility. I mean, that’s the thought, right? Right.
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Because if you can play five years, then there’s actually going to be people that have exhausted their eligibility under the old rule who would be available to play another year next year.
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Right. Meanwhile, the players from McMahon’s team, some of them have landed on pretty good teams. DJ Thomas is at Houston, uh,
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top five team,
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right? and uh Jaylen Reese is at Texas A&M and Jaylen Reed is at Michigan national champions. So So those are
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pretty good programs that that think those guys are pretty good. So, if you combine the fact that those are three really good programs and players that
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went to good programs with the players that we know Will Wade was targeting
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that he missed on at the top of this transfer portal class,
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right? The guard who went to Texas A&M from uh Kansas State.
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Yeah. And then also the there was a top flight guard from Georgia who went to Arkansas. He lost another player to Arkansas.
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Right. All right. Let’s take a break.
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When we come back, Glenn West will join us here on Tiger Rag Radio.
21:57
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I’m Richard Fontno, president of the Louisiana Farm Bureau Federation. My brother and I grow rice, soybeans, and raised crawfish on our farm in Evangelin
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Parish. For a fourth generation farmer like myself, Louisiana Farm Bureau is as much a part of my life as checking traps or harvesting rice. Our organization is
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more than 145,000 members strong and we’ve been around for more than 100 years. The Louisiana Farm Bureau spans generations and we want you to join our family.
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22 minutes, 51 seconds
Visit lafarmbureau.org. The Louisiana Farm Bureau Federation, the voice of Louisiana agriculture.
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22 minutes, 59 seconds
Back to Tiger Rag Radio live from Super Chevy Dealer Studio.
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Jeff Polmo inside the Super Chevy dealer studio along with uh Todd Horn and Gwen Gilbo of Tiger Rag. And joining us now
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from 247, it is Glenn West who is at the box getting ready for the last midweek game of the season. Glenn, you’re
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probably relieved that this might be the last 3 and 1 half hour, three hour, 45 minute midweek game that you’ll have to take in until uh at least next February.
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Hey, I’m okay with that. I don’t mind hanging out in the box, but yes, I would prefer the games not be five hours.
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We’ve had a 5 hour game this year already, so I’d prefer it to stay somewhere in that three to four range.
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Well, well, Glenn, before we dig into basketball and talking more about baseball or whatever we’re going to go
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into, I have to understand why Omar Sarner is not starting tonight.
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Yeah, we just got that news about 35 minutes ago that he wasn’t going to be in the lineup. He we’ve seen him on the field. He seems to be walking around
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okay. seems to be moving around all right, but we don’t have a real update yet on him in terms of what’s going on there and why he wasn’t in the lineup.
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Um, you know, he played all games against South Carolina, so I don’t uh we’re not really sure what’s going on there yet, but we’ll have an update probably after the game from Coach Johnson.
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Send send a pool reporter down to the dugout. That’s what we used to do in the old days, man. See what Frank has.
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Fresh out of pool put fresh out of pool reporters. Unfortunately,
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I hear you. Well, le let’s go ahead and talk basketball real quick. Uh, what does it mean when you say you’ve signed seven or eight players, but they’re not signed, but they’re signed.
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That’s a great question. Um, yeah, I just I think that they they have a pretty good idea of who’s going to be on this team or at least the guys that they
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want to contribute uh to this basketball team here in the fall uh or in the winter and next spring. So, uh, you know, look, I I I think that they’ve
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been doing a lot of work, a lot of homework on these international players,
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and, you know, a lot of those guys right now are kind of in a funky spot because they’re finishing up a lot of their regular seasons and a lot of their
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postseason play. Uh, and then they got to find, you know, different ways to,
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you know, get out of their current contracts with their current clubs.
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They’ve got to file waiverss. They’ve got to, uh, go through all these different steps to just kind of get eligible to play at LSU. And so I just
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think it’s going to be a longer process here for LSU. But as long as they feel like they have the players in set and the contracts down and all that stuff is
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figured out, uh then you know just the the maintenance area there of getting all those guys converted over and uh ready for for for for next August or for
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this August I should say uh is really the big big key here for Will Wade and the Tigers. But uh it was good to hear from him. I we haven’t really heard from
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him since his opening press conference and you know I think it was good that he got out in front of this a little bit and was able to kind of say like we’re
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okay we got we got some guys on board and now it’s just about waiting for the right time to announce them and and you know kind of doing the best by their by
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the players and by LSU. So, whoever the guys are that he’s talking about and referring to that, like you said,
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they’ve assessed and they know who they’re going to go after, who they’re going after, or who they’ve already attracted, and they just have to go through the the waiver process and all
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the the shenanigans they have to go through to get those professional players over here. Um, my question is,
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are we going to be able to spell or pronounce any of their names?
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I hope so. I mean, I think I think after a few weeks, we should be able to have it pretty locked down. Um, no, it’s a great question, though. I mean, I I I
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think, you know, one of the easy ones hopefully should be Allen Graves. Uh, if LSU is able to get over the finish mark there with him and, uh, you know, keep
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him out of the NBA and keep him away from Duke, uh, that’s going to be a name to monitor from a transfer portal perspective. But, uh, yeah, for as far
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as the international guys, like I’ve I’ve been hearing some names. I’ve been hearing some uh different guys that could be a part of that seven or eight man mix and it’s going to take a little
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time to get used to but but nothing we haven’t dealt with before.
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Was it do you have any detail on who those players are?
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Yeah, I think there’s one that certainly sticks out. His name’s Salvu Niang. Uh he’s a guard slashforward that uh yeah
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from Italy that I think LSU feels really good about and uh you know was a former uh second round draft pick and uh has a
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lot of talent and I think they feel really good about finishing the deal with him. Uh there’s a couple big men out there that they’re targeting right
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now. Uh I think really the thing for me that I’m really most curious about is what they plan on doing with their back court. You know, I know we talked uh
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several weeks ago and there was a guy by the name of Paul McNeel that came up uh in those talks and he’s since decided to stay at NC State. So, I’m curious as to
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what LSU decides to do with the guard positions here going forward. But, uh it sounds like they have a plan. It sounds like they have everything worked out and
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it’s just not releasing it out to the public yet and that’s just the way that they feel like they have to do it this year. Talking with Glenn West of 247 Sports.
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Uh Glenn, do you think uh you know, he also talked about how he feels like this could be a tournament team when it’s all said and done. What’s what’s your thoughts on I know we we don’t know
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exactly who we don’t know who the starting five is, but could it still develop into a tournament team?
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Sure. I mean, why not? I mean, like you said, we don’t know who’s going to be on the team yet, so it’s kind of hard to evaluate that. But, u you know, Coach Wade feels confident that they have the
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the pieces there that are going to be able to compete in the SEC. And I thought thought one of the more interesting parts of this conversation that he had yesterday with Roststein
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over at CBS Sports was that he talked about this there being kind of levels to this. And so, you know, maybe the first step is getting into the top half of the
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SEC. Then the next step is getting into the top four and then the next step after that is maybe being all the way at the top there. And so, you know, I think
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certainly getting into the top half of the SEC would make LSU an NCAA tournament team if that’s a year one goal that they have. So, I’ll be very
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curious to see what that looks like, but again, without without this roster set,
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without knowing kind of who exactly is going to be on this team. It’s it’s a little hard to say whether or not they’re going to be a tournament team this time next next March.
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When he was talking to Ross Scene on on the CBS Sports.com show or that that video, didn’t he say or did I
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misunderstand that they’re going to be a top 15 team next year?
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Oh, I don’t know. I must have over like missed that part. I’m not sure. I I I don’t I don’t know if that’s what he said or not. Um I I can’t really recall
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off the top of my head, but uh they they have high expectations. They they you know, they’re pouring more money into this thing than they ever have before.
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And they kind of have needed to because the numbers that are being tossed around to a lot of these college basketball players is pretty insane. Uh, you know,
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I I’ve used this example a couple times, but you know, Michael Nuoko is one that,
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you know, LSU gave, you know, a seven figure deal to last year to come play for him, and he got double that to go play at Xavier. And I think everybody
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that watched Nooko this last year, you know, he’s a good player, but is he worth double of what he got last year from LSU? I don’t know. It’s just a different world we’re living in.
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Yeah. It’s a different world we’re living in even a year ago. So, uh, you’ve had to kind of shift your minds,
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I think, a little bit to just, uh, the amount of money that is going to be needed to have a really competitive team.
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I wonder if that no quote salary is prorated if he fouls out. He sure did. I ask some questions on that, too. Yeah.
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Well, I thought one of the most interesting things Will said was he he goes, “We’re only we only got to pay seven or eight guys. You know, the we’ll fill out the rest of the roster. We’re
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not going to pay them.” And that really does make sense because you only need about seven or eight guys to play and I’ve seen some great teams with only
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really six guys. Um yeah, so so so that that makes sense cuz cuz you know that that’s going to be able to raise the
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price for the players he gets and he was saying you know and LSU deserves those type of players and he doesn’t want to
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make any mistakes and hopefully they’re going to put quality out there and you know I think that’s a really good that’s a really good strategy to have. I think the caveat to that is that
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you also have to uh stay healthy. You know, there’s there’s some risk factor involved there uh to to keep those seven or eight guys healthy. And you we just
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saw with LSU last year, they they lost two of their three or four best players and you know, they cratered pretty quickly there. And I’m not saying that,
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you know, that’s going to happen with this team or whatnot, but you you’ve got to stay healthy, especially with your top end guys to be able to compete in this conference. and uh LSU feels pretty
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pretty confident that they’re going to be able to um you know put that roster together, keep those guys healthy and and make a real push here early in uh in Will’s tenure.
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Last question for you, Glenn. What do you anticipate from this baseball team over the next two weekends?
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Uh I think the magic number is five. I don’t know that they get there and I think that includes, you know, tonight against Tulain. You got to win this game
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and then uh try to win four of your next six SEC games to close out the season.
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But that’s going to be a real real tough uh task for this team. But uh you know,
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stranger things have happened in LSU baseball lore. I don’t have to tell Glen Gilbo that. But um you know, they they’ve got they’ve got they’ve got some talent. They’ve got some guys that are
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playing better. And we’ll see if the the pitching can’t maybe help out the offense a little bit more down the stretch here these last two weeks. All right, Glenn, enjoy the game.
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Hopefully you’re out of there by 11 o’clock tonight.
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Hope so. Thanks, guys. Appreciate you having me.
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All right, that’s Glenn West of 247 Sports. We’ll take a break. More of Tiger Rag Radio when we come back.
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And we’re back with Tiger Rag Radio live from Super Chevy Dealer Studio.
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Back here on Tiger Rag Radio, Jeff Polalmo, along with the executive editor for Tiger Rag Magazine, Todd Horn, and the editor Glenn Gilbo. A big verbal
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commitment over the weekend, and we’ll talk with Matt Bellinsson from the Rustin Leader a little bit about this uh coming up in hour number two, but wanted to mention it here. here. And don’t
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forget, we got Nate Yesi, LSU pitching coach. He’ll uh talk to us about several pitchers and their struggles and some of the guys that have had success this
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season. So, we’ll get into that coming up at the beginning of hour number two.
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But, um I’m not uh I’m not one that really um as someone because I got a lot of other things that I’m following when
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it comes to my job and as uh the news and sports director, Louisiana Radio Network. But obviously, you follow recruiting. But I don’t live and die
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with a lot of these kids that whether they commit, sign, or whatnot from LSU.
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But I’ve seen Ahmad Hudson play and I’ve watched a lot of uh high school sports in the state of Louisiana over the last
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uh 25 years that I’ve been in this state and he’s special, man. When when you talk about a guy that
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uh can catch for a thousand yards as a tight end or nearly a thousand yard and he might do it this senior season that
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the entire offense kind of goes through him on a very good rust team and to play at a high level and I’m talking of
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course about Ahmad Hudson who committed to LSU on Sunday. You go from a guy who could, you know,
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catch over 700, 800 yards on the football field, help lead Rustin to a state championship game, and then turn
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right around and become Mr. Basketball in the state of Louisiana,
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average 20 points, score 30 points in the championship game.
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You just don’t see that. That just doesn’t happen. And I felt like, and I don’t know if m maybe I’m misreading
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this completely, but I feel like not much is I think more should be made out and I understand it’s just a commitment and it doesn’t mean he’s
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going to be here for three years. We all know that, but it it just seems like it’s not as a big of a deal that he is
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committing to LSU. Maybe it’s because he’s a tight end and he’s not a quarterback or any of that, but this is one of the best athletes in the country.
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This is one of the best high school players the state has produced and he’s coming to LSU. And if you think Trade
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Green is really good, wait till you see him out Hudson. But are you on a payroll or or something? Are you like part of his NIL? I am not.
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I’m just telling you from what I’ve seen and maybe it’s because all these kids that get commit that commit to LSU and all the and I understand all these
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recruiting guys that are out there covering. They got to make a big deal out of all these guys.
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Yeah. Every one of them is always the greatest thing that’s ever happened, you know,
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but this guy tell me tell me how many guys have caught 700 yards receiving and then turned around and was Mr. Basketball in the same season.
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Well, that that list is one.
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Yeah. Well, I I hope that that they find a way to let him play some basketball at LSU. There’s no reason that I mean,
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there’s no good reason for that not to happen more than it is around.
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I don’t know if it’s a matter of letting them Well, the coaches now want the the players to focus on
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on one sport, but I mean, Jeeoff, do do you think this is the biggest uh commitment uh since Leonard Fornette? That’s a good question.
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Did I say that’s what I was listening to the whole time. It sounded like you were saying that.
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Yeah. And I would say Leonard Fernet was a dynamic Yeah. I would say he was probably the best running high school running back I’ve seen. Like when he was on the field,
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it it was when you watch him, he was so far more talented than anybody else on the
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field. And and when you watch Ahmad Hudson both on in football and basketball, you get that sense, too.
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Okay. Is he 66 or 68? He’s 6’8 and he’s thicker than TDZ.
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Okay. So, I’m imagining LeBron James playing tight end. Yeah. Right. Right.
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Well, I know Lane Keifin sure sure likes him. Um there’s a chance he could he could be at UHigh next year. That’s kind
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of a controversy, but um he uh and and Trey Dez Green will be uh leaving by the time he comes in,
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right? Yeah. Yeah. And it’s crazy that the state of Louisiana has produced two guys that are like this. 67, 68, whatever you want to say,
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freakish tight ends, freakish athlete tight ends to do that in like backto back is it’s it’s quite amazing. It’s and
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that’s sometimes you you need a little luck like that as far as when it comes to recruiting to have two kids in your state that are
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like that. Well, you know, Glenn and I were talking about it earlier today, and it’s it’s not just that phenomena that
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you have those two similar types of players in Green and and Hudson, but the fact that you have a coach and an
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offensive coordinator that really take advantage of a tight end in their offense, and not a lot of coaches do,
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right? Well, and it and if you watch the NFL nowadays, uh the tight end has become not only the the 11 personnel,
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you know, 12 13 like tight end, you know, we were in a a stage where yeah,
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you got to have five wide receivers and spread them all out and now it’s football is kind of reverting back to I don’t think we’re ever going to see, you
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know, fullbacks again, but tight ends are becoming s multiple tight ends. Wish What about the wishbone? You think we’ll ever see the wishbone again?
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Oh, I don’t think so. But I don’t know.
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I was pretty excited to and and I think maybe the other thing was is like Nebraska was the main competition here
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and probably for LSU fans are like there’s no way this kid’s going to Nebraska. But he took several visits to Nebraska. I mean it wasn’t like he was just,
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you know, it was like one visit that he went there last July or something. I mean he was seriously looking at Nebraska.
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Now one thing we hadn’t talked about is the fact that he’s a legacy. Yeah, he is. His dad is Antonio Hudson, of course, who played at LSU, who was
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always played his best games, it seemed like, inside the Georgia Dome at the SEC tournament. But,
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right, so he just to be clear, he was a basketball player, not a football player. Yes, he was a basketball. That’s true, too. Um,
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and he was at the LABC banquet Saturday night with his son and with uh with John Brady. I enjoyed
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visiting with Antonio. He was a great shooting guard for the Tigers.
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And he’s a he’s a good coach there. He’s at Lincoln Prep. They just won a state championship. So,
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formerly Gramling, now called Lincoln Prep, and his son’s at Rustin High.
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So, um yeah, but uh I I think it’s pretty I think it’s a big deal. And yeah, he doesn’t play quarterback,
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running back, or wide receiver. He’s a tight end, but uh he’s a special athlete. And um you know, just as much as I’m kind of excited to see what
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Richard Anderson can do, who I think is one of the best defensive linemen that I’ve seen in this state in a while, and and it’s no disrespect to Lamar Brown. I
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think he’s really good, too. But I’m just looking at Richard Anderson and the competition he played every Friday night, Catholic League, and and some of
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the other teams that they’ve played. Uh Richard Anderson, I think, is I think could be a really really good football
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player at LSU. And it’s it’s exciting to see when you have these really talented high school players from Louisiana come
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to LSU and then have success. And uh Richard Anderson could be a guy and I think uh certainly Ahmad Hudson could be in that in that as well.
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And if Ahmad Hudson can learn to speak Italian or French or something, maybe he could play on the basketball team.
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Yeah. Yeah. And but but the the other question I have is is this whole thing about uh High, you know, and why is Lane Kein interested in getting him to come
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to UHigh? because Lane Keifin Sun is going to be the quarterback at UHI.
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I I don’t know. I don’t know. There’s just some there’s just some scuttlebutt about this. Um maybe if he’s closer to LSU, they have a
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better chance of keeping him away from another school. I mean, that makes that makes sense.
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There may be an NIL deal involved or something. I don’t know. I don’t know.
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That’s something that I don’t think the LHSA is going to like hearing about this too much.
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No. Well, we’ll see. We’ll see what happens. But there there is a little bit of scuttlebutt about that. But who knows? May maybe he’s maybe Lane’s going to be coaching the
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U-High offense as well. It’ be like a feeder program like you saw at Curtis High for so long. Yeah.
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All right, let’s take a break. More of Tiger Rag Radio when we come back here from the Super Chevy Dealer Studio.
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We now return to Tiger Rag Radio live from Super Chevy Dealer Studio.
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Back to Tiger Rag Radio. Coming up in the next segment is going to be LSU pitching coach Nate Yki. LSU baseball in
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action tonight. So this of course that means the interview we did with Nate was earlier today. But Kate Aaron Beidi has hit another home run tonight guys.
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That’s 15 for him now. He’s hitting over 330. He has over 40 RBI’s. He’s really putting together a special season.
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Yeah, you you got some guys that are coming around. I mean, well, he’s been good for for several weeks, but you know, some of these guys are playing really well when it counts. You know,
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might have a chance.
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Mason Brun, another freshman leading off. He walked like six times last week in the series against South Carolina,
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plus had two hits, scored three times. I mean, he’s just very productive.
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And Aaron Bey at that Georgia Park, I mean, he he could he could carry a team.
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Yep. And then when you talk about Mason’s Mason Braun’s ability to get on base, obviously he doesn’t look like your prototypical leadoff hitter, but
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he’s doing a outstanding job. And he was on base when Aaron Bey hit the two-run homer tonight. his on base percentage coming into tonight’s game. This was I I
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was shocked to see this when I was looking over the stats today. 472 for a freshman. I mean, the guy’s getting on base nearly half the time. That’s a That’s amazing.
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What What about Cerna? What is Cerna’s uh amazing stat?
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Uh let’s see. Well, I mean, 319 as a freshman. You That’s pretty impressive.
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Seven home runs, 34 RBI’s, on base percentage of 400. Um he you know I mean I he he if you as a freshman I think
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when you hit over 300 that’s that’s a pretty pretty darn good season.
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Yeah. And then also we need to give some kudos to Jack Rucker too at second base.
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He’s really turning around too. Not just at the plate but in the field as well.
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All right we’re going to talk a little more LSU baseball coming up in hour number two. We’re going to hear from Koki Riley from The Advocate who uh
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covers the LSU baseball program and then LSU pitching coach Nate Yesi will also join us. Also looking forward to an
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interview with Matt Bellinsson from the Rustin Leader to talk a little bit more about Ahmad Hudson. So stay tuned for all of that. You’re listening to Tiger
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Rag Radio from the Super Chevy dealer studios. We’ll be back right after this. Y’all ready? Y’all ready?
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Let’s go. Come on.
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Tiger players that are better people than they are players. This is Tiger Rag Radio live from Super Chevy Dealer
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Studio and welcome back to Tiger Rag Radio.
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Jeff Polalmo with you along with Tiger Rag editor Glenn Gilbo. And joining us now, special guest, LSU pitching coach Nate Yki. Have not been able to speak with him since the start of the season.
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And coach, a nice sweep this past weekend against South Carolina. And thanks again for joining us here tonight and getting I wanted to get your
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thoughts on the first guy that took the mound. uh this past weekend against South Carolina, William Schmidt. Um tell us uh what you saw from him in this
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start maybe compared to some of his other starts and some of the things you’ve been trying to work with William uh especially when it comes to location.
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Yeah, I think William is is kind of coming into his own. Uh certainly he’s aware of where he wants to make
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improvements in his game. Uh, I would say that the misses were certainly smaller where that has gotten him in trouble and even on the days that he’s
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had success has cut away from his ability to get deeper into ball games,
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you know, and I think some of that is just youth. Some of that uh, truth be told, I don’t know that anybody uh, has come in with more fanfare and higher
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expectations as a freshman uh, than William. having grown up in the really the the shadows of LSU,
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uh I think everybody anointed him as as the next, you know, LeBron James of baseball and and had these expectations
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of things that he should do. But, uh it’s a tough league. It’s a tough sport and with the way that CO kind of threw
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things out of balance a few years back and and the way that the transfer portal works and and the eligibility thing, you got a young man who’s going up in some
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cases against 22, 23 year olds. And I think for the most part he’s held his own and continues to make improvements, continues to get better with this game.
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And uh what the the fans don’t see are the conversations behind closed doors.
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Uh he’s really really elevated his awareness to the things that he wants to improve upon, the things that he recognizes now in game that he didn’t
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last year. Um certainly gotten a lot more comfortable out of the stretch. And that’s another hurdle for high school kids that have a lot of talent. They beat up on so many high school kids,
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they seldom ever have to make pitches out of the stretch. And then when they get into college, that’s tends to be where the bulk of it is until they get
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things sorted out again to where by the time they start to get things lined up,
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then it it’s back to more of probably a 60 40 and on some good days a 7030 split where you’re you’re back into the windup
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and then it starts all over again when you you get into minor league baseball.
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talking to talking to Nate Yesi here on Tiger Rag.
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Uh radio. Nate, um is does things look good for Kase Evans? Um is he on track to possibly uh pitch this weekend against Georgia?
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Yeah, we’ll we’ll know more probably after uh today and tomorrow. Just he he seems to be improving by the day. Just kind of a weird deal. just didn’t feel
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great wanting to to get going uh and get ready for the game a couple weekends ago and and just thought that here’s a young
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man with a bright future. Uh we’ll make sure that we take into account his health and well-being first and foremost
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and and uh so we’ve trying to take the cautious path with him and make sure that everything’s okay. But uh from what
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the doctors and everybody else seems to have have relayed to us is just the time off may have been the best medicine. And that’s again a young man who pitched out
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of the bullpen for the majority of last year. U it’s it’s a whole new game when you get into the starting role. So, uh,
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we seeing him kind of recover and get through this stuff and and get onto the back side of the season. Now, we’re we’re hoping that, uh, those those
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little hiccups that he went through from a health standpoint are now behind him.
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And Marcos Paw, a freshman who’s come on, uh, recently, uh, tell us about his development and how and how he got to
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where he is now. He had a good start over the weekend against South Carolina.
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He did. And you know, we’re kind of using a big picture uh vision with him just coming off of his injury in high
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school. Most guys don’t uh really get it dialed in until probably a good year and a half to to two years out and we’re
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we’re starting to hit that window um with him. Tommy John surgery, right?
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Yeah. And the command is is always harder your first year back. And that’s what we’re experiencing with him right now where at times he’s been very sharp.
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At other times there’s been some misfires and I’m sure statistically it probably doesn’t look as as clean as it has been in in certain spots. But uh the
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stuff is undeniable. He’s he’s got a lively fast ball, two different shapes to it. He’s got a slider that uh we were
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working at a camp some years ago and and that was something that we kind of worked on and and he gravitated to it and latched on to it and it became
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pretty good. Uh so glad that that we’re in the the dugout together watching him deploy that pitch. And then the
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curveball was something that we got developed and and implemented to him a little bit kind of coming off of Christmas break just hand and arm and
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everything feeling better and then uh the change up. So he’s got a a very diverse mix. It’s it’s easy velocity.
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Sometimes uh it might be a little bit too easy and I don’t know if it’s if there’s a sport you can really compare baseball to, but as a pitcher you want
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to have a little bit of uncomfortableness to what you do. you don’t want to make it it be an easy look for the hitter. So, we’ve been trying to
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retool some elements to his windup. He threw exclusively out of the stretch uh really since he was younger and so we’re
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trying to give him some different looks for hitters and he’s really latched on to those things. But again, a great worker, tremendous potential, and a guy
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who we can see really logging some meaningful innings uh in his time here at LSU and certainly beyond. talking
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with LSU pitching coach Nate Yesi. Coach Yesky, I know there was a lot of optimism that this could be good seasons for both uh Cooper Williams and Maverick
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Rizzy. They’ve they’ve had their struggles, you know, Rzzy especially when it comes to throwing enough strikes. Uh kind of talk about uh just
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trying after those guys really showed some flashes their freshman season that it just hasn’t gone well for him this year for the most part, but how are you still trying to rectify that situation?
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Well, you’re looking at two kids that worked their tail off. And big picture again, it’s the importance of when you had Anderson and you had Einson last
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year, they could bite off a pretty hefty piece and you were able to use guys in a certain way that probably benefited their skill set the most. By the time
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that guys roll into year two, it doesn’t really change uh per se what you’re trying to do with certain guys and how
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you’re trying to utilize them. Might they, you know, give you a couple more outs per outing over the course of the weekend? Sure. But, you know, in Evans
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absence and and certainly Cooper Moore’s absence, everybody’s had to move up. And sometimes you’re asking guys in some cases to, I guess, to put it in football
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terms, you’d be asking your your second or third string quarterback to to move up when the first string guy goes down.
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Is he capable? Sure. Is he going to be better and more familiar with things as he gets older? Absolutely. And and I think that’s what those guys are going
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through. Um certainly when Rzzy’s in the strike zone, he he’s tough to square up.
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He’s he’s got a lively arm. And Cooper Williams uh last year was very good against right-handed hitters and needed to improve against left-handed hitters.
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He’s really kind of flipped the script a little bit this year where he’s been very effective against lefts and and not as much against rights. So these es and
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flows. It’s college sports. There’s there’s a lot going on for these kids,
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too. in addition to just for some of them living away from home the first time and making making those things. So,
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they’re not excuses. Every kid in every program is is dealing with the same thing. It’s just these guys will continue to work. They’ll continue to
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get better. And for us, uh those two guys, I can’t think of of two young men that punch the clock on a consistent basis any better than they do. So, uh
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they want to get better. They work at it every day. and and we’re certainly trying everything that we can on our end to make it a little bit easier for them um just from an execution standpoint.
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Nate, uh on paper, you you’ve had tremendous success um at LSU and and previous stops as well. Was was this
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kind of a strange season for you to handle particularly at midpoint um with you know with the wild pitches, the the
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walks, some pitchers not doing as well as maybe expected going into the season. How has it been on you?
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Well, I mean it’s baseball. I mean if if you haven’t gone through some tough times, you probably haven’t been in a game long enough. Um if you’re expecting
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it to be sunshine and rainbows every day, that that’s also not the reality.
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And it’s a team sport. I mean, there’s a lot of elements to it. Um, I went back and looked on film. Shoot, man. There’s there’s times that guys are getting
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dinged for stuff where it’s like that’s that’s not necessarily how it it has gone down. And and you know,
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complimentary baseball. I think last season was the really the blueprint or the example of what that looks like. If you had to play a two to one game, we
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wanted two to one. If you had to play a six to five or seven to six game, we we came out on the high side. But you have to pitch, you have to defend, you have
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to get timely hitting, and you have to run the bases aggressively and intelligently. If you can do those four things, you’re going to be in every ball game and win a majority of those things.
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When you start taking any one of those things off the list and free bases start to elevate or you don’t get a timely hit
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or, you know, a play has an opportunity to be made to to close out an inning,
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any one of those things can throw things out of whack. So, you know, that’s been the challenge for this group this year is like we’ve been on the cusp of so
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many things and just haven’t been able to get over the hump with that. And so,
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you know, we win as a team and and we lose as a team and we we want to get better in a lot of areas and and uh I think it’s funny, you know, just there’s
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times when you get people that say maybe try this or maybe try that and it’s like, man, we’re trying everything. And these these kids are trying hard, too.
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They know how important it is to the players that have come in this program before. um they they have arrived and they know how important it is to the
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fans that that show up every day and support them. So, they’ll continue to to fight through it and and we as coaches will as well and hopefully we’re going
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to play our best brand of baseball here down the stretch.
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One more player I want to ask you about and that’s Devin Shearan. I I love the kid’s moxy, his attitude. Um I think he’s really I’m sure he’s shot up the
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draft boards. I believe he’s draft eligible this season. Uh just your thoughts, your development for a kid that took a year off. It’s a little different, right, when we’re not talking
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about an arm injury as opposed to here this was ACL. So, it’s a little different uh as far as a path to
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recovery than say a Marcos Paws. But what’s been the key for Devin this year,
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you feel? Well, I think part of it was last year when you have a chance to to sit on the sidelines and and absorb things and see things, you get to see
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where things go right and where they don’t and you get to formulate your development and your game plan around those things that are going to help you
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have success. So the perspective that’s provided there, I think a lot of times when when you’re surrounded by the
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resources that we have from the people in our building to to help him get stronger, to make sure he’s healthy, to make sure that the nutrition site is in
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place, and you’re checking off all of those boxes, it gives you a better chance for success when it’s time to go.
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And there’s there’s no absence of compete in that young man. Sometimes I think if anything, he gets in his own way trying to do too much and that’s
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just his desire to win. and he’s made some some real improvements. Uh he’s carried us at some times and and done
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some things that are are really good and other times he feels like he let the guys down. And that’s where we have to remind him again, Devin, like we we’ve
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got to do our part in all aspects of the game. You did your part today and then we’ll we’ll get lined up and get ready
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to get him again tomorrow. So, it’s been fun to have him be here and and certainly a young man that has dealt with some adversity and and really I
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think that when you look at a lot of kids that succeed in sports and in life,
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they’ve had to overcome adversity in some capacity. So, um the adversity that he went through with the knee injury, I think provided him some perspective,
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gave us some time to kind of get him lined up with the idea of how he would go about his business. And we’re seeing those things happen more frequently than
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not. Coach Yi, thanks a lot for your time. Good luck these final couple weekends and uh it’s good to see what we saw last weekend against South Carolina.
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I hope hope we see more of it. You bet. Thanks, guys. Thanks, Nate. That is LSU pitching coach Nate Yki.
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We’ll take a break. More of Tiger Rag Radio when we come back.
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Now, more Tiger Rag Radio live from Super Chevy Dealer Studio.
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Hey, we’re back on Tiger Rag Radio. Jeff Balmo with you from the Super Chevy Dealer studio. Joining us now, it is Matt Bellinsson who uh covers athletics
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up in Northeast Louisiana for the Rustin Leader. He spends a lot of time covering Louisiana Tech athletics, but high school as well. And one of the top
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athletes in the country, not just the state of Louisiana, but in the country is right there in Rustin. And he committed to LSU over the weekend. And that is Ahmad Hudson. And uh Matt,
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thanks a lot for uh talking with us.
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Just your overall thoughts on Ahmad Hudson as the athlete and and how much maybe you’ve gotten to know him as a person.
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Yeah, we’ll start with the athlete. I mean, obviously, if you’ve been paying attention to athletics in the state for the past couple years, you’ve certainly heard this kid’s name, you know, whether
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it be on the football field or the basketball court. He is just a a freak of nature. He’s just a a really gifted athlete. Um you know, just this football season alone, he almost put up a thousand yards as a as a tight end.
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that’s pretty, you know, rare to see just at the high school level. And then he followed that up by, you know, just kind of being Mr. Basketball, you know, in the state of Louisiana by averaging,
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you know, close to 20 points and 14 rebounds. So, he’s a kid that’s just been gifted since the moment that he came to Rustin High. And, you know, I think the key for key for him is I think
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just the ability to stay locked in. You know, obviously, you know, kids these days are kind of thrown with a bunch of recruiting rankings and attention. And, you know, the one thing about Ahmad is,
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you know, certainly he appreciated all the attention and he certainly, you know, made his top fives and his his official visits all that, you know, very much public. But, you know, you never got the sense that it got to his head.
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You never got the sense that he was someone that allowed it, I think, to dictate, you know, just the way that he performed or the way that he approached his work. And so, I mean, I think for Lane Keifin, you know, obviously coming
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in, you know, wanted to get a high priority target in Amad, I certainly would have to imagine that they had some great conversations. And I’m certain,
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you know, Lane obviously came up here in late January to visit with Ahmad, you know, specifically. And so, I I’m sure they had some great conversations and they were able to kind of follow him throughout the basketball season and just see what he was able to do as well.
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So, just a really great kid and obviously a really great athlete. Yeah,
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terrific athlete and someone that certainly is going to be a problem on the football field, will follow in the
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footsteps of Trade Green perfectly because they’re very similar. A question is, can he also play basketball? You know, Tradez Green had that same uh
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thought pattern as well and actually did play a few games for coach Matt McMahon over a year ago, but to me watching him
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out and I’ve I’ve seen him play only two or three times on the basketball court,
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but this kid is special when it comes to hoops as well. And I don’t know, Matt,
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if there’s someone that could potentially pull off the two sport thing in college, playing football and basketball, which I think is even harder
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these days than it was when Charlie Ward was doing it. Um, it might be Ahmad who who could potentially do it.
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Yeah, I think you’re right. I think if anyone, you know, could attempt it and do it successfully, it would be him. you know, just given the fact that he’s already broken so many, you know, records and just kind of, you know,
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Rustin High, you know, just athletic achievements that I think, you know,
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most people were not expecting to be possible, you know, in his time here. And the greatest part is, you know,
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obviously he still has a full senior year to, you know, continue to to amaze and do some great things. But, you know, I think again the key for him, I think,
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is obviously in these recruiting, you know, visits and things like that and these promises from coaches, you know, I think you just got to discern of what the school, you know, actual the actual plan is for you. and you know talking
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with Ahmad and it was it made very clear that over the past couple months that you know Nebraska was certainly making a very hard push and I think they were maybe softening I think a little bit as
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far as you know their ability to truly offer Ahmad the ability to play you know both football and basketball and so I think you know whether or not it actually pans out at LSU they at least
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made the full-on attempt and the promise to him that say like yes we have a plan and we’re going to make this work and so I’m curious to see how it works as well you know obviously the football calendar
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and the basketball calendar obviously you know if LSU goes on to you know make the college football playoff and the SEC championship and you know all that sort of stuff. I mean obviously they’re going to be playing you know pretty close to
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you know the start of conference play you know you know obviously for for basketball and so it’s going to be interesting to see how that dynamic would work out. But um yeah I think certainly you know Ahmad could could
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certainly try it out. Um I think if you’re if you’re asking me I think by the by the end of his college career I don’t think he is playing bull sports. I think it’s just you know one of those
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things that it’s just incredibly hard to do. We’ve just not seen it done um you know in this modern era of college athletics. And so I’m curious to see if he’s able to do it. I think it would be really awesome. But I think if I had to
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if I had to be a betting man today, I would say he probably ends up uh you know sticking with football in the long run. Considering his size, his athleticism,
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his strength, he is one of these guys just like what we saw with Tradez Green can be an impact player his freshman season, wouldn’t you think, on the football field?
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Oh, there’s no doubt. I mean, I don’t know how many I mean, obviously LSU’s,
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you know, recruiting profile speaks for itself, but I don’t know how many 68,
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you know, you know, kids are coming out of high school playing tight end that,
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you know, could also, you know, match as a power forward. I mean, yeah, he’s just a physical freak. And again, you see it obviously on the high school level that he’s a mismatch, you know, problem. And obviously, you know, when it came time
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for the, you know, the playoffs in football and obviously in basketball as well, you know, certainly you’re going to see some better athletes and some teams have some better game plans, but still, I mean, obviously in the state
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championship game in basketball, he put up, you know, 30 and 24 and seven, like he’s just a really great player. And then obviously in the, you know, saw in the state championship game that Rustin pretty much just feeds them. And
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obviously, you know, and all these teams that they play know that, you know, hey, they want to get Amod Hudson the ball,
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but it’s kind of one of those things where it’s like, okay, well, who you going to line up against him? Who’s going to stand out there and try to defend him? So, yeah, I think certainly he’s going to be a weapon that Lane
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Kippen will certainly want to use, but again, to your point, you know, how is that dynamic going to work as far as,
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you know, him being maybe a number one option? Is he going to be really involved, you know, as a pass catcher right away and maybe want to get him involved as more of a blocker? Certainly an interesting dynamic, but again, we
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still got a whole uh, you know, couple years left before the, you know, LSU has to worry about that.
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And I know, um, he would love to win a state championship in one of those sports, right? Yeah, there’s no doubt. You know,
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obviously basketball, they lost in the state championship this past year. you know, made it to the the title game for the first time since 1988. And, you know, like I mentioned, um, I mean, the statline that he put up in the state,
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you know, championship game, it’s just one of the greatest performances I’ve ever seen. And certainly, if you not had a chance to watch that, I definitely would encourage it. And, you know, obviously for football too, you know,
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obviously a heartbreaking loss to to Washaw there down in the dome in December. And you know I certainly talking with Ahmad and you know hearing from him obviously during the basketball
1:04:04
1 hour, 4 minutes, 4 seconds
season he certainly feels a sense of accountability just because you know obviously he had a unfortunate turnover in that game and it’s you know certainly Rustin you know lost for a variety of
1:04:12
1 hour, 4 minutes, 12 seconds
reasons but I think he kind of takes that personally just being a competitor of like hey you know I’m considered you know one of the best players on this team and it’s up to me and my other teammates to kind of finish the job this
1:04:20
1 hour, 4 minutes, 20 seconds
year. So you can definitely get the sense when you going out to spring practice this year that he’s motivated even before he committed to LSU, but he’s a motivated guy and he wants to go out of champion like you mentioned.
1:04:29
1 hour, 4 minutes, 29 seconds
Obviously has a a lot of pedigree individually, but I think for him, you know, he obviously won the state title when he was a true freshman on the football team, but he he wasn’t really involved a whole lot in that offense.
1:04:37
1 hour, 4 minutes, 37 seconds
And I think, you know, for him, he wants to lead his high school career not only with the individual accolades, the Gatorade player of the year, you know,
1:04:42
1 hour, 4 minutes, 42 seconds
Mr. Basketball, that sort of stuff. He wants to go out a state champion. And like you mentioned, I think they have a great opportunity to do that in football and basketball.
1:04:49
1 hour, 4 minutes, 49 seconds
Thank you, man. I appreciate it. Good stuff on Amad Hudson. You have a good one, man. Thanks for your time. Yes, sir. You too. Thank you.
1:04:55
1 hour, 4 minutes, 55 seconds
That’s Matt Bellinsson with the Rustin Leader. We’ll take a break. More of Tiger Rag Radio right after this.
1:04:59
1 hour, 4 minutes, 59 seconds
I’m Richard Fontno, president of the Louisiana Farm Bureau Federation. My brother and I grow rice, soybeans, and raised crawfish on our farm in Evangeline Parish. For a fourth
1:05:08
1 hour, 5 minutes, 8 seconds
generation farmer like myself, Louisiana Farm Bureau is as much a part of my life as checking traps or harvesting rice.
1:05:14
1 hour, 5 minutes, 14 seconds
Our organization is more than 145,000 members strong, and we’ve been around for more than 100 years. The Louisiana Farm Bureau spans generations and we want you to join our family.
1:05:24
1 hour, 5 minutes, 24 seconds
Visit lafarmbureau.org. The Louisiana Farm Bureau Federation, the voice of Louisiana agriculture.
1:05:31
1 hour, 5 minutes, 31 seconds
Tiger Rag Radio is back live from Super Chevy Dealers Studio.
1:05:38
1 hour, 5 minutes, 38 seconds
We’re back on Tiger Rag Radio from the Super Chevy Dealer Studio. Jeff Polmo along with the editor of Tiger Magazine,
1:05:44
1 hour, 5 minutes, 44 seconds
Glenn Gilbo. Now we bring in Koki Riley who covers LSU baseball for the Advocate and Nola.com. Kokei, thanks a lot for spending a few minutes with us for today’s show. And um first of all,
1:05:56
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finally some good baseball at the box this past weekend. The Tigers swept South Carolina. How much of it is LSU has actually maybe turned a corner here,
1:06:05
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especially with some of these freshman?
1:06:06
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or was it just that South Carolina was that bad of a team and uh LSU it was easy for them to just walk all over them?
1:06:16
1 hour, 6 minutes, 16 seconds
Um I think there’s some truth to both of that. Uh I I think we definitely have to acknowledge the fact that South Carolina is just not a very good baseball team.
1:06:24
1 hour, 6 minutes, 24 seconds
Um especially at the plate. I think offensively they had a really really weak um offensive approach. Um, and I
1:06:35
1 hour, 6 minutes, 35 seconds
they just they they really didn’t have any power to them at all. So, um, that made things much easier for the pitching staff and the starters to go deeper into
1:06:43
1 hour, 6 minutes, 43 seconds
the games and it afforded a lot more time for the offense to get going, which they did. So, um, I think that advantage was really the like the turning point
1:06:52
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um, in the series victory for LSU. But at the same time, I think this offense is just playing much better baseball overall. Like they did this against Mississippi State, which is one of the
1:07:00
1 hour, 7 minutes
top teams in the SEC. Um they did they’ve done this in the middleweight games. They did it against South Carolina. Um scoring at least six runs
1:07:08
1 hour, 7 minutes, 8 seconds
in all these games and um I think Mason Brown at the top of the order. He’s been an onbase machine. I think Omar Cerna has been one of their best hitters all
1:07:15
1 hour, 7 minutes, 15 seconds
season and he’s you know playing even better now the these last couple of weeks. Um even without Jake Brown in the lineup, you know, this is a lineup that
1:07:24
1 hour, 7 minutes, 24 seconds
uh is very young, but they’ve still been able to produce. I mean KDB is stepping up as one of the better hitters in the SEC as a whole. So, um, I think this
1:07:33
1 hour, 7 minutes, 33 seconds
offense is is for real. Uh, I I think they’re pretty dangerous. I think they finally sort of cracked the code when it comes to what Jay Johnson wants from an
1:07:42
1 hour, 7 minutes, 42 seconds
approach standpoint, from a two out hitting standpoint, from a how to drive in runners and scoring position standpoint. Suddenly, that’s become a strength of this team. That combined
1:07:51
1 hour, 7 minutes, 51 seconds
with some power and you got you got a pretty good attack. And that’s what this team’s got right now. Um, the question is, uh, is there enough pitching? Is
1:07:59
1 hour, 7 minutes, 59 seconds
there enough starting pitching? uh when you’re facing the better teams in the SEC as they are going to be the next two weeks um to mount a pretty uh dramatic
1:08:07
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comeback here uh over these last heading into the SEC tournament.
1:08:12
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Talking to Ki Rally from the Baton Rouge Advocate. Um well, Koke, if they uh if they win one game at Georgia and sweep Florida, that’d be a 4-2 finish. They’d
1:08:21
1 hour, 8 minutes, 21 seconds
be 13 and 17. They’ve gotten into the NCA regionals with that SEC record, but I would imagine they’re going to need a
1:08:30
1 hour, 8 minutes, 30 seconds
few or two SEC tournament wins if if if they finish 13 and 17 and win a couple in the tournament. You think you think they’re going to get in?
1:08:40
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Gun to my head, yes. Um but again, all those things have to happen. They have to win tonight against two lane. They
1:08:48
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have to um win at least one game at Georgia, probably two because it’s hard to go into the last week of the season against a really good Florida team with
1:08:56
1 hour, 8 minutes, 56 seconds
two of the better starting pitchers in the entire country and sweep that series. Like that is asking me a ton. Um I don’t think Florida has a great
1:09:04
1 hour, 9 minutes, 4 seconds
offense, but like their pitching staff is I mean Aiden King’s been probably the best pitcher in the conference this season. Um Liam Peterson’s going to be a
1:09:11
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first round pick more than likely. Uh it’s it’s a crazy crazy staff. So you’re that’s that’s going to be the major
1:09:19
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challenge with Florida. And um even to win that series, it’s going to be tough.
1:09:23
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And they have to win that series unless they sweep Georgia. And you’re not going to sweep George. Georgia’s too good of a team. Too good of an offensive team.
1:09:31
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They’re 18 and six, right, in in conference play for a reason. They have a two and a half game lead everyone else in the conference. This LSU team has
1:09:38
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really struggled against the better teams on its schedule this season. I mean, Miss, Mississippi State, um, uh,
1:09:46
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yeah, Miss, Mississippi State, Texas A&M, uh, all those were sweeps. Um, I think they only have one win against top
1:09:54
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15 teams in the RPI. I checked that might have been a couple weeks ago. I checked that. But, uh, their record against top, you know, 20-ish teams in the RPI is just not good enough right
1:10:02
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now. And, um, they’ve, it’s kind of the worry heading into this series, right?
1:10:08
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It’s can the pitching staff hold down a Georgia offense that probably the second or third best offense in the country if we’re being off honest here. So, um it’s
1:10:17
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uh it’s a massive challenge, but you know, if you do win four of these next six games and you win against two lane, that’s going to take care of your RPI.
1:10:25
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You’re probably going to be around 40,
1:10:27
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maybe even the top 40 at that point. Um and uh it’ll also get you those 13-ish wins. you probably still need another
1:10:34
1 hour, 10 minutes, 34 seconds
win or two in the SEC tournament after that because of all of the non-conference losses that you have this season. All these quad four losses that
1:10:42
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are really, you know, bringing down this team’s RPI. Um, and just their overall resume. That’s not just the RPI number.
1:10:48
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It’s, you know, when the committee is going to look at the resume, they’re going to look at a team that’s lost all these games to these non-conference teams that they should be beating. Um,
1:10:56
1 hour, 10 minutes, 56 seconds
that’s that that’s going to be an obstacle for them even if they do get through the regular season with what we just said. So, um, it’s just going to be a really tough road ahead for this team.
1:11:05
1 hour, 11 minutes, 5 seconds
Koke, you had a great story, uh, before the South Carolina series about LSU’s recruiting class going into 2027. They
1:11:13
1 hour, 11 minutes, 13 seconds
already have 24 players commit committed, including, uh, three top 85 players from perfect game, uh, left-handed pitcher Logan Schmidt,
1:11:22
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right-handed pitcher Jensen Hersshorn, and outfielder Malachi Washington. Um,
1:11:28
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do you think that that’s going to be a number one class or do you think they’re going to keep most of those players out of the draft or how do you see it? It’s
1:11:35
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really early. I know it is early. Um, but I guess to tell you how early it is, like D1 baseball just like revamped its list just a couple
1:11:44
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days after I published that story. And um, they extended the list to 150 and 11 of LSU’s 24 commits made the one made the top 150.
1:11:54
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Wow. Uh, which is a lot. set us a ton. Um,
1:11:58
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now did they make it did they make it because LSU had them or were they going to be there anyway? That’s the question.
1:12:04
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Um, my guess is that they were going to have those guys were going to be there anyway. I mean, they’re committed to LSU and LSU’s got them for a reason. These
1:12:12
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are talented players and um and uh it’s still going to be different than last year’s recruiting class because last year they lost a ton of guys to the
1:12:19
1 hour, 12 minutes, 19 seconds
draft. Um, eight players, it was really half their recruiting class. Um the difference between last year and this year is that you know last year you only
1:12:27
1 hour, 12 minutes, 27 seconds
have 16 or 17 players committed. Um this year you got 24. So you’re going to have higher numbers of freshman coming in
1:12:34
1 hour, 12 minutes, 34 seconds
next season regardless of what happens in the draft. It’s just a matter of who comes in and when. Um and if and if they
1:12:41
1 hour, 12 minutes, 41 seconds
bring in a couple guys they maybe aren’t expect they maybe didn’t expect to bring in um who are they going to you know
1:12:48
1 hour, 12 minutes, 48 seconds
keep you know 20 freshman. like I I don’t think that’s going to be the case,
1:12:54
1 hour, 12 minutes, 54 seconds
right? So, um it’s there’s there’s still a lot of questions up in the air when it comes to that. Um I I think some of the
1:13:01
1 hour, 13 minutes, 1 second
top guy Jay said himself that he thinks six to eight guys um definitely six are almost certainly going to go off to professional baseball. Um even if it is
1:13:10
1 hour, 13 minutes, 10 seconds
eight guys, he’s still got a pretty talented class. Still have at least, you know, three of the players in that top 150 I mentioned coming to school. Um you
1:13:18
1 hour, 13 minutes, 18 seconds
have players from really all over the country. Um, like Dominic Santelli is from Wisconsin. You have a whole bunch of players from California. Anthony
1:13:26
1 hour, 13 minutes, 26 seconds
Murphy’s an outfielder. Um, it’s CJ Weinstein, a shortstop. Uh, you got again, these guys are coming from pretty
1:13:34
1 hour, 13 minutes, 34 seconds
much all over the place. So, just like uh just like last year and just like the last couple of years. Uh, and there’s really only one recruit from Louisiana
1:13:44
1 hour, 13 minutes, 44 seconds
committed. So that’s something also to keep keep in mind is that they’re really like it is it’s a very very light class
1:13:51
1 hour, 13 minutes, 51 seconds
in terms of like kids from the state this season and even lighter than years past. So um that’s something I guess
1:13:58
1 hour, 13 minutes, 58 seconds
just to sort of keep in mind. But overall I I would say they’re probably going to lose at least six of these guys. Um if you’re you know that close
1:14:06
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to being an LB player uh you know top 100 sort of sort of player of the draft chances are you’re going to go. Um, but
1:14:14
1 hour, 14 minutes, 14 seconds
I don’t think they’re going to lose all 11 of those guys to draft. That would be pretty extraordinary. Um, and and pretty surprising. But I think six to eight is
1:14:22
1 hour, 14 minutes, 22 seconds
kind of a good uh a good gauge on who who they could lose uh to Major League Baseball.
1:14:27
1 hour, 14 minutes, 27 seconds
Ki, thanks a lot for your time, man. We really appreciate it. Good uh recap and uh state of the affairs with when it comes to LSU baseball. We appreciate it,
1:14:36
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man. Awesome. Thanks so much.
1:14:37
1 hour, 14 minutes, 37 seconds
All right, that’s Ki Riley covers LSU baseball for the advocate and.com. We’ll take a break. More of Tiger Rag Radio from the Super Chevy dealer studio when we come back.
1:14:47
1 hour, 14 minutes, 47 seconds
Warm up your taste buds. Your East Baton Rouge Parish Library will feature an edible book festival. Yummy. It’s National Poetry Month, so get your literary juices flowing. And as always,
1:14:58
1 hour, 14 minutes, 58 seconds
a staple of the EBR Public Library system, specialized story times at various library locations, and business focused workshops. For a more detailed
1:15:07
1 hour, 15 minutes, 7 seconds
look at what your library is offering this month, go to ebrpl.com. Your East Baton Rouge Parish Library, the heart of the community.
1:15:16
1 hour, 15 minutes, 16 seconds
Tiger Rag Radio is back on the air live from Super Chevy Dealer Studio.
1:15:24
1 hour, 15 minutes, 24 seconds
Back here on Tiger Rag Radio from the Super Chevy Dealer Studios. Good stuff there from Nate Yi, Matt Bellinsson, Ki
1:15:31
1 hour, 15 minutes, 31 seconds
Riley. All great stuff. Uh, talking baseball, talking some recruiting. Jeff Polalmo along with the executive editor for Tiger Rag magazine, Todd Horn in the
1:15:40
1 hour, 15 minutes, 40 seconds
Super Chevy dealer studio. I think an important vote took place today, Todd,
1:15:45
1 hour, 15 minutes, 45 seconds
from the AFCA board, which is the American Football Coaches Association.
1:15:50
1 hour, 15 minutes, 50 seconds
They are behind a max participant playoff, which means 24 teams,
1:15:57
1 hour, 15 minutes, 57 seconds
discontinuing conference championships and ending the college football playoff by the second week of January.
1:16:06
1 hour, 16 minutes, 6 seconds
Um, I think I’m for two of those. I I’m not there yet on 24 teams. I think I’m
1:16:13
1 hour, 16 minutes, 13 seconds
okay with 16. I don’t know about 24, but uh I like the idea of getting rid of the conference championships and then uh
1:16:22
1 hour, 16 minutes, 22 seconds
ending the CFP by the week of uh the second week of January. Now, the f the first question I have for you before I comment upon your preferences there and
1:16:31
1 hour, 16 minutes, 31 seconds
your opinions is uh this starts in next season.
1:16:37
1 hour, 16 minutes, 37 seconds
This Yeah, this not not the upcoming season.
1:16:40
1 hour, 16 minutes, 40 seconds
Not the upcoming season because they still haven’t Yeah, because the playoff is pretty much set in stone as far as the 12 team playoff once again.
1:16:47
1 hour, 16 minutes, 47 seconds
Okay. So, that but this is just to be clear, this is not approved yet. This is just they’re saying they’re for it and it would start in the 27 football
1:16:54
1 hour, 16 minutes, 54 seconds
season. I mean, you still need to get the conferences. You still need the college football playoff. You need the conferences still to agree to this, right?
1:17:02
1 hour, 17 minutes, 2 seconds
But the fact that the coaches have spoken, we’ve heard also from Alabama’s AD that the conference championship game no
1:17:11
1 hour, 17 minutes, 11 seconds
longer serves the point that it once did. Now, Greg Sanki,
1:17:15
1 hour, 17 minutes, 15 seconds
that was my whole point. You’re stealing my thunder right now. I didn’t mean to steal your thunder.
1:17:18
1 hour, 17 minutes, 18 seconds
Doesn’t matter what you think. Doesn’t matter what Alabama’s AD thinks, Greg Burn. Doesn’t matter what I think. It matters what Greg Seni thinks,
1:17:26
1 hour, 17 minutes, 26 seconds
but it seems like Greg Seni has a point of view on this that most people don’t have. Is he not, you know, we talk about
1:17:35
1 hour, 17 minutes, 35 seconds
coaches, we we talked about how Brian Kelly was behind the times and Lane Keifin is ahead of the Times. Is Greg Seni behind the times?
1:17:44
1 hour, 17 minutes, 44 seconds
Well, it would appear that he probably is, but I’m not going to tell him that. Are you going to tell him that? I’ll tell him that. Let’s call him up.
1:17:51
1 hour, 17 minutes, 51 seconds
Let’s call him Greg.
1:17:54
1 hour, 17 minutes, 54 seconds
Jeff Polarmo P A L I I don’t know. I understand why he’s
1:18:02
1 hour, 18 minutes, 2 seconds
holding on to it because it’s a cash cow for the Southeastern Conference and the SEC does not want to they just don’t
1:18:10
1 hour, 18 minutes, 10 seconds
want to share their money. They don’t want an expanded playoff because that means you’re you’re sharing more money with other schools.
1:18:18
1 hour, 18 minutes, 18 seconds
They I unfortunately I think Todd and tell me if I’m wrong on this, but what is happening on the field is also
1:18:27
1 hour, 18 minutes, 27 seconds
hurting the SEC in the boardroom. Meaning, you know, the Big 10 won the foot uh won the
1:18:35
1 hour, 18 minutes, 35 seconds
CFP, the Big 10 won the college basketball, the Big 10 could win the College World Series with UCLA.
1:18:41
1 hour, 18 minutes, 41 seconds
Um we saw more firstrounders, Big 10 players, than SEC players. I understand the SEC still had more overall, but
1:18:49
1 hour, 18 minutes, 49 seconds
still the premier players are are in the Big 10.
1:18:54
1 hour, 18 minutes, 54 seconds
It doesn’t seem like the SEC has the same it doesn’t have the same leg it’s it
1:19:01
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stood on at one time when it was dominating college athletics in particular, dominating college football, and they can call the shots.
1:19:08
1 hour, 19 minutes, 8 seconds
So, I’m I’m I’m noticing a trend here in the ar, you know, the architecture of your statements. is like Greg Sinki,
1:19:16
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like Brian Kelly, behind the times, SEC falling behind in every category. The
1:19:22
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one you didn’t mention is that uh the Big 10 distributed 1.7 billion dollars, right,
1:19:32
1 hour, 19 minutes, 32 seconds
to their 18 members. And it wasn’t equal distribution. Ohio State who had won a national championship for this year of
1:19:40
1 hour, 19 minutes, 40 seconds
distribution took home like $91 million in television money. Uh whereas uh like
1:19:48
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uh what was it? Washington only got like 40 or something like that. That was so there was a great disparity amongst the schools just because of their
1:19:55
1 hour, 19 minutes, 55 seconds
agreements. But the point is is that’s another category that the Big 10 is whipping the SEC’s.
1:20:01
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So what is the SEC typical distribution for teams? Well, it was 72 million in their latest distribution.
1:20:09
1 hour, 20 minutes, 9 seconds
And then so what was the most here for Big 10? Uh Ohio State with 91. So 18. Yeah. $18 million.
1:20:16
1 hour, 20 minutes, 16 seconds
They had a $340 million gulf between the amount of distribution to the teams. They have 18 teams they distribute to.
1:20:24
1 hour, 20 minutes, 24 seconds
So basically what I’m saying to put it in simple terms is they distributed 340 million more dollars than the SEC did total. Yeah.
1:20:34
1 hour, 20 minutes, 34 seconds
And that’s a lot. And so if you’re losing the draft first round,
1:20:39
1 hour, 20 minutes, 39 seconds
you’re losing the college championships every year, football, basketball, baseball,
1:20:47
1 hour, 20 minutes, 47 seconds
and you’re losing the financial war.
1:20:51
1 hour, 20 minutes, 51 seconds
Uh maybe it’s time that they get a new commissioner. I’m just thinking out loud.
1:20:56
1 hour, 20 minutes, 56 seconds
I mean, I don’t know. I think there should be a little bit of heat here.
1:21:01
1 hour, 21 minutes, 1 second
Yeah. Um, and I think you’re hearing a little bit of, you know, Kirby Smart as well has said that, “Hey, I don’t know about this SEC championship thing.”
1:21:09
1 hour, 21 minutes, 9 seconds
What about Lane? Lane’s like, “Hey, look,
1:21:11
1 hour, 21 minutes, 11 seconds
Lane’s not in favor of the nineame schedule.”
1:21:13
1 hour, 21 minutes, 13 seconds
Yeah, you make us play nine games. It hurts us. It hurts us because we’re playing the best teams in the country.
1:21:19
1 hour, 21 minutes, 19 seconds
But they’re not really the best teams in the country anymore. And Todd, you could say they are you could say that the SEC has not been
1:21:27
1 hour, 21 minutes, 27 seconds
the same as far as its power or its strength since adding Texas and
1:21:34
1 hour, 21 minutes, 34 seconds
Oklahoma. That was supposed to that was supposed to really jolt jolt the league. And you could say it I don’t want to say it’s watered it down,
1:21:44
1 hour, 21 minutes, 44 seconds
but it’s become well it it has diluted. I mean, you could probably draw a straight line. It may just be merely coincidental, but to
1:21:53
1 hour, 21 minutes, 53 seconds
their joining in the LSU, I mean, in the SEC beginning to lose uh to the Big 10 in in all the categories we outlined, it
1:22:00
1 hour, 22 minutes
like I said, it could be coincidental or there may be something to it. I tend to think there’s probably something to it.
1:22:06
1 hour, 22 minutes, 6 seconds
And I should say Big 10 won women’s college basketball, too. Yeah.
1:22:09
1 hour, 22 minutes, 9 seconds
Beating an SEC Well, they beat an SEC team in the semis, but you know what I’m saying. Um, so yeah. Uh, something to monitor.
1:22:17
1 hour, 22 minutes, 17 seconds
Well, wait. They beat Who did they Who did you beat Texas?
1:22:20
1 hour, 22 minutes, 20 seconds
They beat Yeah. Yeah. Texas championship. Yeah, that’s right. It was Texas. I was I was thinking Yukon, but that was u I forgot about that was the
1:22:28
1 hour, 22 minutes, 28 seconds
semis where South W Carolina got beat. When did South Carolina get here? Maybe I’m wrong.
1:22:34
1 hour, 22 minutes, 34 seconds
South Carolina beat Yukon because remember uh what’s his face had the hy hissy fit, right?
1:22:40
1 hour, 22 minutes, 40 seconds
And then South Carolina ended up getting smoked by UCLA, right?
1:22:44
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In the championship and UCLA beat Texas.
1:22:47
1 hour, 22 minutes, 47 seconds
Yeah. Yeah, there you go. So, it was confusing. We need to call Greg.
1:22:51
1 hour, 22 minutes, 51 seconds
I’m sure Greg Sanki knows that UCLA beat both of the top teams for the SEC.
1:22:57
1 hour, 22 minutes, 57 seconds
No, in all seriousness, I think that that they’re I think somebody needs to sit down and talk with Greg.
1:23:02
1 hour, 23 minutes, 2 seconds
Yeah, I do too. I do. I I think someone needs to tell him, “Look, it’s not 2011 anymore, buddy.”
1:23:08
1 hour, 23 minutes, 8 seconds
I think it needs to be Will Wade.
1:23:13
1 hour, 23 minutes, 13 seconds
Will Wade would be perfect. He could talk. Look, this is how it works. They sign, but they don’t sign,
1:23:21
1 hour, 23 minutes, 21 seconds
but they’re signed. All right, let’s take our final break.
1:23:26
1 hour, 23 minutes, 26 seconds
Uh, one more segment to go for the Super Chevy Dealer Studio here on Tiger Rag Radio, live from Super Chevy Dealer Studio.
1:23:34
1 hour, 23 minutes, 34 seconds
We’re back to Tiger Rag Radio.
1:23:37
1 hour, 23 minutes, 37 seconds
All right, wrapping up the show from the Super Chevy Dealer Studio. Again, want to thank Glenn West from 247 Sports, LSU pitching coach Nate Yesi, Matt
1:23:45
1 hour, 23 minutes, 45 seconds
Bellinsson from the Rustin Leader, and Koki Riley from the Advocate.com. Um, just getting back to our last segment,
1:23:51
1 hour, 23 minutes, 51 seconds
Todd, which was fun. But getting back to the what the American Football Coaches Association is recommending again um ending conference championship games,
1:24:03
1 hour, 24 minutes, 3 seconds
reducing open weeks and seasons from 2 to one. You still will have an exclusive window for the Army Navy game in
1:24:11
1 hour, 24 minutes, 11 seconds
December, but post postseason games can still be played on that day. and then reducing the minimum number of days between playoff games to no fewer than
1:24:19
1 hour, 24 minutes, 19 seconds
six and then also starting the season a week earlier which is now considered week zero. You’re and of course the 2014 playoff.
1:24:29
1 hour, 24 minutes, 29 seconds
Do you like all those ideas? I I personally do like all those ideas because I think it adds more consistent
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structure to the actual physical calendar, the annual calendar that
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allows them to manage transfer portal uh manage recruiting correctly and and it
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puts less pressure simply by taking away the conference championship games uh on a on a team, especially in the bigger conferences like the SEC and the Big 10.
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I mean, I do agree those those games are useless.
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They are certainly useless at this point. I’m just not I’m still I’m just 24 teams is a lot. I don’t like the 22nd
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or 23rd ranked team in the country does not need to be in a playoff. Well, then go ahead and just make it 76.
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Why don’t you just I’m just not a big fan. But I love And there is a I don’t know. There’s there’s
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the um there is the feeling to me that I like the fact I don’t like week zero because I like the fact that the season
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opens up Labor Day weekend. It’s Labor Day weekend. It’s time for football.
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Boom. You know, to me that’s that’s that’s just me. But if they want to start it a week earlier, I’m okay with that.
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1 hour, 25 minutes, 45 seconds
Well, if they’re going to expand the playoffs, they’re going to have to start it a week early. But I think they do need as as cool as I once thought that it might be that to have college
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football season in late January, it it’s not cool.
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It’s not cool. I I think it’s it’s just well dragging on at now. The part of the problem is like for Indiana’s sake, they
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1 hour, 26 minutes, 3 seconds
it they they didn’t play a game for 27 days and and that’s that’s got to end as well. So I agree. All right, Todd. Good show, man.
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All right.
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1 hour, 26 minutes, 12 seconds
All right, that’ll do it for tonight’s show from the Super Chevy dealer studio. So again, if you you missed any of it,
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1 hour, 26 minutes, 17 seconds
you can catch it up on YouTube here in about 40 minutes, 30 minutes, or anywhere you get your podcast. For Glen Gilbo, Todd Horn, I’m Jeff Warl. Thanks for listening to Tiger Radio.
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1 hour, 26 minutes, 28 seconds
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1:26:32
1 hour, 26 minutes, 32 seconds
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