Latest news with #Louisiana-made
USA Today
05-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
LSU football's 2026 offensive line class is loaded. Here's a look at every player.
LSU football recruits offensive linemen at an elite level. Offensive line coach Brad Davis took over the room in 2021, and his first crop of recruits included Will Campbell and Emery Jones. Both players were selected in the 2025 NFL Draft, with Campbell being picked in the top five by the New England Patriots. In recent classes, LSU signed Tyree Adams and Weston Davis. Both were among the best offensive tackles in their respective recruiting class, and the duo is expected to hold down LSU's tackle spots in 2025. In the most recent recruiting class, LSU signed Carius Curne and Solomon Thomas, two highly-touted linemen strong enough to make an immediate contribution. And now Davis is doing it again in the class of 2026. With a commitment from Bryson Cooley on July 4, LSU is building one of the top offensive line crops in the nation. Here's a complete look at where LSU's 2026 offensive line recruiting class stands now. Brysten Martinez, 4-star, Louisiana On3 Industry Ranking: No. 111 national, No. 10 offensive tackle, No. 6 Louisiana Martinez is one of the Louisiana recruits of the cycle. 247Sports' Gabe Brooks calls Martinez a "Run-game tone setter who showed noticeable improvement in pass protection from sophomore to junior year." ESPN is the highest on Martinez, slotting the tackle as the No. 86-ranked recruit. Martinez will look to follow the recent success of Louisiana-made tackles at LSU. Emmanuel Tucker, 4-star, Mississippi On3 Industry Rating: No. 204 national, No. 16 offensive tackle, No. 9 Mississippi Tucker committed to LSU earlier this Summer, continuing LSU's run of success recruiting the state of Mississippi. According to Rivals, he measures in at 6-foot-7 and 285 pounds. On3 is the highest on Tucker, ranking the Mississippi prospect No. 146 nationally and No. 14 at his position. Bryson Cooley, 4-star, Mississippi On3 Industry Rating: No. 387 national, No. 32 position, No. 14 state Cooley is the most recent addition to the class, committing to the Tigers on July 4. Cooley picked the Tigers over SEC powers like Georgia, Alabama, and his home state schools, Ole Miss and Mississippi State. Rivals is the highest on Cooley, ranking him as the No. 18 tackle in the class. Cooley was a late riser in the recruiting class, and it wouldn't be a surprise to see him finish as a top 300 prospect. Jalen Chapman, 3-star, Louisiana On3 Industry Ranking: No. 838 nationally, No. 81 position, No. 25 Louisiana Chapman is the lone offensive lineman in LSU's 2026 class listed as an interior player. He hails from Warren Easton, a Louisiana high school powerhouse. On3 and 247Sports rank Champman outside the top 100 at his position, but ESPN slots the New Orleans product No. 31 among interior offensive linemen.
Axios
15-05-2025
- Business
- Axios
How tariffs are impacting New Orleans parades
With the Trump administration's back-and-forth on tariffs, at least one New Orleans parade organizer is planning to forgo imported throws altogether. Why it matters: The change could accelerate local efforts to make parade throws friendlier to the planet. The latest: Krewe of Boo organizer Brian Kern tells Axios New Orleans that he's focused exclusively on throws made in the U.S. for this year's Halloween parade. "It's long overdue," Kern says. The big picture: President Trump's trade policies with China directly impact the bottom line for parade organizers, who primarily rely on imports for beads and other common throws. Trump administration leaders this week announced a 90-day period of lower tariffs as negotiations continue. Go deeper. Mardi Gras parade organizers still have time to wait out those talks, says Dan Kelly, who runs Beads by the Dozens and captains Endymion. "We're putting in orders now," he says, but just not having them shipped from China until things settle. "It's just got to ship by Oct. 1." Yes, but: With a parade date in the fall, Kern doesn't have that kind of time, so he's already made the decision. "I'm moving full-force toward all American-made items this year," he says. "We'll focus as much as we can on Louisiana-made — but the tariffs are affecting things." Instead, he says, throws will focus on consumable products like coffee, Elmers' CheeWees, Peeps, MoonPies and Jambalaya Girls' red beans and jambalaya mixes. Between the lines: "We may not have any light-up beads, and honestly, I don't really care."
