| The news came a little like the thunderstorm that popped up Wednesday afternoon and doused the LSU football facility after days and days of relentless heat and sunshine. Our Wilson Alexander broke the story that defensive tackle Maason Smith will have to serve a one-game NCAA suspension for LSU's Sept. 3 season opener against Florida State in Orlando because he previously received an impermissible benefit. Like Wednesday's thunderstorm, Smith's suspension will come and go quickly. He is eligible to play starting with LSU's Sept. 9 home opener against Grambling. But this has the potential to be a season-defining absence considering how great is Smith's talent and how dangerous is Florida State's offense led by quarterback Jordan Travis. It is definitely a cloud on LSU's otherwise bright horizon. Two days after Sha'carri Richardson's amazing victory in the women's 100-meter dash at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary, Richardson and fellow former Tiger Mondo Duplantis were back in action and positioning themselves for chances to win more gold. Both breezed through their respective competitions, Richardson moving on to Thursday's semifinals in the women's 200 and Duplantis advancing to Saturday's final of the men's pole vault. A number of other Tigers had a good Wednesday as well, as our Sheldon Mickles tells us. The non-conference schedule for the 2023-24 season is out for women's basketball's reigning NCAA champions. There are a few tougher games on this season's slate compared to the last with teams like Virginia Tech and Colorado, though no UConn or Iowa. Read Reed Darcey's words (this isn't the last time you see a "read Reed Darcey" in this newsletter, I can assure you of that) on who LSU plays and when. Thursday marks 337 days until the opening ceremonies of the 2024 Paris Olympics. The beach volleyball duo of former Tigers Kristen Nuss and Taryn Kloth may be a step closer to getting there after they became the top-ranked American team in the latest ranking of Olympic contenders. Nuss and Kloth are No. 3 in the world overall. Only two teams max per country can make it to Paris, so staying up there is crucial. Finally, our "Future of the SEC" series looks back to the past on Tulane's far-reaching decision to leave the conference back in 1965. Guerry Smith has the tale of the Green Wave's long and often second-guessed athletic road since. Well, that's all for today, Tiger (and I suppose, Tulane) people. Thanks for reading and subscribing. Until next time, Scott Rabalais | 