| LSU climbed the mountain to keep defensive tackle Dominick McKinley in state, flipping him from an earlier commitment to Texas A&M into a national letter of intent signing Wednesday. As good as McKinley is, rated as the top prospect in Louisiana for the 2023-24 recruiting cycle, the Tigers desperately need more players at his position, a cornerstone of LSU's hopes to land a spot in the newly expanded 12-team College Football Playoff. McKinley's signing was the big boost LSU was hoping to get, but the Tigers didn't get everything they wanted on national signing day. Terry Bussey, another five-star from Texas that LSU was hoping to flip away from Texas A&M, decided to stick with the Aggies. At least the Tigers don't have to lament the fact Bussey is a defensive tackle as well. LSU ended up with the nation's No. 7-ranked class per On3.com, as Brian Kelly cast a net over the Tigers' familiar and fertile recruiting waters along the Gulf Coast. Kelly has apparently learned a lot about what makes LSU football tick, as evidenced by the fact every member of his revamped 2024 coaching staff has one or more ties to Louisiana and LSU. You knew the LSU men's basketball team faced a tough assignment Wednesday night going on the road to face No. 6 Tennessee. It got even tougher when Jalen Cook was scratched because of a pregame hamstring issue. Things didn't get better from there as the shorthanded Tigers took it on the chin from the Volunteers 88-68 in Knoxville to drop to 12-10 and 4-5 in the SEC. The game was the start of a five-game SEC meatgrinder that also sees the Tigers play Alabama, at Florida, at South Carolina and Kentucky. The women's basketball team is also on the road for a dangerous game at Vanderbilt on Thursday night, with every game having a bearing on LSU's hopes to host NCAA Tournament first- and second-round contests. The Commodores are much improved this season though they have come back to earth lately, dropping four straight and five of their past six games after a surprising 16-1 start. The game is at 8 p.m. on the SEC Network. The 2024 LSU softball season begins Thursday night with a 6 p.m. contest against Nicholls State at Tiger Park. Jim Kleinpeter writes about the Tigers' determination to get back to their first Women's College World Series since 2017. For those of you worried sick about what Nick Saban might do in retirement to fill his lonely days, fear not. ESPN announced the former Alabama and LSU coach is joining the "College Gameday" crew as an analyst this coming season. I think I speak for many when I say I would pay good money to see Nick put on a mascot headgear a la Lee Corso, who apparently is still planning to be on the show. A couple more tidbits before we go. The 72-player field for the prestigious Augusta National Women's Amateur was announced Wednesday, with two current Tigers and a future Tiger on the guest list. And in what is becoming quite a familiar refrain, LSU's Haleigh Bryant and Konnor McClain took home more SEC weekly hardware this week. Thanks for reading, subscribing and making it all the way to the end of this lengthy newsletter. No one covers the Tigers more thorougly than we do, so check us out every day in print and online. We appreciate it. You are the mascot headgear to our Lee Corso ... torso. Scott Rabalais | 