LSU’s football communications office is about to mark another milestone, and Michael Bonnette is still the steady hand at the center of it.
Bonnette, LSU’s associate athletic director for communications, will begin his 27th season as the Tigers’ football sports information director on Sept. 5. A Lake Charles native and LSU graduate, he talked Monday morning on Talk Louisiana on WRKF (89.3) with guest host Jim Nickel, who filled in for Jim Engster.
One of the biggest topics was LSU’s 2026 schedule, and Bonnette didn’t hesitate when asked about it. The Tigers open against Clemson on Sept. 5 in Tiger Stadium at 6:30 p.m. on ABC, and the home slate is loaded with ranked opponents from the 2025-26 season: No.
8 Texas A&M (11-2) on Sept. 26, No.
9 Alabama (11-4) on Nov. 7 and No. 12 Texas (10-3) on Nov.
“Oh, without a doubt, it’s one of the best schedules LSU has ever had,” Bonnette said. “Especially the home games - Clemson, Alabama, Texas, Texas A&M. It’s as good a home schedule as you’ll find.”
That Texas game carries a little extra weight because it will be the first time the Longhorns visit Tiger Stadium since LSU beat No. 11 Texas 20-7 on Sept.
19, 1953. The Tigers’ other home dates in 2026 are Louisiana Tech on Sept.
12, McNeese State on Oct. 3 and Mississippi State on Oct. 17.
The road trip list is no soft landing, either. LSU plays at Ole Miss on Sept. 19 at 6:30 p.m. on ABC, and Ole Miss finished No. 3 in the final AP rankings last season at 13-2.
The Tigers also travel to Kentucky on Oct. 10, Auburn on Oct.
24, Tennessee on Nov. 21 and Arkansas on Nov. 28.
Tennessee received votes in the final poll after finishing 8-5.
The schedule also reflects the SEC’s move to a nine-game format, which gives LSU five conference road games for the first time.
Bonnette’s own run through LSU football history is a long one. He is set to work with his fifth head coach since taking the job in 2000, when Nick Saban arrived after leaving Michigan State. After that came Les Miles from 2005 through four games of the 2016 season, Ed Orgeron from the rest of 2016 through 2021, Brian Kelly from 2022-25 and now Lane Kiffin, who previously coached at Ole Miss.
“All very different,” Bonnette said.
He has also worked under three interim coaches: Orgeron before his promotion after the 2016 regular season, Brad Davis for the bowl game after the 2021 regular season and Frank Wilson last season after Kelly was fired the day after LSU’s Oct. 25 loss to Texas A&M.
In Other News...
LSU Already Faces A Playoff Reality Check Under Lane Kiffin
Lane Kiffins first LSU roster has been assembled to look like a playoff team from the start, with the Tigers leaning on the transfer portal, key retentions and a strong freshman class to give themselves a real shot in the College Football Playoff conversation. Even before the games begin, the schedule sets up the kind of weekly pressure that comes with being judged as a contender, because LSU is expected to be tested often enough that every slip will matter.
Still, the path does not have to be perfect for LSU to stay in the hunt. A couple of losses could leave the Tigers in workable shape if the rsum is strong enough, and there is even more room to improve the playoff case by reaching the SEC championship game. The bigger question now is how the seasons toughest stretches will shape the committees view when LSU starts running into the games that will define its standing. [Read more 🡒]
LSU Just Took Another Painful 2027 Recruiting Blow Up Front
LSUs work on the 2027 offensive line board took another hit when five-star interior lineman Ismael Camara came off the board, choosing Texas after weighing a short list that included LSU, SMU and Oregon. Camara is one of the premier blockers in the class and the highest-rated offensive line pledge in Texas 2027 group, another sign that the Longhorns are stacking talent early in the cycle.
For LSU, the timing stings because the Tigers have been trying to hold their ground up front in a class that already has plenty of national competition attached to it. Losing a player with Camaras profile leaves the Tigers still chasing answers in a recruiting race that has become increasingly unforgiving, especially with other elite linemen around the country narrowing their choices and making every miss feel bigger. [Read more 🡒]