SAN ANTONIO, Texas – Lamar University players and coaches took part in the 2025 Southland Conference Opening Drive Monday at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in San Antonio. Viewed as the official start to the new season, LU joined representatives from all 10 league schools as coaches and players went before the media.
 
There is a new look this season as the Southland Conference is a 10-team league with the addition of UT Rio Grande Valley who is in its first year of football.
 
The Cardinals brought a 409 flair to the event as Beaumont's Kristian Pugh (Sr., DB) and Kyndon Fuselier (Sr., WR, Nederland, Texas) joined head coach Pete Rossomando in the Alamo City.
 
"We're all excited to have a new season under way," said Fuselier. "We have a new offensive coordinator and he has brought a new dynamic to the offense. At the end of the day, I'm just excited to be able to start the process of pursuing that ring."
 
It marked the second consecutive year the event was held in San Antonio, in conjunction with the THSCA Convention. The day kicked off with the announcement of the 2025 preseason poll followed by each team taking to the stage to answer questions from the media about the upcoming season.
 
Fuselier and Pugh are two of 14 returning starters from last season and two of five returning all-conference selections from 2024. They stand as evidence for the excitement that surrounds the program entering Rossomando's third season.
 
"This is a special event to kick off the new season," said Pugh. "I saw where the preseason polls were released earlier today and it had us fourth. The preseason polls are not really a concern whether we were picked first or 10th. We approach every week the exact same work ethic and mentality and we will let the polls take care of themselves."
 
Picked fourth in the preseason polls, the Cardinals have made a historic turnaround under Rossomando's direction. The Cardinals posted the nation's four-best single-season turnaround in 2023 with a 6-5 record – a record that came following a one-win season the year before.
 
For an encore, the Cardinals won seven games, jumped in the FCS Top 25 poll for the first time in program history and recorded back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since 1966 and 1967.
 
"We are really fired up to get going," said Rossomando. "We start camp in 10 days which marks the beginning of the building program for the 2025 season. We're really excited to have lot of familiar guys back in the locker room. It makes you feel good as a coaching going into a season."
 
The Cardinals kick off the year Saturday, Aug. 30^th at North Texas.