BEAUMONT, Texas – Approximately 100 football players reported to preseason camp Wednesday as Lamar University begins preparations for the 2025 season. The players spent the majority of the day in meetings before hitting the practice field Thursday.
 
Entering his third season at the helm, head coach Pete Rossomando welcomes 44 returning letterwinners and 14 starters from last year's squad that posted a 7-5 (.583) overall record and just missed out on an NCAA playoff berth. The 2024 campaign also marked the first time since 1966 and 1967 that LU has recorded back-to-back winning seasons. If Lamar were to continue on that same trajectory in 2025 it means the Cardinals would at least tie for the most wins since the program's return in 2010 as well as tie for the most wins as a four-year institution. That is a pretty impressive stat for a program that won a total of five games in the three years prior to Rossomando's arrival.
 
Rossomando enters his third season having already set a school record for wins by a Lamar head coach after his first two seasons. The Cardinals received a first-place vote and were picked fourth in the Southland's preseason poll which was released at the 2025 SLC Opening Drive in San Antonio earlier this month.
 
Another huge reason for the excitement surrounding program is the fact that Lamar returns five of the eight players who were named to last year's All-Southland Conference team (Devyn Gibbs – TE, Kyndon Fuselier - WR, Elias Ripley – OL, Kortez Winslow – OL and Kristian Pugh – DB).
 
Thursday will mark the first of 21 scheduled workouts before Big Red opens official game preparation for the 2025 season opener at North Texas (Aug. 30).