HAMMOND, La. – The Southeastern Louisiana University football team will open spring practice Tuesday at Strawberry Stadium.
 
The Lions will practice Tuesdays and Thursdays at 3:40 p.m. and Saturdays at 10 a.m. from Feb. 24 through March 28's Super Lion Saturday. The only deviation from that schedule will come this week, as Thursday's practice will be moved to Friday at 10 a.m. due to the LHSAA State Soccer Championships being held at Strawberry Stadium.
 
Southeastern is coming off a 9-4 campaign and its fourth trip to the NCAA FCS playoffs in the past seven seasons. Two-time Southland Conference Coach of the Year and ninth-year SLU head coach Frank Scelfo is excited to see his team back on the practice field Tuesday.
 
"We're really anxious to see how the leadership's going to evolve," Scelfo commented. "Who is going to fill the shoes of the leaders we lost from last season's team? We've seen that be answered during the off-season program, but we're anxious to see it continue to develop through spring practice."
 
Southeastern will have several new interim coaches as members of the coaching staff. Matt Bergeron has been named offensive coordinator and will coach the quarterbacks, Ryan Allgood will serve as offensive line coach and run game coordinator, while Ed Groth is back with SLU and will handle special team coordinator duties.
 
Scelfo also announced several additional titles for returning coaches. Secondary coach Dustin Landry added associate head coach and pass game coordinator responsibilities, while defensive line coach Tom Rinaldi has been elevated to assistant head coach. General manager David Mertens will also coach the tight ends in 2026.
 
All new hires and position changes are pending approval from the University of Louisiana System's Board of Supervisors.
 
Bergeron, a Mandeville, La. native, comes to Hammond after spending the previous eight seasons at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. His past four seasons with the Ragin' Cajuns were spent coaching the running backs on Michael Desormeaux's staff. The former Southern Miss and Lamar quarterback also had previous coaching stints at USM (2015) and Arizona State (2016-17) before his time in Lafayette.
 
"Matt has recruited south Louisiana and is well-respected," Scelfo said. "He's worked for some great head coaches and he's been parts of staffs that just simply win games. He's innovative and creative, while also developing great relationships with the student-athlete he coaches. Matt simply had everything we were looking for in an offensive coordinator."
 
Allgood, a native of Grove, Okla., is a veteran of the Southland Conference, having spent the 2025 season as the tight ends coach and recruiting coordinator at UIW following three seasons as OL coach, assistant head coach, run game and recruiting coordinator at McNeese. The former Oklahoma Sooner had previous coaching stints at Valdosta State (2019-21), Tiffin University (2017-18), Oklahoma (2014-16), College of St. Scholastica (2013-14) and Fort Hays State (2011-12).
 
"Ryan's been in the Southland and when he was at McNeese they led the league in rushing," Scelfo said. "We want to be able to run the football. A huge reason we're 13-2 in the SLC the last two years is our ability to run the ball when we needed to, control the clock and keep our defense fresh. Ryan brings a wealth of knowledge to our rushing attack."
 
Groth comes back to Hammond after spending the 2021 season as an analyst working with the special teams. The former all-conference kicker and punter at Central Connecticut State, Groth spent the 2025 season at Post University. He's also had coaching stops at Clarion University (2023-24) and his alma mater in 2022 following his first stint with the Lions.
 
"Ed did a great job with us as an analyst and we're excited to bring him back after he's had his own room over the past four seasons," Scelfo stated. "He knows our system, so having that continuity of terminology and schemes was really critical for us."
 
Southeastern will open the 2026 season Aug. 27, hosting HCU in Strawberry Stadium.
 
2026 Southeastern Football Spring Schedule
Tuesday, 2/24 – 3:40 p.m.
Friday, 2/27 – 10 a.m.
Saturday, 2/28 – 10 a.m.
Tuesday, 3/3 – 3:40 p.m.
Thursday, 3/5 – 3:40 p.m.
Saturday, 3/7 – 10 a.m.
Tuesday, 3/10 – 3:40 p.m.
Thursday, 3/12 – 3:40 p.m.
Saturday, 3/14 – 10 a.m.
Tuesday, 3/17 – 3:40 p.m.
Thursday, 3/19 – 3:40 p.m.
Saturday, 3/21 – 10 a.m.
Tuesday, 3/24 – 3:40 p.m.
Thursday, 3/26 – 3:40 p.m.
Saturday, 3/28 – 10 a.m. – Super Lion Saturday
 
TICKETS
For ticket information, contact the Southeastern Athletics Ticket Office at (985) 549-5466 or visit www.LionSports.net. Southeastern will continue offering mobile ticketing as the primary source for securing tickets. All tickets will be available via e-mail or text message in a PDF format for fans to download on their phone or print at home. Tickets can also be downloaded to Apple Wallet.
 
SOCIAL MEDIA
For more information on Southeastern Football, follow @LionUpFootball and @Coach_Scelfo on X, like /SLUathletics on Facebook and follow @lionupfootball on Instagram.
 
TOUCHDOWN CLUB/S CLUB
Fans interested in becoming active supporters of the football program are encouraged to join the Touchdown Club. Lion football alums are encouraged to join the exclusive S Club, which is restricted to Southeastern athletic letter winners.
 
All membership fees and donations to both the Touchdown Club and S Club (football) are available for the exclusive use of the Southeastern football program. Membership information is available by contacting the Lion Athletics Association at laa@southeastern.edu or (985) 549-5091 or visiting www.LionUp.com.
 
CLEAR BAG POLICY
Southeastern Athletics observes a clear bag policy for all ticketed events. For more information on the clear bag policy, visit www.LionSports.net/clear.