The LSU Tigers hosting the Alabama Crimson Tide is going to bring some very special guests, including the return of a live tiger mascot to the LSU sideline for the first time in a game since 2015 when the previous tiger, Mike VI, became resistant to getting into the trailer cage.

Mike VII took over Mike duties in 2017 and has spent his entire life in the certified habitat on campus, but it will not be him in the stadium on Saturday night as a mystery tiger is being brought in.

A Bengal tiger from Florida by the name of Omar Bradley is the one being sent to the sidelines this weekend as Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry has long been an advocate for the return of the unique LSU tradition.

“I think that the opportunity to bring our mascot back on that field is an unbelievable opportunity,” he said in October. “How ’bout we honor Mike VI by bringing us a live tiger on the field? Tigers that live out in the wild, they don’t get an opportunity to go around the corner and see a veterinarian. Everybody that has some anxiety over this needs to calm down.”

Landry further explained this week the reason for the tiger swap being because Mike VII has never been out of his habitat since he was adopted by the school.

As one of the more controversial issues in the state of Louisiana, all eyes will be on Tiger Stadium this weekend when the purple and gold run out in the presence of a live Tiger for the first time in nearly a decade.