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LSU is going in dry


texifornia

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5 minutes ago, Kel Varnsen said:

I'd just be worried that the ag will snatch up Traylor. I'm ok with them keeping Mimbo

That hire wouldn't be big enough for aggy to say "look at us!" 

I'm calling Jeff Fisher. 

Edited by Deej
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26 minutes ago, Js1 said:

I've been saying it.  Don't be shocked.  Bjork seems like a dink and got pantsed with the Texas/OU to the SEC announcement.   Woodward is his guy and vice versa. 

Yep. There is a reason there is not a whole lot of smoke, intra SEC moves of this level require there to be no leaks. Secondly aggy is saying the exact same things FSU did the months leading up to it. Denial is their only hope at this point

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  • 4 weeks later...

8 HOURS AGO    ROSS DELLENGER

Baton Rouge Stunned After Lincoln Riley Says He Won't Be LSU Coach

Quote

The spotlight of a wild Bedlam quickly turned after a postgame admission by the Sooners coach.

STILLWATER, Okla. — A few minutes into Bedlam, during a timeout, a familiar tune came wafting out of the speakers at Boone Pickens Stadium. The melody centered around a city 620 miles away from here, a place among the Louisiana swamps, in the heart of SEC country, amid the oak trees rooted in the soggy ground.

I spent last night in the arms of a girl in Louisiana
And though I'm out on the highway, my thoughts are still with her
Such a strange combination of a woman and a child
Such a strange situation stoppin' every hundred miles
Callin' Baton Rouge

This wasn’t necessarily an accident. It was a not-so-subtle jab from one rival, Oklahoma State, to another, Oklahoma, whose coach, Lincoln Riley, was/is at the center of LSU’s search for a head football coach. The same LSU that is located in, of course, Baton Rouge.

About three hours after the tune filled this raucous orange-painted pit of college football, Riley’s team collapsed late in a 37–33 rivalry loss that, if nothing else, lived up to its name. Oklahoma State returned a kickoff for a touchdown. Each team scored a TD after the other muffed a punt. OU forced a fumble that led to a safety. In all, a whopping 23 points were scored off turnovers or special teams miscues.

In the end, the No. 10 Sooners (10–2) gave away a nine-point second half lead, their offense scoring zero points in the second half against the seventh-ranked Cowboys (11–1), who march onward to next weekend’s Big 12 championship game against Baylor with their CFP hopes still firmly alive.

This story should probably be about the Pokes and their magical run this season. They possess one of the nation’s best defenses, an electric quarterback and a high-flying running back. They’re fun to watch. And they’ll be given their due later this week ahead of that meeting with the Bears (10–2)—a rematch of OSU’s 24–14 victory on Oct. 2.

For now, it’s time to call Baton Rouge, where LSU fans, boosters and even some school officials were left completely stunned by Riley’s admission after the game that he is, in fact, not a candidate for their job.

“I’m not going to be the next head coach at LSU,” he said when asked about the reports linking him to the gig.

Let’s first get something straight. The reports connecting him to the job—some even claiming he accepted it already—were wholly unsubstantiated and, for the most part, not credible.

However, this writer spent six years in Baton Rouge, five of them covering the football program. Over the last week or so, I have never witnessed the kind of buzz out of that city about one name since the 2015 season, when the university was poised to hire Jimbo Fisher before deciding to keep Les Miles.

Whatever happened between LSU and Riley wasn’t a complete fabrication. Influential boosters and others around the university expected him to be the program’s next leader. After all, how could he turn down a chance to be college football's highest-paid coach?

If this Silly Season has shown us anything, it’s that money—even resources, recruiting territory and conference affiliation—doesn’t always win out. It’s just not worth it, accepting a job at such a pressure cooker. LSU has fired the last two coaches, each of whom won a national title.

Riley’s decision, if there even was one, wasn’t the first. With three big-time openings available this offseason—LSU, Florida and USC—coaches around the country are standing pat, and getting paid to do so. Mel Tucker at Michigan State. James Franklin at Penn State. At Texas A&M, Fisher got a new contract before the silliness even began.

Most expect Luke Fickell to remain at Cincinnati. Brian Kelly has made it publicly known that he doesn’t plan to leave. Dave Aranda has made a commitment to agree to a new contract at Baylor. Even Kentucky’s Mark Stoops shot down a question about him leaving Big Blue Nation.

Sometimes, it’s just not worth it.

And so what now for the big three programs with open jobs? Iowa State’s Matt Campbell is an attractive option who could make a move. At Florida, Louisiana’s Billy Napier has emerged as the top candidate in a deal that could be finalized soon.

Is Napier now an option for the Tigers? Is Campbell heading to USC?

One thing seems certain: Baton Rouge might have called, but Riley didn't answer.

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

Brad White could make a move from Kentucky to LSU.

12 HOURS AGO         ZACH BARNETT

Sources: Brian Kelly targeting SEC defensive coordinator at LSU

Brian Kelly is targeting Kentucky defensive coordinator Brad White to fill the same role at LSU, sources told FootballScoop on Monday.  Sources said White is in Baton Rouge and a deal could come together quickly if White believes he would be a fit on Kelly's staff.

White has coordinated Kentucky's defense for the past three seasons and on staff for four, helping the Wildcats go 32-17 in that time. This year's team is a win away from a 10-win season for just the second time since 1977.

Prior to Kentucky, White spent six seasons in the Indianapolis Colts organization.

Kelly originally sought to hire Notre Dame defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman to run his defense at LSU, but Freeman was promoted to head coach at Notre Dame instead.

Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops widely credits White's defenses as a key to the Wildcats' success in recent years. After losing co-defensive coordinator Jon Sumrall to a head coaching opportunity at Troy, Stoops would undoubtedly be inclined to make a strong offer to retain White. 

This one is expected to play out soon. 

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  • 2 weeks later...

Not sure this is a good hire for LSU...

Bearcats offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock leaving Cincinnati for LSU Tigers, per report

Dave Clark, Cincinnati Enquirer  9 hrs ago

Quote

Cincinnati Bearcats offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock is leaving UC to join LSU head coach Brian Kelly as the Tigers' new offensive coordinator, according to multiple reports late Friday night.

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The Enquirer Cincinnati Bearcats offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock directs a drill during practice at the Higher Ground training facility 

Denbrock has been UC's offensive coordinator for all five of Luke Fickell's seasons as the Bearcats' head coach.

Yahoo's Pete Thamel was the first to report Denbrock's expected departure:

About one year ago, Denbrock stayed with the Bearcats after reportedly interviewing for the same position at Vanderbilt University.

Denbrock was an assistant at Notre Dame under Kelly from 2010 to 2016, when Denbrock joined Fickell at UC.

Denbrock also has coached at Indiana State, Washington, Stanford, Buffalo, Illinois State, Michigan State and his alma mater - Grand Valley State - where he also coached with Kelly for several seasons.

Kelly, a Massachusetts native, tried out his Louisiana accent while addressing a crowd last month at an LSU basketball game.

 

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LSU is hiring Jamar Cain as the new defensive line coach and run game coordinator, according to multiple reports Friday night, as Brian Kelly gets closer to finishing his first staff.

Cain, who spent the last two seasons at Oklahoma, was reportedly expected to follow former Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley to USC. He went as far as changing his social media pictures to USC graphics.

At LSU, Cain will reportedly coach the defensive line and be the running game coordinator. He replaced defensive line coach Andre Carter, who spent one season on staff.

Yahoo Sports first reported the move.

Cain coached outside linebackers and defensive ends at Oklahoma the last two years. A career defensive line coach, he has also led the position group at Arizona State (2019), Fresno State (2017-18) and FCS powerhouse North Dakota State (2014-16).

The hire gives LSU seven on-field assistant coaches, including four on defense. Kelly hired defensive assistant Kerry Cooks, then earlier this week he added defensive coordinator Matt House and defensive assistant Robert Steeples.

LSU can hire three more on-field assistants. It still has openings at offensive coordinator, quarterbacks coach and wide receivers coach.

 

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Brian Kelly looks to NFL, fills LSU football defensive coordinator spot with Kansas City Chiefs assistant coach Matt House

Adam Rittenberg    ESPN     Dec 28, 2021

LSU is hiring Kansas City Chiefs assistant Matt House as its new defensive coordinator.

House, who coaches the Chiefs' linebackers, will join LSU following the NFL season. He becomes the first coordinator hired by new LSU coach Brian Kelly.

"Matt checks every box we're looking for in a defensive coordinator," Kelly said in a prepared statement. "He's led elite SEC defenses, recruited and developed all-conference and All-American performers at multiple positions, and garnered ample experience in both the NFL and as a coordinator at multiple collegiate stops.

"He possesses a great understanding on how to defend the type of offenses we will face each week in our conference, and his ability to put players in position to make plays aligns perfectly with the identity that we want to develop with our defense."

Before joining the Chiefs in 2019, House served as Kentucky's defensive coordinator. He also has college coordinator experience from Florida International (2015) and Pitt (2013-2014). House is a Michigan native who attended Michigan State and began his coaching career at his alma mater in 2001.

The Chiefs have made back-to-back Super Bowl appearances, winning two years ago, with House on staff.

LSU considered several other coordinator candidates, including current Kentucky defensive coordinator Brad White, before hiring House.

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On 1/1/2022 at 11:50 AM, LTtxfan said:

LSU is hiring Jamar Cain as the new defensive line coach and run game coordinator, according to multiple reports Friday night, as Brian Kelly gets closer to finishing his first staff.

Cain, who spent the last two seasons at Oklahoma, was reportedly expected to follow former Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley to USC. He went as far as changing his social media pictures to USC graphics.

At LSU, Cain will reportedly coach the defensive line and be the running game coordinator. He replaced defensive line coach Andre Carter, who spent one season on staff.

Yahoo Sports first reported the move.

Cain coached outside linebackers and defensive ends at Oklahoma the last two years. A career defensive line coach, he has also led the position group at Arizona State (2019), Fresno State (2017-18) and FCS powerhouse North Dakota State (2014-16).

The hire gives LSU seven on-field assistant coaches, including four on defense. Kelly hired defensive assistant Kerry Cooks, then earlier this week he added defensive coordinator Matt House and defensive assistant Robert Steeples.

LSU can hire three more on-field assistants. It still has openings at offensive coordinator, quarterbacks coach and wide receivers coach.

 

Guess I can't recall having the same coach head up the DL and running game. How will he find time to talk to whichever unit just came off the field?

Edited by Gut Wagon
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Kelly needs a wide receivers coach and is going after a rising star

Sources: With staff almost complete, Brian Kelly and LSU target top SEC assistant coach

JOHN BRICE      JAN 10, 2022

SAN ANTONIO -- Brian Kelly’s inaugural LSU coaching staff is complete.  Almost. The former Notre Dame 12-year head coach, hired last month to take over for Ed Orgeron in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, recently formally announced the additions of Mike Denbrock as offensive coordinator, following Denbrock’s successful run as Cincinnati Bearcats play-caller, and Kansas City assistant Matt House, a former Kentucky defensive coordinator whose arrivals come after the conclusion of the Chiefs’ NFL playoffs run.

In fact, there’s just one position left for the Tigers’ staff, and it’s that of wide receivers coach.  Per multiple sources, Kelly’s top target is University of Georgia assistant Cortez Hankton.

A New Orleans native who spent six years in the NFL after a standout-career at Texas State, Hankton also has served as the Bulldogs’ pass game coordinator each of the past three seasons.

In late-November, an Southeastern Conference staff told FootballScoop of Hankton, “He’s coached at Vandy, Ivy League, played in the league and is sharp,” calling him a potential future head coach.

After just three years at Dartmouth, Hankton spent a trio of seasons on Derek Mason’s Vanderbilt staffs before joining Kirby Smart’s Georgia staff for the past four seasons.

Hankton and the Bulldogs face top-ranked Alabama Monday night in Indianapolis for the College Football Playoff championship; Kelly's efforts to land Hankton to complete his staff are expected to culminate in the aftermath of that game. 

Elsewhere on Kelly’s Tigers’ offensive staff, Joe Sloan is going to coach the LSU quarterbacks and Frank Wilson, the former UTSA and McNeese State head coach who’s returned to LSU, has been tabbed as associate head coach. Wilson also is expected to work with the Tigers’ running backs.

Kelly retained Brad Davis as his offensive line coach, as Davis just completed the first of a three-year deal he signed in 2021 after Davis came to the Tigers from Arkansas.

Additionally, Kelly is poised to add his former offensive line coach at Notre Dame, Jeff Quinn, into an offensive analyst role, multiple sources told FootballScoop.

The LSU defensive staff consists of House, defensive line coach and running game coordinator Jamar Cain, as well as Kerry Cooks and Robert Steeples – defensive assistants expected to split the coaching duties in the Tigers’ secondary.

Brian Polian is LSU’s new special teams coordinator on a three-year deal. 

 

Edited by LTtxfan
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On 10/11/2018 at 10:13 PM, texifornia said:

Some poor SID is getting a good kicking for this:

 

I was at that game and still don't understand why LSU was so super hyped for us. It is almost like they enjoy Bama owning them almost every year, but god forbid a team from the East they have no rivalry with comes to town. Weird flex, but they did kick our asses only to get shut out a couple weeks later by the Tied - with Joe Burrow at QB and a ton of other NFL talent on that offense no less. Unreal. 

Edited by Tomatillo
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Bolstering personnel and recruiting, LSU hiring key staff member away from Fisher, Texas A&M

Michael Ferrara is set to join Will Redmond in a revamped LSU personnel department

JOHN BRICE        JAN 14, 2022

Texas A&M has just been putting the finishing touches on a 2022 signing class that’s among the best ever seen in the modern college football era.  Now, Brian Kelly’s first-year LSU program is snaring a key member from the Aggies’ off-the-field staff.

Multiple sources tell FootballScoop that the Tigers are adding Michael Ferrara, Texas A&M’s assistant director of player personnel, into a similar role for Kelly’s Tigers’ program.

Ferrara, who will work hand-in-hand with rising personnel star Will Redmond – whose stops include Tennessee, MTSU, Kansas and LSU, helped play a key role in an Aggies’ 2022 signing class that generated national headlines for both its top-end talent – some half-dozen consensus five-star prospects have inked with the Aggies – as well as an overall total of 25 four- and five-star prospects in their class.

Like Redmond, Ferrara broke into the collegiate personnel/recruiting world under a pair of directors considered among the absolute best in the industry: Bob Welton, who heads up Alabama’s personnel department and spent nearly a decade as a lead scout in the NFL; Matt Wilson, who likewise has NFL experience as well as time running personnel shops from UConn to Memphis to Indiana, Mississippi State and, now, Wilson most recently accepted the challenge to lead up Butch Jones’ personnel department in Jones’ return to a head-coaching role after a three-year hiatus.

Ferrara is a University of Tennessee graduate whose SEC insight was seen as a key plus for LSU, which has indicated a plant to redouble resources and recruiting efforts under Kelly, hired away from Notre Dame last month after LSU had fired Ed Orgeron mid-season.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Sources: Brian Kelly adding extremely well regarded, veteran SEC coach Jancek to LSU staff

Kelly reunites with Jancek, who's run defenses at Georgia, Tennessee and Cincy among other stops

JOHN BRICE      3 HOURS AGO

If the measure is that of who a coach surrounds himself, Brian Kelly at LSU keeps making major moves.  Now Kelly’s adding a former two-time Southeastern Conference defensive coordinator to his staff – and a blast from Kelly’s own past as well.

Multiple sources with direct knowledge tell FootballScoop that Kelly has brought in John Jancek, the former University of Georgia and University of Tennessee defensive coordinator, for a key senior defensive analyst role on Matt House’s LSU Tigers’ defensive staff.

Most recently an analyst on Georgia’s national-title winning squad, Jancek has a history with Kelly that stretches to their days together at Grand Valley State – where Kelly first rose to coaching prominence and to the highest levels in NCAA Division II football. It’s also where Jancek first began to cultivate his own reputation as a keen defensive assistant.

The move to add Jancek, who like Cortez Hankins, another key hire made by Kelly off the Georgia staff, continues Kelly’s spate of strong staff moves in the past few weeks. House, an NFL assistant who previously worked with Jancek at the University of Kentucky, will join the Tigers at the conclusion of the Kansas City Chiefs’ season.

Earlier this week, LSU also added Corey Phillips in a prominent personnel role, with Kelly snagging Phillips away from North Carolina State and also, with personnel head Will Redmond wasting no time, hiring Phillips as Phillips was pursued by other Power 5 programs, most notably the University of Tennessee.

Jancek was architect of strong defensive units at the University of Cincinnati and then Tennessee, both key positions in which Jancek aided Butch Jones’ climb in the coaching ranks last decade, and Jancek also earlier had teamed with Willie Martinez to run some strong Georgia defenses for Mark Richt.

It was Jancek’s defensive units that helped the Vols to New Year’s Day bowl wins against Iowa and Northwestern less than a decade ago, when Jancek also coached future NFL Draft picks Derek Barnett, Rashaan Gaulden, Emmanuel Moseley, Kendal Vickers and Jalen Reeves-Maybin, among others.

Jancek also had helped run defenses for Mike Bobo at Colorado State. But it’s Jancek’s rich SEC experience, the Georgia, Kentucky and Tennessee stops chief in his decades-long career, that makes his addition to Kelly’s LSU staff such a significant move. 

 

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  • 1 month later...

LSU coach Brian Kelly: "We stand behind Frank Wilson"

Tigers' head coach defended LSU assistant who's faced sexual harassment allegations

JOHN BRICE    MAR 23, 2022

As LSU entered into its first-ever spring football camp under Brian Kelly, with practice scheduled to open Thursday in Baton Rouge and Kelly meeting media Wednesday afternoon, the Tigers’ first-year coach was left to answer questions about assistant coach Frank Wilson.

A former head coach at both UTSA and McNeese State, who previously coached at LSU and the University of Tennessee, among other stops, Wilson also had been among Kelly’s first hires to his Tigers’ staff as Kelly’s associate head coach and running backs coach.

Per court documents widely reported by numerous media outlets earlier this month, Wilson was alleged by former LSU associate athletics director Sharon Lewis to have “sexually harassed (Lewis) and another woman.”

Near the conclusion of his 35-minute pre-spring press conference, Kelly was asked about Wilson’s status. But Kelly casted a vastly different viewpoint on the presence of a lawsuit.

“So, we know of no lawsuit that has been filed regarding those allegations that were made,” Kelly said. “So his status here was unchanged. We consider those as being … egregious, and simply allegations that were unfounded.

“It does not affect Frank Wilson, and the person that we know and we stand behind him, firmly, as a member of our staff.”

Kelly also was asked about allegations of Wilson’s previous NCAA recruiting violations during his earlier stint in the Tigers’ program, though Kelly skirted the question when he referenced the Tigers’ current investigation from the NCAA due to potential rules violations in both football and men’s basketball, among other elements of the probe.

“Regarding the recruiting violations,” said Kelly, who stunned college football after the 2021 regular season when he bolted Notre Dame to take over LSU after it fired Ed Orgeron. “Those (allegations), I can’t comment on as you know, because we are still currently going through that process with the investigation.”

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Brian Kelly supports Frank Wilson after allegations of sexual harassment by Sharon Lewis

BY WILSON ALEXANDER | STAFF WRITER    MAR 23, 2022 - 3:00 PM

6221588dbe46b.image.jpg?resize=750,563

LSU associate head football coach Frank Wilson (left) has been accused in court filings of sexually harassing his former coworker Sharon Lewis (right), who was LSU's former assistant athletic director for recruiting. Lewis has newly added the allegations to a nearly year-old lawsuit that she filed against LSU.

Brian Kelly said LSU supports running backs coach and associate head coach Frank Wilson after he was accused of sexual harassment by former associate athletic director Sharon Lewis in an amended lawsuit earlier this month, calling the allegations “egregious” and “unfounded.”

“We know of no lawsuit that has been filed regarding those allegations that were made,” Kelly said Wednesday. “His status here is unchanged, and we consider those as being egregious and simply allegations that were unfounded.

“It does not affect Frank Wilson and the person that we know. We stand behind him firmly as a member of our staff.”

Lewis alleged in court filings earlier this month that Wilson showed her his genitals several years ago and that he kissed another female employee in the LSU athletic department without the woman's consent. USA Today also reported that they interviewed two other women who worked in LSU's athletic department and who described inappropriate behavior from Wilson.

Wilson has not responded to any of the allegations.

Lewis added the accusations to a lawsuit she filed last year against the school, which terminated her employment in January. Lewis' case argues LSU officials retaliated against her for attempting to report sexual harassment.

Wilson was hired in December as one of LSU's top assistants. He is not named as a defendant in the lawsuit.

"We are unaware of any prior allegations against Frank Wilson, and there is no evidence that any such allegations were ever reported to LSU officials," LSU spokesman Ernie Ballard said in a statement when Lewis filed the allegations earlier this month. "Further, none of these allegations were shared during the highly visible, independent Title IX review that LSU initiated last year."

 

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  • 3 weeks later...

Brian Kelly shares why "organizational health" has been a main tenet of each staff he builds

Kelly has turned around a number of programs, and he points to his focus on organizational health as a reason why.

DOUG SAMUELS       APR 19, 2022

Brian Kelly has been building winning football programs for decades, dating back to his first head football job at Grand Valley State from 1991-2003.

Of course, from there he went on to build programs at Central Michigan, Cincinnati and Notre Dame before surprising college football with a move to LSU this off season.

Having built a winning program at each of those stops, Kelly certainly has developed an intentional formula to maximize the potential at each school. 

Some call it culture, some call it alignment, but when asked yesterday about an interview he did with Sports Illustrated recently, Kelly was asked about his focus on something called "organizational health."

"Organizational health is communication, and people communicating the same way, when it's healthy everyone is collaborative and there is a cohesiveness on a day-to-day basis and I love where we are. We have a great staff that is able to do that."

It has been said that organizations are perfectly designed for the results that they get, and Kelly shares that is a big reason behind his focus on the phrase and why it maybe took him a bit longer to assemble his staff than LSU fans would have liked.

"So when we talk about that, in particular, there are always reasons that things go the way that they do, and one of the things that I identified was that we needed to have great organizational health."

"Every program that I have been at, that has been one of the tenets for success, so creating that early on was maybe part of the reason it was a slow start in the roll out of bringing the coaches out because I had to really make sure the foundational pieces were together for that organizational health."

Hear Kelly's full comments in the clip.  3:45 mark

 

Edited by LTtxfan
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  • 2 months later...
  • 2 weeks later...
On 4/24/2022 at 9:11 AM, LTtxfan said:

 

Got bored this morning and watched this through. I think Daniels starts but Nussmeier may take hold of the job if they are losing early. Kelly is not my favorite human but I think he will have this train rolling by the end of the year and will be a tough out if he is able to hold onto Nussmeier after this year. 

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