Tag: Brian Polian

Grading LSU’s special teams in 2024 after Week 5

LSU special teams under Brian Kelly are a mixed bag. How is the 2024 unit?

Special teams were an issue in Brian Kelly’s first year at LSU. 2022 was filled with blunders in the third phase of the game and the Tigers finished the year ranked 92nd in special teams. The result led to staff changes, including the exit of special teams coordinator [autotag]Brian Polian[/autotag].

In 2023, LSU took a committee coaching approach to its special teams. LSU finished the season ranking 82nd in the SP+ special teams metric. This is an improvement from 2022, but not where LSU aims to be.

2024 has come with another jump for the special teams unit, with the Tigers up to 59th in SP+ special teams. If this continues, it’ll be LSU’s first above-average special teams unit under [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag].

LSU’s strong kick return unit is the place to start. Returner [autotag]Zavion Thomas[/autotag] leads the SEC in kick return yards with 242 and the Tigers rank above average nationally in FEI’s kick return efficiency.

Thomas’ special teams impact was a big factor in LSU’s decision to recruit him out of the portal and it’s making a difference so far.

On the other side, LSU’s fared well with kickoffs too. Kickoff specialist [autotag]Aeron Burrell[/autotag] has kicked off 25 times and 24 have been touchbacks. That’ll do.

An area of concern entering the year was the punt team. It remains a concern five games in. Punter Peyton Todd’s punting grade ranks last among qualified SEC punters, according to PFF. [autotag]Blake Ochsendorf[/autotag] hasn’t proven to be that effective either, but he has a small sample size with just three punts on the year.

Hopefully for LSU, an effective offense will limit the punt team’s exposure, but if LSU gets in a field position battle, questions arise about LSU’s ability to compete.

The most obvious aspect of any special teams unit is the kicker. [autotag]Damian Ramos[/autotag] is in his third year with the Tigers and continues to provide a competent presence there. Ramos is 5/6 on the year and is yet to miss an extra point. Just one of those field goals was for 40+ yards, but it was a make.

After the last two years, it’s hard to complain about LSU’s special teams unit. Outside of the punt team, this can be one of the stronger groups in the SEC.

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Former Notre Dame and Brian Kelly assistant transitioning to administrator role

Good luck to him in the next chapter

Most Notre Dame fans have an initial reaction when they hear the name [autotag]Brian Polian[/autotag].  Polian was twice an assistant on the Fighting Irish staff, once during the Charlie Weis era and then again under the second half of the [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] era.  Polian coached Notre Dame’s special teams and had the distinction of helping create the Hawaii to Notre Dame recruiting pipeline.

Polian was around Notre Dame football for a long time but his special teams units, especially in his second stint, were rather questionable.  Polian followed Kelly to LSU following the 2021 season and coached the Tigers special teams last year where some tendencies followed.

Polian took a role away from the field earlier this year at LSU but has now moved on from the university entirely.  He is leaving to take a job as the assistant athletic director role at John Carroll University, his alma mater.

Polian is the son of Pro Football Hall of Fame executive Bill Polian who helped build the Buffalo Bills AFC dynasty of the early-90’s and helped guide the Indianapolis Colts to a Super Bowl 41 title.

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Tyrann Mathieu suggests Saints assistant for open coaching job at LSU

Tyrann Mathieu recommended New Orleans Saints assistant Phil Galiano for an open special teams coaching job with the LSU Tigers:

This is interesting: John Carroll University named former LSU Tiger special teams coordinator Brian Polian as its new athletic director, opening a void on the football roster that one famous former player wants to fill with a New Orleans Saints coach.

Tyrann Mathieu responded to the news of Polian’s departure by recommending Saints assistant special teams coach Phil Galiano for the opening. Before he was hired by New Orleans back in 2019, Galiano worked as the special teams coordinator at Penn State and Rutgers, where he played a big role in recruiting. One player he helped develop at Penn State was future Saints punter Blake Gillikin.

He’d probably be a good fit in Baton Rouge, though it would open a hole for the Saints to fill on their own roster. Darren Rizzi has plenty of connections around the league as a longtime special teams coordinator with the Miami Dolphins (Galiano previously worked as an intern with him in Miami) so it wouldn’t be difficult to address that if it came to fruition. We’ll see if Galiano is on LSU’s radar.

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LSU assistant Brian Polian leaving to become athletic director at John Carroll

Polian, the Tigers’ special teams coordinator in 2022, is moving on after he was reassigned into an off-field role.

LSU staffer [autotag]Brian Polian[/autotag] is leaving the Tigers to become the athletic director at John Carroll University — his alma mater — the school announced Tuesday.

Polian has worked under [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] since 2017, serving as the special teams coordinator at Notre Dame and ultimately following him to take the same role at LSU. The Tigers struggled on special teams in 2022, and Polian was ultimately reassigned to an off-field role that gave him general manager-esque duties.

The son of longtime NFL executive Bill Polian, he will join the Blue Streaks, a Division III program outside of Cleveland, Ohio, where he played football from 1993-96.

“I am pleased to welcome Brian Polian back to John Carroll University as the next leader of our Athletic Department and an impactful partner for our faculty, staff, coaches, and leadership team,” JCU president Alan R. Miciak said in a release. “Brian’s experience at Division I level and his understanding of our institutional mission will add another layer of excellence to our Inspired Futures strategy that focuses on academic rigor, experiential opportunities including highly competitive athletics, and personal formation for our students.”

In a 25-year coaching career, Polian made stops at a number of programs, including a five-season stint with the Fighting Irish prior to Kelly’s arrival. He was also the head coach at Nevada from 2013-16, accumulating a 23-27 record with one bowl win.

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John Jancek details LSU’s new approach to special teams

Here’s how Jancek is approaching special teams with LSU.

Special teams was a major issue for LSU in 2022.

It led to a change, with [autotag]Brian Polian[/autotag] shifting into an outside roll and [autotag]John Jancek[/autotag] now overseeing the unit. At a press conference on Tuesday, Jancek offered some insight into how LSU is approaching special teams.

“I think we’ve made great strides. We’ve tweaked a few things, but not a lot. It’s not about what we did, but about we did it,” Jancek said, “That’s been our emphasis. I think the players have responded really well.”

Jancek isn’t the only one working with the unit. He has the help of several assistants and said every area of special teams has been divided up with their own coach responsible for it.

Jancek added that veteran assistant coach [autotag]Frank Wilson[/autotag] is one of those guys helping.

Hearing Jancek, it doesn’t sound like fans should expect an overhaul of the unit, but just a renewed focus on the fundementals.

“You got to have guys out there that do the little things right.”

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BREAKING: LSU on-field assistant joining Denver Broncos coaching staff

Tigers defensive line coach Jamar Cain is joining Sean Payton’s staff in the same role, per On3’s Matt Zenitz.

LSU defensive line coach [autotag]Jamar Cain[/autotag] is heading to the NFL after one season in Baton Rouge.

Cain has been hired by the Denver Broncos to serve in the same role on new coach Sean Payton’s staff, according to On3’s Matt Zenitz. Cain, who also serves as LSU’s defensive run game coordinator, joined the Tigers last offseason after two years as an assistant at Oklahoma.

He led one of LSU’s best position groups this past fall, overseeing the emergence of edge rusher [autotag]Harold Perkins[/autotag] and the elevation of [autotag]Mekhi Wingo[/autotag] to a starting role after [autotag]Maason Smith[/autotag] was lost for the season on a torn ACL in Week 1.

Cain is also one of the top recruiters on the staff and was the primary contact for players like five-star 2023 signee [autotag]Dashawn Womack[/autotag]. His departure is a major loss and the first real shakeup to the on-field staff we’ve seen this offseason, aside from special teams coordinator [autotag]Brian Polian[/autotag] moving to an off-field role.

Update: The Broncos officially announced Cain’s hiring later on Saturday. He will take on the title of “pass-rush specialist.”

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A full look at Brian Kelly’s updated staff entering 2023 season

Here’s who Kelly has on staff heading into Year 2.

Brian Kelly is entering his second year at LSU.

Last year, he was putting together a staff from scratch with few holdovers from the [autotag]Ed Orgeron[/autotag] era. It’s a different story this year with most of the staff returning intact. There isn’t a single on-field coach who left the program.

Notably, both coordinators are back. Paired with the returning personnel, that bodes well for LSU in 2023. The biggest shakeup came on special teams with [autotag]Brian Polian[/autotag] moving into more of a general manager-type role.

Here’s a look at who’s in the building this year on the football side and administrative side.

Former Notre Dame assistant moved away from on-field role at LSU

LSU just got better by default.

Notre Dame fans that have an appreciation for good special teams play may enjoy hearing this.  The other day I woke up a bit early and on my YouTube recommended videos was the 2018 Notre Dame-Michigan game.  So of course, I hit play and watched parts of it as it was mostly a tremendous way to start the eventual 12-1 season for the Irish.

Just minutes before halftime, Notre Dame took a 21-3 lead on what was [autotag]Jafar Armstrong[/autotag]’s second rushing score of the first half.  It felt like game over.  It seemed like the rout was on as Michigan had virtually done nothing up to that point.

But just moments later, Notre Dame’s brutal special teams play showed its ugly head.  Ambry Thomas returned the following kickoff 99-yards for a touchdown and that was it for the blowout, instead the Wolverines had new life and the Irish spent the second half hanging on to win 24-17.

That was one of countless special teams miscues for Notre Dame from 2010-2021.  Jokingly called “Fair Catch U” for the better part of the last two decades, [autotag]Brian Polian[/autotag] headed the Fighting Irish special teams from 2005-2009 and again from 2017-2021.

Polian left with [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] to LSU following the 2021 regular season and it’s hardly a surprise that it didn’t take even a year for Notre Dame to go from “Fair Catch U” to “Punt Block U” under Brian Mason.  Polian and LSU suffered their very unsurprising pile of special teams miscues this year that cost them severely in a few of their biggest games.

Tuesday saw Brian Polian in the news and in this longtime college football observer’s eyes, LSU got better as a result.  Polian will no longer serve as special teams coordinator for the Tigers, instead being moved to an off-field role that will help in roster management and not for running special teams.

If you’re a Notre Dame fan you’re probably thinking “Wow, what took Brian Kelly so long to do this?”

And if you’re an LSU fan, you can take it from me that you should be thrilled because the unit that was a liability on the SEC West champions a year ago just got markedly better by this move.

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LSU promotes John Jancek to on-field role, replaces Brian Polian

LSU will stay in-house to fill its coaching vacancy.

LSU will stay in-house to fill its one current on-field coaching vacancy.

Analyst [autotag]John Jancek[/autotag] has been promoted to special teams and outside linebackers coach after [autotag]Brian Polian[/autotag], LSU’s special teams coach in 2022, moved into a general manager role last month.

LSU interviewed several outside candidates, but [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] opted to rol1 with a familiar face. Kelly’s relationship with Jancek goes all the way back to their time at Grand Valley State.

Jancek’s playing days overlapped with Kelly’s time as an assistant. Jancek later returned to GVSU as defensive coordinator when Kelly was the head coach.

Jancek has SEC experience, holding positions at Georgia, Tennessee and Kentucky throughout his career. He’s coached defensive line, linebackers, and safeties.

Working with special teams and OLBs, Jancek will oversee two units that need some work entering 2023. The special teams struggles of 2022 were well documented, and LSU’s replacing its top edge rushers on defense.

With Jancek’s promotion, continuity remains a theme on LSU’s coaching staff.

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LSU special teams coordinator Brian Polian to transition to off-field role

Polian will now focus on GM-type duties like roster management, NIL and the transfer portal.

LSU has kept its coaching staff largely intact this offseason, but coach [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] will opt for a change.

According to multiple reports, special teams coordinator [autotag]Brian Polian[/autotag] will move to an off-the-field role where he’ll work with roster management, NIL and the transfer portal. The news was first reported by ESPN’s Pete Thamel, who described Polian’s new job as a “GM-type role.”

Polian oversaw many of these responsibilities already, and his new role will allow him to make those areas his primary focus. Now, LSU will need to replace his on-field special teams duties — something that was an issue at times in 2022.

Polian came to Baton Rouge with Kelly from Notre Dame, where he held the same role from 2017-21. He also serves as the team’s recruiting coordinator, and he helped orchestrate a 2023 recruiting class that ranked in the top five.

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