Tag: head coach search

Jags fans, football community sound off on team’s decision to retain GM Trent Baalke on Twitter

With the news being broke that the #Jaguars would be retaining Trent Baalke, many took to Twitter to discuss it and almost none of the reactions were positive.

Starting today, the Jacksonville Jaguars can start their search for a new coach thanks to a new rule that allows head coaching interviews to be conducted two weeks before the regular season ends.

However, when it comes to a new general manager, the team will be retaining Trent Baalke, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. That means the Jags won’t be fully resetting the top of their football operations as Baalke would be a holdover from the past two regimes.

The move is puzzling for many reasons, starting with the fact that Baalke’s team building résumé hasn’t been that impressive as a general manager (his postseason 49ers team consisted of several holdovers). The Jags witnessed this first-hand as the roster has only been able to add one more win over the last season (largely due to the front office not putting much around rookie quarterback Trevor Lawrence this offseason).

Additionally, the Jags’ decision to keep Baalke is likely to affect the head coaching search. Most top candidates aren’t going to want to be forced to work with Baalke and would prefer to have a say in the general manager candidate. The reason for that is because the general manager and head coaches relationship is one of the most important in football operations, and if the two don’t see eye-to-eye, it leads to dysfunction.

Needless to say, the news of Baalke being retained came with a lot of reactions from the football community, and almost none of them were good. Here are some of those reactions from both fans and reporters who are familiar with the Jags:

Coaching Carousel: The lack of an LSU move could be telling

Could the next LSU coach be on the sidelines this weekend?

The name we heard most over the last week was Lincoln Riley, felt like it could happen. As we all saw, USC landed the former Oklahoma coach which begs the question, what is going on down on the Bayou?

Mike Bohn and the USC administration kept everything close to the vest. Very similar to the feeling we get from Scott Woodward and LSU. The date we circled for the first opportunity to make a hire on Nov. 28. With no movement on that front, is that telling for the future of the Tigers? If they didn’t make a move, is that because they aren’t moving forward because of championship weekend?

Potential candidates coaching this weekend

Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

Mario Cristobal, Oregon

The first name we will discuss is Cristobal, who has his Oregon Ducks playing in the Pac-12 Championship game against the Utah Utes. A rematch from just two weeks ago.

Luke Fickell, Cincinnati

Fickell is a name that was thrown around early on, many thought he would be in the running for USC. Could he take a serious look at LSU following their championship game against Houston?

Dave Aranda, Baylor

The loss by Oklahoma sent Baylor into the Big 12 Championship. That allowed USC to pounce and bring Riley to Los Angeles, could LSU pounce after the weekend with former defensive coordinator Dave Aranda?

Just some food for thought. If the LSU Tigers haven’t made a decision, it could be due to the fact that coaches won’t entertain any conversations with Woodward and LSU until after this weekend’s slate of games.

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LSU Coaching Search: What is next for the Tigers?

What’s next?

It was a rough 24 hour stretch for the LSU Tigers on the head coach front. While the football team closed out their 2021 season on a high note, two targets found jobs elsewhere. The Florida Gators hired UL-Lafayette’s Billy Napier and USC landed the big fish in Oklahoma’s Lincoln Riley.

This left LSU and Scott Woodward on the outside looking in for the moment. Some felt that it was close to a done deal with Riley behind the scenes, you never can tell with these hires. Riley trades the Sooner State for sandy beaches and Southern California life. Napier leaves the Bayou for the Swamp.

If Woodward plans on landing a big fish hire, he is running out of time and candidates. Or could it be that he has someone already lined up? Hard to tell but the last 24 hours have left a lot of folks on the Bayou restless.

Let’s look at a few names that LSU should target:

LSU head coaching candidates and their buyouts

Will a buyout give LSU any pause when hiring their next head coach?

The head coaching carousel spins on. We have seen both James Franklin and Mel Tucker get massive contract extensions. Another name mentioned with Dave Aranda sounding like he will get a new deal.

One of the big aspects of the search has everything to do with the buyouts. The LSU Tigers are already on the hook for over $20 million in buyouts with the contracts of Ed Orgeron and his assistants.

How much is LSU willing to shell out to buy out a coach from another school before paying them to become the next Tigers head coach? A look at some of the names being associated with the job and a couple that aren’t in terms of their contract situation.

CBS Analyst lays out coaching buzz for LSU, USC, and Florida

Whats the buzz according to Dennis Dodd?

There are three jobs viewed as top 10 gigs in college football that are open. We know about the LSU Tigers and Florida Gators. The USC Trojans have been looking for their next head coach basically all season long. As coaches decide to sign an extension or just stay put, the list of candidates seems to dwindle by the day.

Dennis Dodd of CBS Sports highlighted the three jobs and the buzz around each of them. Depending on who you ask, the candidates differ. We will look at Dodd’s list for all three vacancies. Are any of them focusing on the same guy or could all three conceivably get their target?

USC Trojans: Luke Fickell or Matt Campbell

Albert Cesare / The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK

We start with the job that has been on the market the longest, after two games the Trojans fired Clay Helton opening up the job. Early on we heard the names of James Franklin, Luke Fickell, Dave Aranda, and Matt Campbell. With Franklin off the table and Aranda trending that way, where does that leave USC?

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What Dodd Says…

Cincinnati’s Luke Fickell has been considered the favorite at USC, but it is not certain whether he will make a move at the conclusion of the Bearcats’ season. A wait for Fickell might extend well into January if Cincinnati makes the College Football Playoff, and even then, he may decide to stay. Iowa State’s Matt Campbell is also considered a player for the USC vacancy and may be available right away with Iowa State, 6-5, playing 5-6 TCU on Saturday.

Next, we have Florida

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Billy Napier had a completely different tone than others connected to open jobs

Billy Napier had a different answer than most when asked about the LSU and Florida openings.

Job speculation and being questioned about openings at press conferences is nothing new for head coaches around college football. James Franklin, Jimbo Fisher, Dave Aranda, Lincoln Riley, and this list goes on for coaches being asked about the openings at LSU, Florida, and USC.

More often than not you will have coaches that will avoid the question entirely, provide a denial, provide a nondenial denial, or like Mike Tomlin did and get heated by the mere thought of going to another job. Then you have current Louisiana-Lafayette head coach Billy Napier.

He has been linked to the LSU Tigers job, as well as Florida and Virginia Tech. Is this the year that a school and an athletic director finally draw him out of the Bayou? Or perhaps he doesn’t leave the Bayou and heads over to Death Valley?

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When asked about the job openings, Napier had a much different approach than other coaches. Fisher said he would be the dumbest man on the planet to leave College Station. Franklin said he wasn’t going anywhere. Tomlin said this would be the last time he would address the question. Napier on the other hand didn’t say no.

After Wednesday’s practice, the Ragin’ Cajuns’ head coach simply stated “there is no decision yet.”

Much different answer than some might have expected. A coach that was connected to Auburn, Mississippi State, Missouri, South Carolina, and Tennessee sounded more like a coach ready to make a move.

The whispers around Napier have indicated that he would likely take the LSU job if offered. What is unknown is would that be the same case for Florida, who has shown interest?

Hold onto your seats, the next week or so will be wild.

Two Big 12 games could impact the LSU Tigers head coaching search

Should AD Scott Woodward have his eyes on the Big 12 title race this weekend?

As the final slate of games arrives for college football in week 13 there is a lot on the line for many teams. Conference championship games, college football seeding, and even head coach interviews.

With so much attention being on the next LSU Tigers head coach, there are two games that could have massive implications for athletic director Scott Woodward. Teams in contention and still playing for a conference title won’t be interviewing for a head coaching position.

A pair of games in the Big 12 Conference could determine if the Tigers have to wait yet another week to interview some of these names. We start down in Waco, Texas.

Texas Tech at Baylor

Michael C. Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

The Baylor Bears and Dave Aranda will play their final regular-season game at home at McLane Stadium. They host the Texas Tech Red Raiders and are looking for redemption from last year in which a late field goal from Jonathan Garibay send Baylor home with a loss. That isn’t an important detail, what is important is the outcome of the game.

Aranda and the No. 9 ranked Baylor Bears will kick their game off at 11:00 a.m. CT. Provided they win, and they should as 14.5 point favorites the pressure will then be on Oklahoma. A loss removes Baylor from any shot at a Big 12 title game and opens up the schedule to interview for an opening, such as LSU. A win and all eyes will immediately turn to the state of Oklahoma.

Oklahoma at Oklahoma State

Bryan Terry/The Oklahoman

Much like the Bears will have eyes on the Bedlam with Oklahoma State hosting their biggest rivals, the Oklahoma Sooners, many will watch Tech and Baylor. If the Bears lose then this game doesn’t matter in terms of who plays in the Big 12 Championship. However, neither one of these teams will mail it in for that scenario due to what is on the line.

On Tuesday the College Football Playoff rankings were released. Oklahoma State was the highest-ranked Big 12 team coming in at No. 7 and Oklahoma is No. 10. If Oklahoma wins this game then they will move up and have an outside shot at the CFP. Their lone loss came to No. 9 Baylor. However, Oklahoma State has a good shot being No. 7 already. Wins over Oklahoma twice or the Sooners and Bears help their case.

The key here isn’t the seeding but what could come of the game. If the game is Baylor vs Oklahoma State next week in Arlington, Texas, does that put a potential interview on the table for Woodward with Lincoln Riley? His name has been brought up recently and it’s very likely he doesn’t leave Norman. The thing to remember is timing is everything.

If the title game is Oklahoma vs Oklahoma State in round two, then that would open up Aranda for interviews with LSU and likely USC. It wouldn’t be shocking to see Florida and AD Scott Stricklin come calling.

Plenty of action to pay attention to outside of Baton Rouge as the race for the Big 12 Championship comes to a head on Saturday.

Is the clock ticking on the search for the next LSU Tigers head coach?

Is the clock ticking on LSU?

One major domino fell in the 2022 coaching carousel. Penn State’s James Franklin had been a man in the news time and time again. His name had been linked to the LSU Tigers, USC Trojans, and the Florida Gators search. On Tuesday his name was officially taken off all three lists when he agreed to a 10-year extension with the Nittany Lions.

Early reports indicated that LSU reached out to Franklin’s representation but the meeting didn’t go well. While that could be completely fabricated, it could also be completely true. Discerning between actual news and agent-driven discussions can be difficult during a search for a head coach. After all, they are trying to get their clients more money, being linked to LSU has given Franklin and Mel Tucker new deals. Tucker has yet to officially sign his extension.

Could the Franklin news have an impact on what Scott Woodward is doing down on the Bayou? Yes and no. It felt like if Franklin left Penn State it was going to be for the West Coast. I even went as far as predicted that would happen, but the news ended that thought. Where do the Trojans turn now? Former LSU assistant Dave Aranda is a name that is being discussed in his home state.

The Aranda decision could factor into what the Tigers are doing if they start working down their list after missing out on the names such as Jimbo Fisher, Lincoln Riley, Mel Tucker. You could see a scenario where the move could start a ripple effect across the landscape. With Franklin out, the Trojans could get aggressive with Aranda. That takes another name out of the running. The Gators could then go get Billy Napier.

In this scenario, two names linked to LSU are off the table. No one expects Fisher or Tucker to leave their posts. Does that mean that Woodward would up the pressure on a decision from Lincoln Riley? Does he call Bob Stoops? Does that put more emphasis on a guy like Matt Campbell?

Adding to the urgency in filling these jobs is the December early signing period. These schools would prefer not to miss out on a recruiting cycle. Worse, should their next coach have his current team in the College Football Playoff, they would be looking at an even more truncated February signing period.

The clock is ticking for Woodward, and the longer it ticks, the more the pressure mounts on him. – John Marcase, The Daily Advertiser

One shouldn’t believe this will be a rushed decision, that always seems to lead to regret down the road. Whether that regret comes in a year or two or three. We will continue to monitor the situation as more details become available.

Which job is better: LSU Tigers Wire and Gators Wire chime in

Rivals on the field, and now rivals in the head coaching search?

LSU Tigers vs Florida Gators. These two teams battle it out on the field every season but now the two could be battling it out in their head coaching search.

Dan Mullen was relieved of his duties as head coach following the loss to Missouri. Ironically enough, one of the teams that defeated Mullen led to the separation agreement between LSU and head coach Ed Orgeron, Kentucky.

With both schools searching for their next head coach, Tyler Nettuno of Gators Wire joined us in a special ‘Behind Enemy Lines’ as we discuss both coaching searches.

Which school is the better job? Who has the better athletic director? Who ultimately winds up as the head coach?

Latest head coaching search buzz for the LSU Tigers

“Billy Napier is probably your basement”

Another week and another team gets added to the coaching carousel as the Florida Gators have fired Dan Mullen. He had come under fire due to the fact that the team keeps on losing, on top of his comments about not focusing on recruiting until after the season. Top prospects flipping to their biggest rivals in Georgia. The final straw came on Saturday when they lost to Missouri. Rough times down in the Swamp.

It is certainly possible that this job opening could impact the LSU Tigers decision, but Scott Woodward is further down the road than that of Florida. How it might impact LSU remains to be seen. On the subject of the Tigers hunt, ESPN published an insider story on the entire landscape. Our focus in on the Bayou.

“Once Scott finally gives up on Jimbo, he doesn’t have many obvious choices. Do you look at Matt Campbell? Can you hire Lane [Kiffin from Ole Miss]? Billy Napier is probably your basement.” – Per an industry source via ESPN (subscription required)

The ceiling has been reached for the Iowa State Cyclones or so it seems. Could that mean that Matt Campbell might be looking to leave? He would get talent at the level he hasn’t been able to deploy, having to convince players to come to the midwest. Not sure he would be the big fish that many believe that Woodward is coveting.

We have spoken at length about the possibility of Lane Kiffin, my gut says that it will either be Ole Miss, Miami, or Florida that ultimately lands him. Napier doesn’t feel like a big enough name, although I think he would do a fantastic job.

On the topic of Lane Kiffin, Adam Rittenberg of ESPN discussed why he would be intriguing to the Bayou.

Kiffin continues to impress at Ole Miss, which outclassed Fisher’s Texas A&M team in Week 11. Kiffin has delivered the quarterback development, recruiting buzz and on-field development that Ole Miss wanted. The defense is making strides, too. – Rittenberg

Other names to consider would be Dave Aranda, who just keeps winning and is one game away from a conference title appearance. He very well should still be in play.