Tag: Jimbo Fisher

LSU’s Brian Kelly ranks among the 10 best coaches

Brian Kelly ranks among the four best head coaches in the SEC.

It was quite shocking to see Brian Kelly leave his post with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish after being there for over a decade. He turned in his golden dome for the purple and gold on the Bayou.

It looked like LSU was making a heavy push for Lincoln Riley until he ultimately took the job with the USC Trojans. The Tigers went with Kelly and it kickstarted a wild coaching carousel. Those moves opened up the Notre Dame and Oklahoma jobs and we saw movement like none we have seen in a long time.

While all of the carousel news is in the rearview mirror, we focus on analyzing their new situations. Where does Brian Kelly fall in line among his peers? According to a list from Brad Crawford, he ranks among the 10 best.

What 247Sports Says…

Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports

LSU opened the checkbook with its investment in Brian Kelly, who’s annually ranked among the “who’s who” of college coaches given his illustrious tenure at Notre Dame. Not only is Kelly an ace recruiter, but he brings out his best on gamedays and has won three national coach of the year honors during his career. Kelly has appeared in the College Football Playoff twice (2018, 2020) and reached the BCS title game a decade ago against Alabama. At LSU, the Tigers’ talent level should bring out Kelly’s best.

A look at the top 10 names on the list, Kelly has a lot of good company. We start with the former LSU Tigers defensive coordinator.

NIL Is Part Of The Recruiting Deal Now, AND IT’S OKAY: Daily Cavalcade

Recruiting 2022: NIL deals – and the potential of players getting benefits and money – are okay now. They’re part of the recruiting deal.

Potential NIL deals are all a part of the recruiting world now, and it’s absolutely okay. College football has to get past the stigma.  

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NIL deals are part of recruiting now, and it’s okay: Daily Cavalcade

– Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews & @PeteFiutak

Sorry if this take sucks, it’s not my fault …

I live in Chicago and it’s February 2nd. I don’t have a slush fund, just slush.

The coach doth protest too much, methinks …

So did you hear the one about the college football head coach worth tens of millions of dollars pretending to be offended because a few other college football head coaches worth tens of millions of dollars pretended to be offended because someone on some message board posted some “irresponsible” rumor that there were tens of millions of dollars sitting there designed to entice college football players who aren’t worth tens of millions of dollars to go play at a school whose football program is worth hundreds and hundreds of millions of dollars?

Yeah, so rival schools and coaches and fans were snipping and trolling because Jimbo Fisher and Texas A&M just got done bringing in one of the greatest recruiting classes ever …

Welcome to recruiting, son. It’s a contact sport.

By now you’ve probably heard, seen, and/or read about the Fisher rant. If you haven’t, I’ll sum it all up as quickly as possible.

The “garbage” rumor was that Texas A&M has some secret slush fund of about $30 million or so to go to players and prospective Aggies. Instead of blowing it all off as hoo-ha, laughing, and moving on, Fisher went off, honked at a few supposedly hypocritical coaches for questioning A&M’s recruiting practices, blasted away at anyone insinuating anything wasn’t right, and …

Yeah. It was basically just another Wednesday in the SEC.

Here’s my question. If it’s not true, why doesn’t Texas A&M have a pile of $30 million hanging around ready to go towards NIL deals in a systematic way within the rules?

Why isn’t it more? What don’t all big-time college football programs with big-time booster clubs and alumni bases have that?

It’s like all the coaches and schools haven’t figured out how reset the default setting to not think it’s a bad thing for players to receive fully kosher, formerly-improper benefits above the table.

It’s okay to have that money.

I know, I know, you’re not able give any NIL money directly to the players, but there are ways to do this. Oh, and by the way, they’re on scholarship and get stipends. They’re already getting paid, in a way.

It’s okay to fund other things – like scholarships for walk-ons – and use in creative ways as long as it’s not technically for NIL deals, and then use it for NIL deals.

But that’s cheating right? Oh, okay, but it’s cool to use that money to give it to … coaches?

Nah, you can’t give money to players, but there’s always enough somewhere to help pay a rich mediocre coach’s buyout clause to kick him to the curb.

Nah, you’re not able to entice prospects with NIL money, but why not have it and boast – just like major universities show off their massive endowments; like around $14 billion at Texas A&M – so anyone who goes to a top football school to play a high-profile position knows some cake will come from somewhere?

For example, do what Fisher pointed out Nick Saban so brilliantly did and grouse about how much Bryce Young is going to make as the Alabama quarterback.

– Recruiting 2022: 5 Schools That Crushed It

We must refuse to insult the intelligence of top college football players, prospects, and recruits by thinking they’re not factoring NIL into their decisions.

Coaches, schools, fellow countrymen, don’t make excuses if you have the infrastructure of NIL deals, funds, and plans in place.

Brag. Pitch. Be ahead of the curve.

It’s okay now. It really, really is.

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2022 College Football Schedules: All 130 Teams

How many of LSU’s 2022 opponents are in ESPN’s way too early top 25?

Looking at the way-too-early ranked teams on the LSU schedule in 2022.

As usual, ESPN released their way-too-early top 25 after Monday’s championship game.

As expected, LSU isn’t in it, but four of their opponents are. That’s not too difficult for an LSU team that will need the schedule to give them some breaks in 2022.

Let’s take a look.

Alabama Crimson Tide

Butch Dill-USA TODAY Sports

No surprise here. Alabama is ranked first in the early top 25 and they’ll probably be there when the real one comes out in August.

By Alabama standards, 2021 was a down year. They had a young team and it showed at times. Next year, those young guys won’t be so young and Alabama might resemble the Alabama people are used to.

Bryce Young is back with a few blue-chip receivers poised to break out. Their offensive and defensive lines should both be better too. LSU gets the Crimson Tide in Baton Rouge this year, but it still might get ugly.

The Tigers season finale opponent up next

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Harold Perkins commits to Texas A&M over LSU and Texas

Harold Perkins opts for Texas A&M over LSU, Texas as expected.

Jimbo Fisher and Texas A&M added to their five-star laden class on Sunday when linebacker Harold Perkins choose the Aggies over LSU and Texas.

The 247Sports composite rankings have Perkins as the top linebacker in the country as well as the top player in Texas. He’s the sixth five-star to join Texas A&M’s class and the third top 10 recruit.

To an extent, LSU was in this the entire race. But with all the coaching turnover and instability the last two years, it was never that likely Perkins ended up at LSU.

LSU will have an entirely new defensive staff in 2022 and Perkins didn’t even know what that was going to look like until just last week. Blake Baker, who served as LSU’s linebacker coach and Perkins’ primary recruiter, announced a couple of weeks ago that he would not be returning to LSU.

Perkins took an unofficial to LSU on November 27th, the weekend LSU just happened to be facing Texas A&M. He also took an unofficial to Baton Rouge last June.

LSU could have used Perkins’ services after some inconsistency at linebacker the last couple years. Landing Perkins would have been a monumental splash for Brian Kelly and LSU, but the miss is understandable given the circumstances.

McMurphy: Brian Kelly was LSU’s backup plan

Whether it’s picking a college, finding a date to prom, or finding something to do on a Friday night, it’s always good to have a backup plan. Sometimes that backup plan turns out to be Brian Kelly.

As much as LSU has trotted out Brian Kelly and made it seem like he was their dream hire for the past week it seems to be that Kelly was wasn’t the first choice.

Rumors with LSU and Lincoln Riley ran rampant, so much in fact that Oklahoma State trolled their in-state rival Sooners during their rivalry game by blaring “Callin’ Baton Rouge” at Oklahoma’s former head coach.

As it turns out there was someone else besides Riley that LSU wanted more than Kelly.

According to longtime college football reporter Brett McMurphy, LSU offered Texas A&M head coach Jimbo Fisher an eight-year deal worth $125 million ($13 million per year).  It just so happens that LSU was hosted Texas A&M on Thanksgiving weekend, two days before reports surfaced of Kelly accepting the job.

For comparison, Kelly wound up accepting a 10-year deal from LSU worth $95 million but that has plenty of incentives that in all likelihood will push it significantly north of $100 million.

Not bad money if you can get it, even if you were a backup plan.

Related:

Five reasons to love the Marcus Freeman hire

Brian Kelly gets roasted for his newfound southern accent

See It – Brian Kelly arrives in Baton Rouge

Details from Brian Kelly’s final recruiting trip as Notre Dame head coach

Ranking every SEC football coach

Here is every SEC head coach ranked after the regular season.

The regular season has come to an end.

It’s so sad that the 2021 college football season is already wrapping up, but man has it been an incredible year with more parity than I’ve seen in the sport in quite some time.

Things in the SEC have been a little wild as well. Georgia has dominated in a way that we haven’t seen before, Alabama doesn’t have an offensive line, Florida, and LSU let their coaches go, and Auburn started 6-2 and in a weird way fell apart in the month of November, a month the Tigers normally thrive in when the magic starts. It died in October, unfortunately.

Here is every SEC coach ranked from worst to first following the 2021 regular season.

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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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.

Former Notre Dame assistant a Florida possibility?

Will this former Notre Dame assistant soon be a head coach?

In a shocking turn of events from the end of September when Florida was 3-1 with their only blemish being a two-point loss against mighty Alabama, the Gators went just 2-5 since and fired Dan Mullen before their regular season finale against Florida State this week.

Where does Florida now turn for their next head coach?

Adam Dubbin of Gators Wire has put together a list of candidates for Florida to pursue and on it is a recent Notre Dame assistant and current Texas A&M defensive coordinator, Mike Elko.

Says Dubbin of Elko:

Jimbo Fisher made a big splash when he got Elko, the defensive coordinator at Notre Dame, to follow him to College Station in 2018. Elko, 44, is considered one of the up-and-coming coaches in college football, and given the fact that he is leading his best defense, which ranks in the top 10, expect his name to come up quite a bit during the coaching carousel this offseason.

Elko is a good coach and could be a candidate for jobs like TCU, but given the importance of this hire for UF, it seems unlikely it chooses to go with a first-time head coach.

I’m with Adam in that line of thinking.  I also remember the last time Florida hired a defensive coordinator from a Texas program who didn’t have any head coach experience and I can’t imagine doing that again would go over too well in Gator country.

Related:

See the latest on all FBS college football coaching hirings and firings in our 2021 coaching tracker

Could the LSU head coach hire get them back into the Arch Manning hunt?

LSU is not in the hunt for Arch Manning, but could the next head coach find a way in?

There isn’t a bigger name in the college football recruiting landscape in 2023 than Arch Manning. The Louisiana native has the attention of every major football program in the country. The Alabama Crimson Tide, Georgia Bulldogs and Texas Longhorns seem to be the top three.

That isn’t stopping Lane Kiffin from calling an all-out blitz to bring the family scion to Oxford where his grandfather and uncle both have their number retired. In the state of Louisiana, most of the top athletes seem to find their way to Baton Rouge. While LSU seemed to be in the hunt early, the talk of the Tigers landing the five-star quarterback has fallen off a cliff.

Can the LSU Tigers find a way back in?

To do that, it will likely mean a name head coach known for getting quarterbacks to the NFL. Three names associated with the opening in Baton Rouge would make sense.

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