Who is going to be LSU’s offensive coordinator

Brian Kelly has filled the roles of two coordinators for the LSU Tigers in 2022. First, it was Brian Polian, who comes over from the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Recently Kelly also named Matt House as the new defensive coordinator. House currently serves as the linebackers coach for the Kansas City Chiefs.

This leaves the offensive coordinator role left up for grabs. Based on the delayed announcement, one can only presume that it will end up being Mike Denbrock. On Friday, Denbock’s offense is set to take on the Alabama Crimson Tide in the CFP semifinal at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Not making an announcement could mean one of two things.

Either he wants to wait until the conclusion of the Cincinnati Bearcats season or Kelly is still working through candidates. I would lean towards the former. Denbrock and Kelly have a previous relationship from their time together at Grand Valley State and Notre Dame. It seems fairly simple to connect the dots here.

Denbrock’s scoring offense in Cincinnati:

• 2017: 20.9 PPG (No. 111)
• 2018: 34.9 PPG (No. 23)
• 2019: 29.6 PPG (No. 60)
• 2020: 37.5 PPG (No. 17)
• 2021: 39.2 PPG (No. 9)

Three times over the past five years the Bearcats have produced a top 25 offense under Denbrock. Kelly saw that offense first hand against his defense in 2021. The Bearcats beat the Irish 24-13 behind the performance of the quarterback, who accounted for all three touchdowns. Desmond Ridder threw for 297 yards with two touchdowns and added 26 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown.

At this point, it feels like a foregone conclusion that it will be Mike Denbrock, who takes over as the offensive coordinator. It is just a matter of when.

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