If LSU can land Lane Kiffin, do it and don’t think twice. But don’t limit the search to big, household names.
Scott Woodward’s obsession with big-game hunting produces mixed results.
LSU remains a top job, even after Brian Kelly misfire.
Scott Woodward’s got something of an obsession with hiring big-name coaches. His track record shows checkered results.
LSU’s athletic director shouldn’t retire his strategy just because he failed to hit a home run with Brian Kelly. In fact, I say consider another big, big swing, because one big name looms over this coaching carousel: Lane Kiffin.
If LSU can land Kiffin, who’s charging toward the College Football Playoff at Mississippi, do it and don’t think twice.
Kiffin absolutely would mesh with Woodward’s big-name affections. He’d fit LSU’s needs, too. Unlike two of Woodward’s past football hires, Jimbo Fisher at Texas A&M and Kelly at LSU, Kiffin’s career is trending up. His Rebels beat LSU twice in the past three seasons. He’s in his prime. His floor is lofty, his ceiling untapped.
Kiffin holds an enviable hand. His toughest choice might be deciding whether to stay at Mississippi, gravitate to Florida or pounce on LSU. He’s a top name in this chaotic coaching carousel.
Woodward, though, cannot afford to be starstruck by just any name-brand coach at the expense of overlooking lesser-known options who would profile as intriguing candidates, too.
Lane Kiffin would be a hit at LSU, but who else is worth a sniff?
Louisville’s Jeff Brohm would be a boon for an LSU offense that lost its way, despite a talented quarterback and capable receivers. Never mind the optics of hiring from Tulane, an in-state Group of Five, because Jon Sumrall’s winning track record makes him worth an interview. Georgia Tech’s Brent Key could rectify LSU’s toughness problem.
Three of the nation’s top coaches — Georgia’s Kirby Smart, Ohio State’s Ryan Day and Oregon’s Dan Lanning — had not previously been head coaches before ascending to their current roles. Indiana hot shot Curt Cignetti never coached in the Power Four before he told everyone to Google him and then started shredding Big Ten foes.
The SEC’s first-place team, Texas A&M, hired Mike Elko from a Duke, a basketball school.
Point being, it’s possible to make a strong hire without raiding somebody else’s $9 million coach. It’s also possible to whiff despite plundering a household name.
Two of Woodward’s other big-name LSU hires — women’s basketball coach Kim Mulkey and baseball coach Jay Johnson — have supplied national championships. His strategy isn’t broken beyond repair. It’s not a slam dunk, either.
If Dabo Swinney seeks for a lifeline out of Clemson, sorry, pal. Tyler from Spartanburg called that freefall. LSU needs a coach on his way up and who’s suited to this NIL and transfer era. James Franklin wants back in the business, but he shouldn’t get to fail forward to LSU.
LSU can learn from its Brian Kelly misfire
By firing Kelly, LSU reaffirmed its lofty standards. Kelly went 34-14, he beat Nick Saban in his first season, and he produced a Heisman Trophy winner, but he couldn’t overcome never making the playoff at a school that expects national championships. He also never fit Louisiana’s culture.
LSU needs a ball coach, not another slick-talking politician.
Kelly showed up speaking like Nic Cage in “Con Air.” That act soured while losses mounted. Kelly’s heir doesn’t have to speak Southern or suck crawfish heads, although I personally recommend the latter.
Just don’t fake it. And beat your rivals.
Just as importantly, LSU requires a hire who’ll reinstall swagger into a program that ought to ooze it but somehow became deficient of juice during a season when its embattled coach looked tired and angry.
LSU remains a top job
Even amid a crowded coaching carousel, LSU became the best job on the market, or at the very least pulled alongside Penn State. Each of Kelly’s three predecessors won a national championship.
LSU will attract big names. At least one, Kiffin, demands strong consideration.
Woodward shouldn’t shelve his big-game hunting gear just because he misfired with Kelly. Just don’t become married to the strategy, at the cost of missing out on other prime candidates whose careers are on the rise. From Lanning to Cignetti to Elko, other schools proved that bagging a quality, ascending coach who fits the needs trumps all.
Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network’s senior national college football columnist. Email him at BToppmeyer@gannett.com and follow him on X @btoppmeyer.