LSU has decided to fire Brian Kelly after a 5-3 start to the season. They are one of several programs with openings already. Here is a list of potential head coach candidates for the LSU Tigers.
It is rumored that Kiffin has interest in the LSU job. Kiffin has been coaching at Ole Miss for six seasons with a 51-19 record. He has three double-digit win seasons with the Rebels. Kiffin has had other head coaching stops with the Raiders, Tennessee, USC and Florida Atlantic. He was an assistant most notably at USC and Alabama.
Kiffin has shown to be a good head coach over his time at Ole Miss and a good fit for the new era of college football. He recruits solidly and is one of the best in the country at using the transfer portal. Luring him away from Oxford could be tough, but LSU has more resources, which could entice Kiffin. He should have plenty of jobs to choose from this offseason.
Joe Brady is currently the offensive coordinator of the Buffalo Bills. He has also been a quarterbacks coach for the Bills and spent time with the Panthers and Saints. His experience in college includes a stop at LSU, where he helped the Tigers win a national championship in 2019 as the passing game coordinator. He has also been a Penn State grad assistant and the linebackers coach at William and Mary.
Brady helped LSU reach the highest of highs in 2019 and he has done well with Buffalo. He will likely be in line for some NFL head coaching jobs, but his time at LSU could lure him, as well as the money that comes with the job. LSU will likely have him on the shortlist; it is just a matter of whether he has interest in the job.
Key is in the midst of an undefeated season with Georgia Tech, as they sit at 8-0. He has turned around the program, as he went 4-4 when he took over as the interim coach and now has a 26-16 record overall. The Georgia Tech job is his first experience as a head coach, but he spent time as an assistant at Georgia Tech, Alabama, UCF and Western Carolina.
The turnaround at Georgia Tech has been great and his team plays a physical brand of football. He will have to be enticed to leave his alma mater, but the pay upgrade and increase in resources at LSU could encourage him to move to Baton Rouge. Key will likely be considered for other big time coaching jobs, but will likely only leave his alma mater for the right fit.
Sumrall is in line to get a power conference job, it is just a matter of when. He is currently the head coach at Tulane, where he had a 9-5 record last season and has a 7-1 start to this season with a path to making the CFP. Summrall was the head coach at Troy for two years before that and posted a 23-4 record. He played linebacker at Kentucky and was an assistant at several stops: Kentucky, San Diego, Tulane, Troy and Ole Miss.
While he has only been at two stops as a head coach, Sumrall has done very well in limited amounts of time. He could help LSU start reaching their potential quickly. Sumrall will be a candidate for other jobs, including his alma mater, Kentucky, if it opens, but could fit better in the south, where he has already coached. His experience in Louisiana at Tulane will help his case. If LSU doesn’t get a power conference coach to take the job, Sumrall could even do better.
Golesh has already defeated SEC teams with his USF squad, as they were victorious over Florida earlier this season. This is his third season on the job with the Bulls. He started off with two seven-win seasons, which were impressive given that the Bulls won just one game the season before he arrived. Golesh is 6-2 this season and could lead his team to a conference championship and maybe more. He has been an assistant at Ohio State, Northern Illinois, Oklahoma State, Toledo, Illinois, Iowa State, UCF and Tennessee.
Golesh is known for his offensive mind and could work with some of the talented players on LSU’s roster if they are able to stay. He has done well with his own quarterback, Byrum Brown, when Brown is healthy, and his offense can be successful in the SEC, which was shown when he was the offensive coordinator at Tennessee. Golesh is another good coach who isn’t in a power conference, but would be a good fit.
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