by LONN PHILLIPS SULLIVAN
@LonnPhillips
Florida are out to grab who they feel is the best coach out of the current pool, which seems to include Lane Kiffin, Billy Napier, Mel Tucker, Lincoln Riley, Matt Campbell, Bill O'Brien, James Franklin and Dave Aranda as just a few of the more realistic names thrown in the mix for the open head coaching jobs at LSU, USC and Florida.....three of the top 10 biggest programs in college football, both traditional blue bloods and 21st century champions, all open at the same time.....it's a neat scenario that only very rarely plays out.
So, it looks as if the Gators are looking to pounce first, going after the polar opposite of their previous coach, Billy Napier. Isn't Napier the opposing force of the careless, ludicrous insanity of Dan Mullen?
It's a smart play if Florida signs Napier, a prime candidate for the LSU job himself; the Gators would be avoiding characters such as Kiffin, egomaniacs like O'Brien or Franklin, while giving themselves someone who could really take Florida's struggling recruiting back to the Meyer-era stratosphere, all as he stabilizes what has been a wildly undisciplined environment.
The tone and aggression of Florida's Napier pursuit is the exact model Scott Woodward should follow....in fact, Woody's hire for the LSU head coaching job should be done at this point, at least in a behind the scenes sense, right????
If not, I would be very worried if I were in their expensive, Italian leather shoes:
What I'm hearing though?
You might want to take Dave Aranda's name off of your LSU wishlist....
I'm hearing from one of USC's freshmen stars, a player who's transfer would be disastrous to the Trojans' future, that Dave Aranda is who USC's top brass are aiming to bring in as the next USC Head Coach.
This is only from a single source, and though the source would know, it's still just a single person & their family telling me this information; at the same time, this player was a big fan of Aranda during his recruitment. The excitement was tangible, and we're talking about someone who isn't usually given to random, unstoppable waves of emotion.
So, if LSU's top two candidates, according to Glen Guilbeau and Jordy Culotta, both Billy Napier & Dave Aranda, are at least in major discussions to head to Florida and potentially USC, with no news about these candidates rebuffing those advances saying "LSU is where I'm going".....then what else are we to believe except: LSU already have their man???
From what I've heard throughout the entire head coaching search, fortified by our November 1st report (issued before any local or national coverage regarding this name came about), I have to believe LSU have found their guy at this juncture:
Scott Woodward is no fool.....
It would not only be bizarre, brazen, and extremely foolish for Woody to select either Jimbo Fisher, Luke Fickell, Mike Stoops, Bill O'Brien or Matt Campbell....in fact, those names really make no sense, and I'm not just talking about their previous win or loss records or recruiting capabilities, I'm talking their personalities, level of ambition, location, or their ability to organize and lead.....
Forget winning the press conference, if you hire either O'Brien or Campbell, you're not winning the SEC West.
Like I've said before....if Scott Woodward is so far down the list of strikeouts he's looking at O'Brien, Fickell, Stoops, or Campbell, he may as well geaux all in for Lane Kiffin.
Surprisingly, outside of Lane Kiffin, Stoops is really the best name out of the bunch from above, or as we should call them "The Castaway List" (Jimbo, Fickell, Stoops, O'Brien, Campbell), but if LSU's athletic department are in the weeds of those names, then we have a lot more to worry about than some high profile transfers or decommitments....
The time for LSU hiring guys who "can get it done" is over.....it's time the Tigers hire an innovator, a worker, a culture guy, an offensive powerhouse to complement our rising defense under first year coordinator Daronte Jones.
Since the LSU head coach's firing, Daronte Jones is finally free from Orgeron's obsession with the 4-3 base formation, and now free of Coach O's meddling, his defense recorded historic numbers vs Alabama (6 rushing yards & 20 points), holding Florida's top SEC rushing attack & then-#1 nationally ranked rush average offense to 3.6 yards per carry & barely over 100 yards, before smashing Arkansas' 244 rushing yards to 141....all without 7-8 starters (5 All-American level talents), new injuries each game, a bone-thin secondary, and even a DL starter opting out to pursue a rap career.
What does this tell us?
If he hasn't sealed his own extension, producing historic performances against insurmountable injury odds and Off field chaos, then Daronte Jones is at least in contention for the DC job next season; plus, witnessing drastic defensive improvements, with our squad so depleted they were down to 3rd or 4th stringers, proves that LSU's defensive woes over 2020-21 have been an anomaly more than anything......
LSU should be making an offensive hire here....and you know all should know by now who I believe the guy is....
They're waiting on a few things to be worked out, such as a season to be finished, along certain other contractual factors, but for all intents & purposes, they had to get their guy secured over this past week, and they're doing that right now.
Expect the whispers to grow into yells, then shouts, and finally screams as the news begins to leak in the lead-up to this weekend, making LSU's bout vs Texas A&M a truly wild atmosphere for all to take in.
There's only been one leak out of LSU's athletic department thus far....the Lincoln Riley frontrunner candidacy & talks reported by LSUODYSSEY, and we'll do our best to grab another if Woodward leaves the faucet on again.
RIGHT NOW
Napier to Florida
Riley to LSU
Kiffin to Miami
Aranda to USC
Tucker stays at Michigan St
by LONN PHILLIPS SULLIVAN
@LonnPhillips
Copyright 2021 Uninterrupted Writings Inc
SHOUTOUTS: Thank you T-Bob, Jacob & Gordy!
love all of your comments!! Mike, Louis, Kevin, Michael, Steve! You guys kick ass!
This is getting crazy but if you've been subscribing you know this: we've hit this coaching search out of the park. There's a lot of people like Matt Moscana claiming Jimbo is still the leader and all this crap and Jordy obsessing over Dave Aranda and Napier, like.....there's a lot of people out there who don't want it to be Lincoln Riley....because then they know who they'll have to pay dues to THAT https://www.lsuodyssey.com/post/head-coaching-update
Though there are undoubtedly things that have to play out, I hope we can have this validated quickly. Imagine what it would do to solidify the roster, solidify current recruits, open up new recruits and portal opportunities, and clarify the lives of the assistant coaches. Not to mention soothing my addled nerves. 😂
Kiffin to the U?? Interesting...if its Riley or Napier I'm good plus like u say keeping Jones as DC is fine with me..and coaches Baker and Raymond staying on builds a foundation for this defense
It would be fine if this plays out. If Woodward gets a second tier candidate, we know he was boxed out. That would tarnish a very strong reputation for deft negotiation.
I personally think its a mistake to let Kiffin get away from us. He is the exact person we need to take down Bama. He is Brash and Confident. Riley seems like a Big 12 over achiever to me nothing more