If Orgeron doesn’t earn the job, sources tell FootballScoop that LSU’s committee believes they can and should land a home run. “Their sights are on national championship caliber, proven head coaches,” a source with knowledge told FootballScoop this morning. During the initial, exploratory phase, we are told to expect LSU, through representatives, to gauge the interest of some of the top coaches in college football, including Nick Saban, Urban Meyer, Bob Stoops, Jimbo Fisher and Tom Herman. Right or wrong, sources tell FootballScoop that LSU believes they will be able to attract a coach of that caliber.
Although the finances of LSU always seem to be changing, I have no reason to believe the powers that be at LSU will struggle to obtain whatever funding they need to attract the right coach. A source we spoke with this morning didn’t bat an eye when saying “Money will not be an issue here. Donors are ready to take care of a championship caliber coach appropriately.”
The state of Louisiana is going broke, but throwing tens of millions of dollars at a football coach doesn’t seem to be an issue. Getting one of those names to come, though, may be a different story.
In a coaching search, prospective coaches want to know who their boss truly will be. There is no question that Tom Jurich is calling the shots at Louisville. No question that Gene Smith calls them at Ohio State. No question that Bill Moos does the same at Washington State. At LSU, there are a lot of folks who are involved. Yes, sources tell FootballScoop LSU has already arranged a “committee” to lead the process in this search. LSU leadership apparently doesn’t trust Joe Alleva to get on a plane, go have dinner with their target, evaluate him and make the offer / seal the deal as necessary.
Maybe they can use Greg McGarity’s search firm.
Get The Picture 
Bill Moos….Washington State…..Mike Leach?! Mike Leach to LSU! Please let this happen
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Since “Their sights are on national championship caliber, proven head coaches” leach won’t be on the list.
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Louisiana has a rich history of both shady characters and piracy.
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Tim Brando, Louisiana to the core, said on Finebum yesterday that politics are back in play at LSU and they have no leadership regardless of who the football coach is. Sound familiar?
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I’d be for this. Replace one crazy sound-bite machine with another.
But why would anyone ever leave Washington State?
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Well sure it’s a garden spot – but who would have wanted to leave Lubbock Texas…the Pirate will travel.
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Then why does Alleva have the job?
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I asked a work friend who is an LSU alum this question yesterday … Alleva should have been shown the door at the same time the Mad Hatter was. He didn’t have the nerve to do it at the end of last year. Firing Miles now did nothing except probably affect the team’s performance for the remainder of the year … If I were Fournette, I would definitely be thinking about how much additional wear I would want on the treads of those tires.
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Insert “Chubb” right there for Fournette, and you could say the same thing for us.
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I have. Several times.
If we get our doors blown off on Saturday (and there is no reason to think we won’t) then I think Chubb should shut it down for the year. He gains nothing in draft stock and risks another injury behind this Oline of Matadors (we are changing to the ole’ blocking scheme this year).
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Agree 100%.
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I’m calling it now: Bob Stoops to LSU and Les Miles to NCST.
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Stoops would definitely take the job.
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I’m thinking he might, too.
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Miles to NC State would be a pretty good deal, I think.
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That wouldn’t surprise me. I asked an NCSU friend of mine if they would have taken CMR last year if they had run off the guy from Northern Illinois. He was like, “Hell, yes, we would have taken him.”
If Miles wants to coach again, he will probably have a number of suitors.
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I think Miles will have a list of jobs available. He has more ties to the Midwest…just feels like a Big X or Big XII school would be a good fit. I could see him going to Penn State when Franklin gets fired or MSU if D’Antonio ever leaves. Baylor could be a good fit. I still think Herman ends up at Texas or Notre Dame IF…and that’s a big IF…he leaves Houston. I think Miles could end up at Houston as his replacement if they make the jump to the Big XII.
I like the Stoops to LSU idea. Herman isn’t going, btw. No way he leaves a basically perfect situation in Houston for anything other than Notre Dame or Texas.
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The only reason I think of NC State or a similar program is that he can use his southern recruiting ties to his advantage.
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Exactly. Penn State might be a great fit, but Franklin has until at least through the end of next season before having to worry about being fired, and I don’t think Miles will wait that long. Keep an eye on UNC as well as Fedora is rumored to be leaving at the end of this year, but my money is on Miles to NCST. Oh — certainly take this with a grain of salt, but a friend who would know about all this stuff is the one who told me about Miles to NCST. FWIW.
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That’s interesting. Honestly, I thought NC State had fallen behind a lot of schools in terms of facilities and budget. Just seems hard to recruit there lately.
Other thought…Les would KILL as a talking head on ESPN. Could easily see him being the Jon Gruden of CFB.
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Fertitta says Herman stays in Houston…..D E E E E P pockets…
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Or Usc
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Miles could end up at Kentucky too.
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I can’t see Miles at UK. They want basketball on grass and that’s not the Mad Hatter’s style.
Wasn’t Chaney’s scheme at Purdue called basketball on grass? They could take him. He would probably also enjoy eating at various Italian places around Lexington with Calipari.
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I’d like Les to take a retirement job at Vandy. Sort of copy the scar model when they brought holtz and spur.
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By the way, and just a bit off subject, but I want to apologize for my comment made about Arnold Palmer the other day. I know it was just a little quip on a message board, but I was completely in the wrong and my remarks were totally classless, particularly given the timing. Apologies again everyone.
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We all do it … You’re good people, 3&G
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Thanks ee…I honestly felt terrible about it afterwards and meant to apologize sooner…couldn’t believe I was so utterly stupid.
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We all do and say things without thinking them through. Yours were Arnold Palmer comments. Mine were wedding vows.
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Holy crap that was funny.
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Herman they can get. Stoops maybe sees Miles and Richt and thinks if he’s maybe been at OU long enough? Doubtful he’s that smart, but you never know. Jimbo seems pretty settled in at FSU where he can get what he needs to win big and the admin is reliable.
If I’m Herman I’m not making any commitments until Big XII expansion talk is settled and/or USC decides what they’re doing.
Would James Franklin be in play here once LSU comes back to reality?
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I asked an OU friend how much longer Stoops had, and he said, “10 weeks?”
They’re ready for a change in Norman, too.
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I think Larry Fedora would be a good fit from a rational standpoint. Ties to Texas and coached at Southern Miss.
LSU fans would lose their minds.
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Jimbo isn’t going anywhere. And I would just as soon Franklin stay up North. That guy is damn near Corch level douchebag.
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No mention of Dantonio from Michigan State?
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Dantonio would be a home run hire
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I don’t think he’s leaving East Lansing anytime soon … Jmho
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IMO, the only place Dantonio is leaving for after MSU is a nice, sunny retirement spot. He’s 60 years old with some health issues (heart attack a few years back), so I don’t see him leaving to build another program. Plus, he has spent exactly zero time coaching in the south, so the overall fit just doesn’t seem right regardless.
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And he is worshiped up there.
Consider: Michigan State is to Michigan what Georgia Tech is to Georgia. And Dantonio is 8-2 vs Big Blue.
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Absolutely Senator. That UGA search firm started the day our previous coach agreed to resign and in a week we had a new coach. Can you imagine how thorough all those interviews were? 😉
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how many times do you think they had to interview our behind the scenes money guys to figure out who UGA was going to hire, anyway?
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I think that Herman should be thinking really hard about leaving Houston.
Say this big thing never happens, or drags out over the next couple of seasons, he could easily lose some of that shine. Sort of like the QB coming back to win it all his senior year and going 8-4 and losing in a bowl game.
Herman can have a job that is already better than the Houson job could be even if everything goes just perfect for Herman and Houston for the next 3 years.
Any slip up and he passed on better jobs.
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I would love to see Les go to Auburn. Just to piss everyone off.
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What does the state of Lousiana going broke have to do with anything at all? All that matters is return on investment. If paying up for a good coach ends up generating more revenue than it costs, then it’s a good investment. Why would it be better to intentionally reduce your profit and further impoverish your state? We may get Smart and his successors on the cheap, but will we really have saved any money when we are paying their buyouts to get rid of them?
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So how big does this coaching pay bubble get before it goes boom?
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Until we start having to pay the people actually creating the value.
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Yup
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I would LOVE it if Saban went back to LSU just to watch my father’s side of the family’s heads explode.
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Jindal bankrupted the public sector by handing the private sector massive tax cuts and subsidies. The state is broke. The people who will be paying the next coach are rolling in cash.
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your analysis is correct so one way or the other the new coach gets paid…through salary or alumni funding ..new coach makes big bucks either way and I think MLB nailed it…..LUS should invite Saban back….the upheaval would be biblical.
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Pass the popcorn. Holy delusions Batman.
Saban?!? Meyer?!? Laughable. Stoops maybe, but a stretch.
There are about 4 programs that you don’t leave on your own accord. Every other program is a stepping stone to that job. Alabama and Ohio State are two of those programs.
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Think Briles ends up at LSU. They want offense.
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He’s definitely offensive.
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