The LSU Tigers and athletic director Scott Woodward are ushering in a new era of football. Ed Orgeron leaves the program after five seasons as the head coach that ended with a 6-6 campaign in 2021. Orgeron broke through in the 2019 season led by former Ohio State transfer Joe Burrow. Now it is Brian Kelly’s turn to bring a title to the Bayou, something that has eluded him since he joined Notre Dame in 2010.
According to Stewart Mandel’s grades for all 29 FBS hires (subscription required), LSU’s hire of Brian Kelly was among the best in the Power Five.
What Mandel Says…
Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports
LSU athletic director Scott Woodward desperately wanted to lure Jimbo Fisher to Baton Rouge. Hiring the winningest coach in Notre Dame history was quite the Plan B. Kelly, 60, whose teams made the CFP in 2018 and ’20 and won 10-plus games in six of the last seven seasons, should be able to recruit at a higher level than he could in South Bend. The “minus” is due to concerns…