ATVS Roundtable: OC Wish Lists

Well, as it becomes increasingly evident that Matt Canada is not long for LSU, who would you pick as his replacement?

PodKatt

Would it be too crazy to seriously suggest Lane Kiffin? I mean, if we’re willing to pay Canda’s $3 Million buyout just because they don’t like the guy, we can easily cover the FAU buyout. He’s who O wanted in the first place, why not try again?

Corey

Drew Brees leads the Saints to a second Super Bowl but notices the game is eluding him and retires so he can ride off into the sunset. Realizing he still wants to give back to the state that has shown him so much love, he decides to become LSU OC in order to revive the LSU offense, putting together one of the most prolific offenses in NCAA history.

Sorry, I think New Year’s is still following me. In a perfect world, give me Tee Martin at USC. Great offense this season, has been a great receivers coach there (something we could use with the talent we have at the position), which would give us a chance to bring in a good QB coach as well, and has the tie-in to Ed O, which is apparently huge for the boss man.

Second choice would be Sonny Cumbie at TCU. You get the modernized offense, minus the troublesome past that Kendall Briles or Hugh Freeze would bring with them. I think you need someone youthful that can adapt to the way the game is changing and Cumbie meets that criteria as well

Zach

Truthfully, I’m not sure who I’d want to fill the OC vacancy at this point because no one name is really sticking out to me. I’d recommend Jedd Fisch because of UCLA’s No. 16 ranking in offensive S&P+, despite not having a Top 40 run game by S&P+. Obviously they had Rosen to lean on and a leaky defense, but at this point he’s the only name really separating himself to me. Mizzou has been mentioned as a landing spot for Fisch, but LSU could easily outbid the black and gold Tigers if they want to.

I will say this: schematically, I’d like the new OC to have either a.) a wrinkle that is part of their system that presents a third constraint for opposing defenses to worry about (a la Canada’s jet sweeps). Or b.) the instructional acumen to not only teach, but elevate our passing game consistently from year-to-year.

Regarding the first point, LSU was able to make it through October in part because of how well they were able to execute sweeps from F while faking runs between the tackles. Moreover, it hid Danny’s weaknesses as a passer.

Which leads me to the second point: I think having a schematic wrinkle like the jet sweep is less necessary if LSU has a passing game that is not only competent, but dangerous (for opponents). LSU hasn’t been a prolific passing team historically, maybe sharpening the sword of the air game would serve to lessen the need for that “third constraint.”

And I don’t know where we turn for that. I’m sure y’all will have more names, but my ideal OC right now may be only a hypothetical.

Crissy

Though he seems very committed to FAU at the moment, Lane Kiffin is a favorable option here. When I spoke to Kiffin last year, he sang the praises of Orgeron, and said he could see himself being “a really good fit” with the Tigers. He also said he viewed LSU as a team ready to make a Championship run in the near future, and how could you not want to be a part of that?

Kiffin would bring extensive experience in the SEC, especially with Alabama, making him a cut above several other candidates. LSU has pursued Kiffin in the past, and now is the right to for them to make another attempt.

Wrosen

If it were me I would hire Kendal Briles and Matt Lubick as co-coordinators. The only reason I am not all in on Lubick is that he has never coached quarterbacks, so I would want Briles here to do that. Washington and FAU run similar schemes so it shouldn’t be hard for them to get along. Lubick has also worked with Ed O in the past. I not sure if its possible to have two because I don’t know if they are hiring a coach to replace Jenkins or if Orgeron, Meatball, and Aranda will handle the defensive line and linebacker stuff.

Adam

Whatever OC brings in Chuckie Keeton to be quarterbacks coach.

But honestly, my top two picks given the field would be two of the Power-Five OCs in the state of Oklahoma: Cale Gundy of Oklahoma and Mike Yurich of Oklahoma State.

Gundy (brother of Mike) is a co-OC with the Sooners and obviously isn’t the mastermind of their offense, but he has experience with QBs, RBs, and “inside Wide Receivers” while also being the recruiting coordinator since 05. If you can’t be the THE guy in charge of the offense, then having a background that diverse helps. He’s been in Norman for the entirety of Stoops’ tenure, so while we don’t know the specifics of what he would bring down, we know where he’ll likely pull from. Of course, the rub is that he went to OU and has been on staff there since the 20th century, so prying him away will be a task and a half, but a hybrid of Riley’s offense and some one-back vintage Stoops looks with Louisiana athletes can be scary. He’s a gamble hire because he has never been in charge of playcalling, but his dossier is worth a roll of the dice to me.

Yurich is the safer bet in terms of OC resume, but I’m not sure how receptive O is to running Oklahoma State’s offense. Which is a shame, because I love it dearly. Say what you will about Gundy and the Pokes, but they’re always doing less with more in terms of offense, especially when it comes to quarterbacks. But the Cowboys had low-key been great at running the ball given their propensity to pass, 32nd in Rushing S&P+ this year and 15th in passing. Given the talent Oklahoma State brings in and the fact that they’re posted up against Oklahoma and Patterson, that’s a pretty good clip. The TigerDroppings and grey-hair crowd will definitely hate it regardless, but you have to break a few eggs to make an omelette, right?

Dan

I’ll echo Adam in that Mike Yurcich is a guy that I’d want. He gives you innovation with a balanced attack that spreads the field. He gets top notch QB production but not at the sake of throwing out the run game. The major question here is how much of what Okie Lite runs is Gundy’s, but he’s churned through a number of prolific offensive guys and the offense varies with each new hire. That suggests to me that Gundy at least takes the advice of his coordinators and allows them heavy input into the plan. Yurcich brings a lot to the table that LSU has been missing in terms of modernizing the offense and truly getting high level QB play. He’s also young and we can offer a pay raise and a step up in prestige level, too. Not to mention he may be looking to get out from under an offensive minded coach to show he can run an offense on his own.

Billy

I have my ticks when it comes to teams that stay in the shotgun on third-and-short (nevermind teams that line up in the gun for a damned victory formation), but overall I think I’m with Adam and Dan.

Spread and pro-style have become these arbitrary designations that just get thrown around without any real meaning. Ultimately, you need to run a system that you can teach and adapt to, and in LSU’s case, something that will develop a passing attack. Give me a guy like Yurcich, and a system like Oklahoma State’s, that can adapt to different quarterbacks and is generally plug-and-play.

It’s too much to expect Myles Brennan or Lowell Narcisse to look like Mason Rudolph from game one, but it’s easy to picture them growing into that kind of system. And with the offensive line that LSU should have back, the running game will be fine with Nick Brossette, Clyde Edwards-Helaire and the new freshmen coming in.

BradyBall

The best case scenario for me is to promote Steve Ensminger to OC and then hire a former player like Michael Clayton or somebody as position coach to be groomed for the job as OC. It isn’t perfect, but I think we need somebody who is already familiar with the program to help make it where it needs to be.

Harry Caray

MATT LUBICK, COME ON DOWWWWWWWWWWWWWN!

Saltzman

I’m not sure who I’d pick to be the next OC. I’m anticipating a hire that is more functional than sexy.

If we are considering Group of Five head coaches, then throw Toledo head coach Jason Candle in that group, though he seems poised to take a head coaching job at a bigger program in the next hiring cycle.

Last year when we were looking at replacements for Miles, Larry Fedora’s name kept popping up. Fedora isn't leaving UNC to be the LSU OC, and the Tar Heels are coming off an atypically terrible season, but maybe there is someone on the UNC staff that could be plucked away.

I do like Billy’s earlier suggestion of Todd Monken.

Poseur

I, too, like anyone connected with an Oklahoma state college offense. Bill Bedenbaugh was a finalist for the Broyles Award, but he’s the co-OC at OU. Mike Yurcich is a superstar. Getting either of those guys would be amazing, though highly improbable. Why leave an offense that is humming at a top tier school for the challenge of LSU?

So let’s take a quick look at the top 10 in YPP last season and see what jumps out: OU, UCF, Louisville, Memphis, Okie St, Mizzou, Arizona, Toledo, Ole Miss, Ohio St.

Most of those guys either got promotions or are at a job they aren’t leaving. But there’s two interesting names there. Phil Longo is worth a call at Ole Miss. Imagine what his Air Raid would look like with a real running game behind it?

But if we’re going to sell our souls, let’s not half-ass it. Let’s go whole hog and get one of the best offensive minds in college football. That’s right, if we’re going on the Compromise Our Integrity route, forget Briles. Hire Rich Rod.

Seth

Nothing has gone according to plan and I’m sad. Feels like we are further from a national championship than we’ve been in the past few years.

What’s Gary Crowton doing these days?

SPECIAL GUEST:

Cody Worsham, editor, Tiger Rag: Taking out geographical and recruiting concerns – that’s up to Orgeron to offset – I would go after Mark Helfrich. His offenses at Orgeron were always elite, even after Chip Kelly left, ranking second, third, fifth and 15th nationally in total offense and consistently in the top five in yards per play. Good news: he’s not under contract right now, so no buyout. Bad news: his agent is Trace Armstrong, who orchestrated Tom Herman’s leveraging of LSU’s interest into the Texas job, and he’s been linked to Herman’s staff in recent days.

Of The Bench on 104.5/104.9 ESPN’s Jordy Culotta: Ed Orgeron should ask for more cash to coax Mike Leach from Washington State. Choosing “The Pirate” would shock the football talking heads and light up the LSU scoreboards.