Okay, for starters, no one can 100 percent guarantee who this next coach will be -- yet. Scott Woodward and his inner circle have remained extremely tight-lipped and the few names that have leaked out were likely from agents. But here's what we know as of Wednesday, Nov. 24.
The latest: A source tells TigerDetails that as of Tuesday, LSU has still not reached out to Billy Napier, who is interested in the job. Florida and Virginia Tech are both interested in Napier with those early conversations already happening. So that should tell you where Woodward is at in his process if zero discussions were had with Napier. At the same time, we don't get a good vibe that it would be Dave Aranda either. When talking behind the scenes to sources, seems like that's not the move Woodward will make. Matt Campbell’s name continues to pop up, but he isn’t the big fish or splash hire Woodward typically pulls. If Campbell is indeed the hire, then it’s because names such as Jimbo Fisher, Lincoln Riley and Dabo Swinney have turned the job down. The new names that has surfaced this week is Alabama OC Bill O’Brien, and a source tells me that O’Brien believes he has a legitimate shot at the gig, along with Kentucky's Mark Stoops. We also know that LSU likes Luke Fickell but the question always remained about pulling him from the mid-West.
What we think?
Julie: Like we mentioned, we still can’t 100 percent pinpoint one target but I’m trying to read between the lines and go with my gut on this. Woodward has looked into many, many candidates. Part of me still believes that it could be Lincoln Riley, despite what some national media guys are saying, for the simple fact that he makes too much unless he has NFL job offer. I obviously have no way of knowing if Riley has actually turned Woodward down or not but I find it interesting that the smoke was so thick last week and then nothing. Just like in the beginning of the search, NO ONE mentioned Riley nor had him on their candidates list (other than Jimmy). The sudden silence around him almost makes me believe other names have popped to take the heat off of him. He fits the mold of what Woodward would be looking for: young, elite recruiter, offensive guru, family man with zero off the field issues, etc. And if Oklahoma loses to Oklahoma State this weekend, then we could find out if it’s truly Riley or not sooner rather than later. I could be totally be off base with this, and I very well might be. Only time will tell and very soon.
Jimmy: Until it is not Lincoln Riley, or he makes a comment as definitive as Jimbo did saying he would be "the dumbest guy in the world" leaving Texas A&M at this juncture, then I will keep him as a top candidate. Over my years involved in the collegiate game there have been tactics used that I have picked up on, mostly by agents, as they navigate the waters trying to get their guys the best deals. This is shaping up as a Sexton hire, with nearly all of the rumored candidates being represented by the heavyweight agent. What we have seen is a group of reporters, who get a lot of their info from the agent world, have strategically mentioned names of Sexton clients, with nearly all of them getting new deals to stay put. This is Sexton's Modus operandi over the years -- get his clients new jobs and a slew of others raises based off of rumors surrounding coaching searches. Most agents do this, but none have mastered the art like Sexton. In my dealings with the man over the years, it is easy to see why he is so effective in this business.
With all of that said, Mel Tucker gets an early mention, gets a raise. James Franklin wasn't a Sexton client -- key word being wasn't, but he recently dropped his representation to make way for Sexton. And guess what, he is getting a raise. Napier switched agents and is now represented by Sexton. Napier is about to get a new job and get paid. But it isn't this one. Lane Kiffin, Matt Campbell -- Sexton guys. And then there is Lincoln Riley, who checks every dang box, but hasn't been mentioned by hardly anyone, including the Vegas oddsmakers, until recently. Then, the reporters start saying he isn't a candidate. Well, it makes too much sense for me to say he's not at this point.
After Riley, my attention turns to Campbell, as there is solid evidence that LSU has been vetting him hard in recent weeks. Kiffin is out, Cristobal gets no mentions, but he is also a Sexton guy, so who knows? You see the trend here -- this is a Sexton hire. How does every "candidate" for the job get a raise or a new gig, but they remove Riley's name before he gets a raise? The man made less than Orgeron did, but we are going to shoot down rumors that could lead to a big raise? Makes zero sense to me. That is not how Sexton typically works, so I am on the Riley train until something convincing comes along to pull me off.
The latest: A source tells TigerDetails that as of Tuesday, LSU has still not reached out to Billy Napier, who is interested in the job. Florida and Virginia Tech are both interested in Napier with those early conversations already happening. So that should tell you where Woodward is at in his process if zero discussions were had with Napier. At the same time, we don't get a good vibe that it would be Dave Aranda either. When talking behind the scenes to sources, seems like that's not the move Woodward will make. Matt Campbell’s name continues to pop up, but he isn’t the big fish or splash hire Woodward typically pulls. If Campbell is indeed the hire, then it’s because names such as Jimbo Fisher, Lincoln Riley and Dabo Swinney have turned the job down. The new names that has surfaced this week is Alabama OC Bill O’Brien, and a source tells me that O’Brien believes he has a legitimate shot at the gig, along with Kentucky's Mark Stoops. We also know that LSU likes Luke Fickell but the question always remained about pulling him from the mid-West.
What we think?
Julie: Like we mentioned, we still can’t 100 percent pinpoint one target but I’m trying to read between the lines and go with my gut on this. Woodward has looked into many, many candidates. Part of me still believes that it could be Lincoln Riley, despite what some national media guys are saying, for the simple fact that he makes too much unless he has NFL job offer. I obviously have no way of knowing if Riley has actually turned Woodward down or not but I find it interesting that the smoke was so thick last week and then nothing. Just like in the beginning of the search, NO ONE mentioned Riley nor had him on their candidates list (other than Jimmy). The sudden silence around him almost makes me believe other names have popped to take the heat off of him. He fits the mold of what Woodward would be looking for: young, elite recruiter, offensive guru, family man with zero off the field issues, etc. And if Oklahoma loses to Oklahoma State this weekend, then we could find out if it’s truly Riley or not sooner rather than later. I could be totally be off base with this, and I very well might be. Only time will tell and very soon.
Jimmy: Until it is not Lincoln Riley, or he makes a comment as definitive as Jimbo did saying he would be "the dumbest guy in the world" leaving Texas A&M at this juncture, then I will keep him as a top candidate. Over my years involved in the collegiate game there have been tactics used that I have picked up on, mostly by agents, as they navigate the waters trying to get their guys the best deals. This is shaping up as a Sexton hire, with nearly all of the rumored candidates being represented by the heavyweight agent. What we have seen is a group of reporters, who get a lot of their info from the agent world, have strategically mentioned names of Sexton clients, with nearly all of them getting new deals to stay put. This is Sexton's Modus operandi over the years -- get his clients new jobs and a slew of others raises based off of rumors surrounding coaching searches. Most agents do this, but none have mastered the art like Sexton. In my dealings with the man over the years, it is easy to see why he is so effective in this business.
With all of that said, Mel Tucker gets an early mention, gets a raise. James Franklin wasn't a Sexton client -- key word being wasn't, but he recently dropped his representation to make way for Sexton. And guess what, he is getting a raise. Napier switched agents and is now represented by Sexton. Napier is about to get a new job and get paid. But it isn't this one. Lane Kiffin, Matt Campbell -- Sexton guys. And then there is Lincoln Riley, who checks every dang box, but hasn't been mentioned by hardly anyone, including the Vegas oddsmakers, until recently. Then, the reporters start saying he isn't a candidate. Well, it makes too much sense for me to say he's not at this point.
After Riley, my attention turns to Campbell, as there is solid evidence that LSU has been vetting him hard in recent weeks. Kiffin is out, Cristobal gets no mentions, but he is also a Sexton guy, so who knows? You see the trend here -- this is a Sexton hire. How does every "candidate" for the job get a raise or a new gig, but they remove Riley's name before he gets a raise? The man made less than Orgeron did, but we are going to shoot down rumors that could lead to a big raise? Makes zero sense to me. That is not how Sexton typically works, so I am on the Riley train until something convincing comes along to pull me off.
