Fisher would be a perfect fit as LSU's next head coach

By Ed Daniels
Clarion Herald

It’s a no-brainer, at least for Jimbo Fisher.

If he’s offered the job as the head coach at LSU, he should take it.

The reasons are many, and money isn’t one of them. The last national championship won at Texas A&M was in 1939.

LSU has won three since 2003 and appeared in the BCS championship game in 2011.

Texas A&M’s last conference was title was the Big 12, in 1998. In the past 20 seasons, LSU has five. 

The University of Texas will soon join the Southeastern Conference, and once again, Texas A&M, which bolted for the SEC to rid themselves of burnt orange, will be second banana in its own state.

LSU is one of the top five jobs in college football. The last three coaches at LSU have won national championships.

Texas A&M is not a top five job. For Fisher, working again with LSU director of athletics Scott Woodward, who hired him at Texas A&M, would mean an instant comfort zone.

Woodward did the smart thing when he hired Fisher to coach the Aggies. He agreed to no buyout. So, if Fisher left in the middle of the night, he would owe A&M nothing.

Fisher also knows Louisiana and its high school football quite well. He served as Nick Saban’ and then Les Miles’ offensive coordinator from 2000 to 2006.

When it comes to potential hires, Fisher is the coach with the best resumé by far.

He owns a national title at Florida State, has seven years as an assistant at LSU and is the only former assistant to defeat Nick Saban.

And, if LSU hired Fisher, it would deal a serious blow to another SEC West rival.

If LSU can’t lure Fisher, Michigan State head coach Mel Tucker would be a solid choice. The Spartans were upset last Saturday by Purdue and still have Ohio State and Penn State on their schedule.

Tucker has NFL and college experience. He was the defensive backs coach for Nick Saban at LSU and Alabama. He also served as the defensive coordinator at Georgia.

Tucker would also be a trailblazer: He would be the first African-American head football coach at LSU. He would be a very solid hire.

But, Jimbo, until he says no, is the elephant in the room.

In 2007, when Saban returned to college football at Alabama, he stopped by John Curtis Christian school to recruit safety Robby Green.

As he watched practice, he told a reporter that there were only a handful of jobs he would consider. And, he did not care to return to cold weather.  

He rattled off a handful of places where you can win big. LSU was one of those places.

Jimbo Fisher is well aware. 

Ed Daniels is sports director at ABC26 WGNO. He can be reached at [email protected].