Down 5-3 for the season, and with the hopes of returning to championship caliber, it is burn-it-down-and-start-over mode in LSU. Since Brian Kelly, 34-14, walked out of the football operations center with his bag and a smile on his face on October 26th, the program has been aggressive in working its way up. 

In the days since the embarrassing loss to Texas A&M and Kelly’s exit, LSU has fired athletic director Scott Woodward, set up a search committee, and made their needs very clear: the best football coach out there. With the set of demands, pressure, and political involvement, though, every report says, it is not going to be an easy task for the Tigers’ athletic department. But there are some obvious choices in the market.

This week, as per the odds on Kalshi, it is Missouri Tigers head coach Eli Drinkwitz. 

Prior to him, the prediction was for Jon Sumrall to test the Baton Rouge waters. But the Tulane head coach has since made it clear that he is focused more on his team, maybe even more than ever. Then there has been Lane Kiffin, the first name up for both Florida and LSU, after building Ole Miss into a national contender. But the predictions say he would likely coach the Gators, while the current Missouri coach could fetch himself a spot at LSU. 

Through his six years in the SEC program, Drinkwitz has managed a 56-27 career record, which includes an 11-2 season in 2023– the season he earned the SEC Coach of the Year honor. He has the offensive flair, steady success, and the swagger to stir the LSU punchbowl. But the selling point has to be one where Kelly noticeably fell short.

Under the now-fired LSU coach, the program largely struggled on offense. For the second-straight season, they have had the worst running game. He was even pushed to discuss changing the offensive coordinator with Woodward just hours before he was fired.

On the other end, though, Drinkwitz has been a pure offensive coach. Running back, quarterback, tight ends, and offensive coordinator: he has done it all.

Additionally, anonymous staffers report that Kelly failed to bond, was a little too authoritative, and did not make sufficient recruiting efforts. Not a lot of that is going to be an issue with the Missouri coach, who says, “the brotherhood in the locker room is the most important thing to me.” Plus, in the last two seasons, he has had transfer classes ranked 13th and 7th by 247; on On3, they were ranked 9th and 6th. 

But his current $46.5 million contract with Missouri runs through the 2029 season. Will LSU still consider making a move now that Landry is more stern about things?

Governor Jeff Landry keeps things straight and sharp for the LSU Tigers’ head coach hunt

Louisiana’s governor will ensure that LSU does not walk the same path. He had deputed Woodward to do the hiring. And the end result of this was not that good for the Tigers. Things turned awry, and LSU had to finally get rid of Kelly during the fourth season of a 10-year contract worth about $100 million. So, from now on, the hiring process will be carried on by a board of supervisors.

But they, too, are kept at the edge. “The board of supervisors on its own cannot say we want to pay somebody $100 million without putting the taxpayers liable,” the governor said. They are already bogged down with a huge amount. The former LSU coach was making $9.4 million a year with six seasons left on his deal, meaning the Tigers now owe Kelly a massive $52.38 million buyout, over three times what they paid Ed Orgeron to walk away.

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Now, the LSU Tigers are on the hunt for a bargain savior, someone who can lift the Tigers out of the crater Brian Kelly left behind without breaking the bank. “And the question becomes is like, do we need $100 million to lure a coach?…My biggest concern is the fans because those fans in there are all taxpayers, and a lot of those fans over there didn’t go to LSU. They just enjoy LSU football, and I want to see a great winning team,” Jeff Landry has set out his expectations clearly. Now the question is whether Eli Drinkwitz checks all the boxes as LSU’s ideal fix.