LSU’s football program is a mess wrapped in gold and purple drama. The Tigers didn’t just stop at firing Brian Kelly a week ago. They cleaned the house, showing AD Scott Woodward the door too. In Baton Rouge, this is a full-on revolution. And Verge Ausberry, LSU’s interim AD, made one thing clear. The Tigers won’t be left out of the playoff party. “We’re going to hire the best football coach there is,” he said. “That’s our job. We are not going to let this program fail. LSU has to be in the playoffs every year in football.” But the big question now is who dares to follow Kelly’s chaos and restore Death Valley’s roar?

Leave it to LSU fans to stir the pot before breakfast. On November 2, an X user dropped what he called “real smoke” linking Tennessee’s Josh Heupel to LSU. The Volquest post, now deleted, came from a Vols message board claiming, “The LSU stuff is real. They have talked and his attorney is involved.” That’s all it took for the rumor mill to shift into overdrive. 

The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman fanned the flames, writing that “an SEC head coach with an explosive offense is intriguing some ADs looking for a new coach.” It’s Josh Heupel, the same coach who dragged Tennessee out of a two decade-long ditch and into playoff relevance. His offense is fast, flashy, and tailor-made for LSU’s high-octane DNA. Under his leadership, the Vols have gone from afterthought to headline act, posting two Top-10 finishes in three years. For the Tigers, that’s the kind of quick-fix wizardry they crave.

Still, nothing is clear. As On3’s Matthew Brune put it, “It would take massive investment for LSU to pull this off. But if this school and program want to show they’re still the class of the SEC, this is the type of move that stamps that.” Sure, it would take a massive investment. Josh Heupel’s buyout sits at a staggering $37.5 million. Besides, BetOnline’s odds may favor Jon Sumrall, Joe Brady, and Lane Kiffin, but none pack the instant identity punch that the Vols HC does. Yet while LSU fans dream of him in purple and gold, trouble’s already knocking on his door back in Tennessee.

Josh Heupel is on a 30-day clock

Josh Heupel, Tennessee’s $9 million man, is reportedly under a 30-day ultimatum from his own program. A Vols insider claims the school brass has given the HC one month to fix the program after a gut-wrenching loss to Oklahoma. The Vols, sitting 6-3 and ranked No. 14, looked solid until that Sooners game peeled back layers of inconsistency that had been hiding behind easy wins. 

The chatter inside Knoxville is if Josh Heupel can’t steady the ship against Florida and No. 15 Vanderbilt, a buyout discussion could be on the table. And the name whispered as his replacement is none other than Lane Kiffin. Because college football loves a good sequel, especially one set in Tennessee. For now, the Vols HC’s future hangs in the balance tethered between Tennessee’s expectations and LSU’s ambitions. 

Thirty days. Three games. One $9 million question. Is Josh Heupel Baton Rouge’s next savior or just the next name in the rumor reel?