Lincoln Riley Chose USC Over LSU
This college football season has been okay. I won't go as far as to say bad; however, it has not been a memorable season. What has been memorable though is the coaching carrousel between USC, Florida, and specifically LSU. LSU has been linked to everyone from Mel Tucker to Dave Aranda to Jimbo Fisher all who turned them down. One prominent name that LSU was linked to was Oklahoma's head coach Lincoln Riley. Well, that ship has sailed with Lincoln choosing to take the USC job. It was reported today by Matt Zenitz that Lincoln Riley informed his staff that he was taking the USC job.
This news left social media speechless, as some were shocked by the move. And others were left making fun of LSU for not landing the coach. Some think that Lincoln knew he couldn't win in the SEC with Oklahoma. I do believe that Lincoln is a good enough coach to win in the SEC; however, the question becomes is Oklahoma's recruits good enough for the SEC but that is another story. However, we must give Lincoln credit because he did not lie.
WHAT'S NEXT FOR LSU
Now, what does all of this mean for LSU? LSU is in a tough situation with the majority of the available coaches going elsewhere or returning to their respective universities. It seems that LSU, maybe moronically is holding out hope for Jimbo Fisher due to his relationship with Scott Woodward; however, I just don't see that happening. They waited seven weeks to not accomplish anything in this coaching search because losing Riley and Napier is a loss. Now I see Lane Kiffin as a legitimate top choice. He has to be the first coach you call now after the loss of Riley and Napier. I do see Bill O'Brien as a legit contender. However, his recruiting and leadership are what's in question with me. Bill O'Brien can 100% coach and coach pretty well. But it's the other stuff that comes with coaching that concerns me. One final name I will leave you with is David Cutcliffe the former Duke coach and friend of the Manning family. If you want a real shot at Arch Manning then hiring Cutcliffe is a great ace to have in your hand.
LSU is in a world of hurt right now. It's going to be very interesting to see who they choose now that Riley is in California. They need to make a decision and one fairly quickly before they lose out on more coaches.
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