re: Rank Your Top 3

1. Aranda
2. Jimbo
3. Tucker

quote:

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I don't understand how Peterson isn't on more lists. This is the order I'd put as well with Aranda as 4.

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Petersen was my prediction in the "call your shot" post.

I left him off here because I'm not sure if he has "reset" or would be too worried about the anxiety/stress if he came back. If he had made it clear that he's ready to be back in football, I'd have put him in place of Freeze on my top 3.

I do still think he's the next HC at LSU. He's hinted (as opposed to stated) that he wants to come back and is talking football on Fox now. So at least he's not sitting at home in his underwear (which is what I would be doing).

Franklin
Fickel
Cristobal

Nobody wants Brady? I know it’s a pipe dream and probably is a NFL guy but really?

Riley
Pederson
Kelly

1 - Tucker - Mich St
2 - Fickell - Cincy
3 - Kiffin - Ole Miss

1. Napier
2. Freshwater
3. Aranda

Napier would be a homerun hire. Main drawback is that he will be portrayed by the media as Ed 2.0. Whether fair or not, they will take his current position's proximity to LSU and make a "bayou" connection to the current regime. Otherwise, Napier has superb credentials, taking ULL to records of 11-3 in 2019 and 10-1 in 2020. He has prior experience under Saban and Swinney. Most surprisingly to me, ULL ended 2020 ranked at #16. Downside is obviously his lack of Power 5 experience, but he has reportedly received HC interest from five SEC teams in two years. Also, he has related that he wants time to implement his vision at whatever school he chooses--something LSU might not be willing to give any new hire.

Joey Freshwater brings all his known baggage into a school already facing Title IX issues of its own. Assuming he could manage to keep his pants zipped (something our last two HCs have struggled to accomplish), he would bring a top 5 offense to the field on Day 1. All of the past issues aside, Kiffin keeps failing upwards b/c he WINS. He took FAU to 10/11 win seasons, and he clearly has Ole Miss on the right track. Downside is the possibility of hiring another "character," but there is little question his hiring would bring explosive offense and wins. It's worth noting that Kiffin and CEO had the same 5-5 record in 2020. Obviously, one was just starting and one was the reigning national champion. But, if they also shared the same 5-1 record for 2021 (to-date), CEO would not be retiring.

Aranda is another candidate with enormous potential. His previous record at LSU alone pre-qualifies him as a contender for the top spot. Add to that, he has turned Baylor around in the HC role, his stock only increases. Aranda was another in a series of top-shelf LSU hires by The Hat (that quirky dude who munched on grass, molested an occasional coed, and won an average of 10+ games every year). Les excelled at defense (he damn sure didn't "do" offense), and by all accounts Aranda was a consensus choice for one of the best DC hires in quite a while. It is a little concerning that his LSU defenses were ranked 5th, 12th, 30th, and 32nd from 2016-2019, but his record looks much better in light of 2019's perfect season and Bo Pelini's 2020 debacle.

Honorable mention: Freeze deserves another shot in the big leagues. Not sure I'd necessarily want to toss him the keys to the kingdom here, but there are considerably worse choices out there (looking at you CUM). Napier gets my nod because he has a proven ability to build long-term success, taking a bottom-tier school like ULL into national rankings, but the Freshwater hire would be worth it for the Ole Miss melt alone.

1. Freeze
2. Freeze
3. Freeze

Chiiiiiiampionship!!!

Peyton Manning, Booger MacFarland, Reggie Bush

Fickell, Kiffin , M. Stoops