Why people shouldn't be as stressed about a hire this time around

LSU has traditionally been an upper tier football program, but an era full of tough seasons and some tough luck and questionable hiring choices made people forget LSU's appeal and potential.

Following Deitzel's run and shift to Army, Charlie McClendon was a great coach that was stuck in an era where parity wasn't as possible as today. Bama under the Bear was able to completely control things by not only recruiting the best players to play but also the best players to sit. Without scholarship limits, Bama essentially took tons of great players away from other teams that would've made them beatable.

Once McClendon was held onto too long, LSU had the misfortune of having their top notch coaching hire die in a plane crash recruiting before even coaching a game. The made a panic hire that was not ready for it in Stovall and the team got weaker.

Then Arnsparger came in and revitalized LSU's program only to leave after 3 years screwing LSU on the way out by snaking Spurrier to UF where he was AD, and they took a risk settling on Archer on the cheap. Archer simply wasn't ready. They then again took the cheap route and hired Curley based off Favre's carrying his team. Curley was just not that good of a coach and the support for the team was never there.

Finally, they hired DiNardo, which actually was a good hire and once he returned LSU to very competitive teams, took his feet right out from under him by refusing to pay market-value for assistants, thus losing Carl Reese (DC) prior to 1998 and Watt (OC) after the 1998 season. The team then crumbled and we remained a laughing stock.

Saban and Emmert came in and basically said you either give me control and full support or it won't happen. That is what changed LSU football. An admin willing to pony up for a championship level staff. After that, Bertman hired a mediocre coach in Miles but they paid his staff handsomely covering up many of his deficiencies for a while and taking advantage of his recruiting and motivational strengths. In the end keeping him too long.

Outside of the Bear schooling everyone, LSU was a top flight team for much of the 50's through the early 80's, and now has an admin that is willing to do what it takes to get top flight coaches, especially assistants to bring this team forward. It may not be as great of a run as 2003-2007, but LSU will be a good team with the next coach and show improvement.