Ed O and Craig recruiting friction/possible hires

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When Matt Canada was hired in mid-December as LSU’s offensive coordinator, he made it clear to Ed Orgeron in his interview that he wanted to evaluate the offensive staff and make recommendations, including possible staff changes.

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Craig’s strength has been more as a recruiter and Canada preferred to go with someone with a stronger feel for the offense he runs. Under Les Miles, recruiting ability ranked higher than on-field coaching — especially on offense. Since Orgeron became the permanent coach, I have been told there were some “personality frictions” between Orgeron and Craig over the recruitment of some members of this year’s signing class. From personal experience, this tends to occur when an assistant feels as if he is not on safe ground.

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While Canada will vet a number of candidates, keep an eye on North Carolina State wide receiver coach George McDonald, 40. He has a background in Canada’s offense and is an outstanding recruiter. In his 16 years as an assistant, his stops include Northern Illinois, Stanford, Western Michigan, Minnesota, Miami, Arkansas, Syracuse and North Carolina State as well as the Cleveland Browns. All total, he has coached 17 college players who have gone on to play in the NFL.

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Memphis wide receiver coach David Johnson is someone else to keep an eye on. He has experience coaching running backs at Tulane and was offensive coordinator at New Orleans St. Augustine.

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