Hiring a new Head Coach

In a post entitled 'The Confluence of Events Leading to O's Downfall' Tigerlaff elegantly brought to us a well-formed 6 point argument as to why O will likely no longer be the head coach. If you haven't read it, do so.. It's solid work.

TigerbaitLawyer has confirmed that if/when O is relieved of his duties, it will not be football related.

This hire will be Woodward's legacy.. And his shot at a promotion to his dream position at LSU. We have to look at this decision from his perspective to understand which direction he will likely take LSU.

Lots of people are throwing out candidates, but only one makes THE MOST sense: Matt Campbell.

Billy Napier: Billy is a fine coach with a high ceiling. He is going to be a good coach at a power 5 soon enough.. but to jump from the Sun Belt to the SEC West is like going from a go cart race to NASCAR. He needs to win at another level. Then he can make the jump to a national championship contender. Proximity is not a reason to hire this guy. Yes, he did defeat ISU in the first game of this season. Yes, he is winning a lot. However, there are levels to this game. His track record isn't trust worthy enough for Woodward to risk his own future on this guy. I wouldn't.
He was fired by Dabo for poor offensive performance. And he was passed up twice by Saban for a promotion. Again, he is a great coach, but if I'm Woodward.. I don't trust Napier enough. (Not yet at least) Not for a program like LSU, not when my career is on the line.

Luke Fickell: Another major jump in competition without much of a resume. Not quite the jump that Napier is making, but still a major jump. This guy will get a job after this season.. But his resume isn't ready from the jump to LSU and the SEC West.

Hugh Freeze: You can't fire O for off the field issues and hire Freeze. You literally can't do it.

Urban Meyer: Stop
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Matt Campbell: He checks every box.

1.) Young/Relatable: Was the youngest coach in his conference(32) when he took the job a Toledo.. built up the program. Youngest coach in Big 12. His players truly love him. He is a natural teacher.

2.) Innovation: He played defense in college and yet made his name coaching offense. His strategies have changed the way teams defend the spread. ISU is constantly ranked highly on both sides of the ball while having the lower/mid-level talent in that conference.

3.) Resume: Matt will win coach the year again in the Big 12. That means in the last 6 years, Matt has won 4 coach of the year trophies. 2015, 2017, 2018 and 2020. His peers, critics and audiences all believe he is the best coach every single year.

4.) Game Planning/Calling: You won't need any overpaid coordinators for LSU to compete. He takes away what you do well.. confuses the QB and Oline while his teams are sure tacklers. On offense, he establishes the run, uses size to create mismatches and his team block well. Runs a power spread with plenty of movement. TEs get heavy use in passing game.

5.) Recruiting: While Ames is one of the toughest places to recruit to, he has found a lot of diamond's in the rough. I wouldn't classify him as an all-world recruiter. O is a better salesmen. However, given his intangibles and personality, I wouldn't be off-based to assume that he could recruit well given the resources. ISU has recruit and find talent all over the nation.. He can do the same for LSU.

6.) Consistency: You know exactly what you're getting with Campbell. No surprises. Woodward can't take a risk. Napier, Fickell and Campbell all might have the same ceiling, but Campbell has a much higher floor. If I'm Woodward, I'm looking for consistency. Somebody who I know will put the program in the best position to succeed 365 days a year. Matt has proven that for a decade.. while still only being 41.

If I am Woodward, I'm looking for trust. For the above reasons, Matt Campbell is the coaching candidate that LSU can trust.

Hire him.