Just a reminder. Franklin was 4-5 last year. And he called a HB Dive on 4th and 4 with his teams season on the line in 2017. You don’t want him...
If it HAS to be a minority hire, then Franklin is who I want. I have zero problem with a minority coach, but I want LSU to hire a coach based on qualifications, not skin color. Regardless of his skin color, I think Franklin is a good coach and would be intrigued what he could do at a place like LSU. The dude had TWO 9 win seasons at Vanderbilt! That's impressive. I don't think Fickell is coming to Louisiana. From what I am seeing Aranda do at Baylor, I like him. He is a brilliant football mind, and I always felt like he would be a great HC at some point. What I like most about Aranda, he hired a solid OC and lets him do his thing. Baylor isn't 5-1 because of their defense and Aranda is a defensive guy. What worries me most, is recruiting. But I believe to an extent, LSU recruits itself along with some of the key assistants, who I believe Aranda would keep (Joseph & Raymond). If at all, Fisher would only leave A&M for a better job and LSU is a better job. It just is. He also has a great working relationship with Woodward and relationships are important. I have a feeling the hire may end up being a guy that none of us are even talking about right now.
If those are the top candidates, I would rank them, in order of what I think is the likelihood of their being the next coach of LSU: 1. Kiffin 2. Tucker 3. Franklin and there's no point in going on. Fisher, Fickell and Aranda are not leaving their current gigs at this time, period. Of those top three, my order of preference would be 1. Franklin, 2. Kiffin, 3. Tucker
You honestly don't believe that Aranda would leave Baylor to come to LSU? He and his family were here for multiple years, it makes sense on the family front and its a much bigger stage and Dave is a competitor. He also has a good relationship with Woodward, Woodward helped him get the Baylor job. I think if he were offered, he would be here without a blink. I have no idea on Fickell, I just don't believe he has any interest in moving his family to Louisiana. But he will probably get another Power 5 offer. If Cincy gets in the playoffs, he definitely stays. If they get snubbed and he stays, that would be odd.
So supposedly Fickell has already said no to us. I don’t understand how you can let him walk. If you want to fire your coach 2 years after a championship because this is LSU and we compete for a championship every year, you can’t turn around and fail to get one of your top choices. It’s inconsistent. If we want to pretend we are Bama, we’ve got to put up money to get our guy.
