LSU Football: Is this the most realistic option to replace Ed Orgeron?

LSU football athletic director Scott Woodward is reportedly going to “swing for the fences” in his search to replace Ed Orgeron as the Tigers’ head coach.

That means coaches like Texas A&M’s Jimbo Fisher (who made a not-so-strong denial about his interest in the job on Monday), Clemson’s Dabo Swinney, and Penn State’s James Franklin will receive a call from Woodward.

But how likely is it that one of those coaches leaves a good situation for LSU, where a culture needs to be rebuilt?

Probably unlikely.

So who is the most likely option to replace Orgeron?

A realistic head coaching option for LSU football

It feels like this search is heading toward a collision between LSU and Michigan State head coach Mel Tucker.

And I think that could be a good thing.

Tucker, who was the defensive backs coach at LSU in 2000, isn’t a big name, but aside from Nick Saban and Urban Meyer, most big-name coaches don’t start as big-name coaches. So I wouldn’t get too caught up in a “big name”. Fit is way more important.

If the Tigers hire Tucker, they’ll be getting a head coach with an extremely solid resumé:

Graduate assistant at Michigan State (1997-98)
Defensive backs at Miami-Ohio (1999)
Defensive backs at LSU (2000)
Defensive backs at Ohio State (2001-03)
Co-defensive coordinator/defensive backs at Ohio State (2004)
Defensive backs with Cleveland Browns (2005-07)
Defensive coordinator with Cleveland Browns (2008)
Defensive coordinator/secondary with Jacksonville Jaguars (2009)
Defensive coordinator with Jacksonville Jaguars (2010-11)
Interim head coach with Jacksonville Jaguars (2011)
Assistant head coach/defensive coordinator with Jacksonville Jaguars (2012)
Defensive coordinator with Chicago Bears (2013-14)
Assistant head coach/defensive backs at Alabama (2015)
Defensive coordinator/secondary at Georgia (2016-18)
Head Coach at Colorado (2019)
Head Coach at Michigan State (2020-present)

That’s a lot of experience at a lot of big-time programs (and NFL franchises).

Tucker is in his second season at Michigan State and he has the Spartans at No. 10 in the nation with a 7-0 record. That’s an impressive turnaround after going 2-5 last season.

Michigan State has the No. 18 scoring defense in the nation, which isn’t surprising considering Tucker’s prowess as a defensive-minded coach (he led Georgia to the No. 6 defense in the nation in 2017).

While we’ve seen a shift toward offensive head coaches in recent years, Georgia is proving this season that defense still wins games.

Tucker would bring a strong defense, great recruiting, and a good culture to LSU. He’d need to hire a strong coaching staff (only coach on his staff now has a connection to LSU, defensive backs coach Harlon Burnett who was a GA at LSU in 2003), but that shouldn’t be a problem in Baton Rouge.

The big question is whether or not Tucker would leave Michigan State after only two seasons. He left Colorado after just one season. Another move could impact his future reputation as a coach.

But at the same time, how can you pass up LSU? This is a destination job. And it’s only the third time the job has come open this century (and each of the previous three coaches won a national championship). I don’t think this is a job that Tucker could turn down.

I don’t think Tucker is the best option for LSU. But he might be the most realistic option. And if that’s the case, the Tigers could do a lot worse.