LSU Football: Another potential defensive coordinator option for the Tigers

LSU football head coach Brian Kelly needs a defensive coordinator and there are several good options available.

One option is to retain current Tigers defensive coordinator Daronte Jones. This might be the best option for Kelly.

It would provide some continuity during this coaching transition. Plus, Jones did a good job with LSU’s defense as the season progressed.

But if Kelly wants to go in another direction, there’s another great option that became available on Monday.

Manny Diaz should be an option to lead LSU Football’s defense

The Miami Hurricanes fired Manny Diaz as the program’s head coach on Monday in order to hire Mario Cristobal away from Oregon.

Diaz did a decent job at Miami, going 21-15 during his three seasons leading the program.

Before he took the head coaching job at the U, Diaz served as the Hurricanes’ defensive coordinator under Mark Richt for three seasons.

In Diaz’s final season as Miami’s defensive coordinator (in 2018), the Hurricanes ranked No. 4 in total defense.

If LSU were to hire Diaz, they’d be getting a defensive coordinator who gets results while also bringing a certain level of swagger to the defense (Diaz is the man behind Miami’s famous “turnover chain”).

Diaz could also provide some valuable recruiting connections for the Tigers in Florida.

Additionally, Diaz actually has a year of experience coaching in Louisiana — he was the defensive coordinator at Louisiana Tech in 2014. He also has experience at Florida State (his alma mater), NC State, Texas, and Mississippi State.

It didn’t work out for Diaz at Miami — though that’s mostly because that program operates in a different way than most programs — but there’s no doubt that he has a bright defensive mind that could excel at a place like LSU.

Kelly could do a lot worse than hiring Diaz to lead the Tigers’ defense.