LSU Football: Why fans shouldn’t be upset about Kevin Faulk not being retained

LSU football legend Kevin Faulk will not be on the Tigers’ coaching staff in 2022.

Faulk, who served as LSU’s running backs coach for the past two seasons, is not being retained by new Tigers head coach Brian Kelly.

Faulk is the second Louisiana native assistant to not be retained by Kelly this week. On Wednesday, it was reported that cornerbacks coach Corey Raymond is joining Billy Napier’s staff at Florida.

Why LSU football fans shouldn’t be upset that Kevin Faulk isn’t being retained

I understand if fans get a little emotional at the thought of Faulk, an LSU legend, not being retained.

But it’s important to provide some context here.

First of all, it’s been an extremely tough year for Faulk. His 19-year-old daughter, Kevione, passed away earlier this fall. Faulk took some time away from the team after the tragedy.

There are some rumblings that Faulk would like to take some time off in 2022. That would certainly be understandable.

The other reason that LSU fans shouldn’t be too upset is because this decision has nothing to do with Kelly and his view of recruiting in Louisiana. When Kelly hired Frank Wilson, it told us everything we needed to know about how Kelly feels about in-state recruiting (he thinks it’s very important).

LSU will be just fine when it comes to in-state recruiting. And there are plenty of well-respected running backs coaches out there who could join Kelly’s staff.

College football is a business. It’s important — sometimes — to take the emotion out of things. Faulk will always be a beloved member of the LSU family. Nothing about his status as Tiger assistant changes that.