LSU Football: Tigers should try to steal assistant coach from Alabama
By Zach Ragan
New LSU Football head coach Brian Kelly has nearly filled out his inaugural coaching staff in Baton Rouge.
Kelly has hired nine on-field assistants so far, meaning he’s looking for one more assistant coach.
Here’s how the staff looks so far (though several of LSU’s assistants don’t have official titles yet).
- Offensive coordinator/tight ends: Mike Denbrock
- Running backs: Frank Wilson
- Wide Receivers: Vacant
- Offensive line: Brad Davis
- Quarterbacks: Joe Sloan
- Defensive coordinator/linebackers: Matt House
- Defensive line: Jamar Cain
- Cornerbacks: Robert Steeples
- Safeties: Kerry Cooks
- Special Teams Coordinator: Brian Polian
Based on the names hired so far, it would appear that Kelly is looking for a wide receivers coach. But he has some flexibility here where he could move some guys around if needed.
LSU football should try to steal assistant coach from Alabama
Kelly could make a splash hire to fill the last spot on his staff by stealing an assistant coach from Alabama.
But it would require moving Frank Wilson to wide receivers.
Wilson hasn’t been a position coach since 2010-2015 when he was LSU’s running backs coach.
In 2009, Wilson served as Tennessee’s wide receivers coach under Lane Kiffin, so he has experience coaching wide receivers.
It would be worth it to move Wilson to wide receivers if it meant that LSU could swipe running backs coach Robert Gillespie from Alabama.
Gillespie grew up in Mississippi and has SEC coaching experience at Bama, South Carolina, and Tennessee. He’s also been an assistant at Oklahoma State, West Virginia, and North Carolina.
In other words, Gillespie is an obviously great position coach (otherwise he wouldn’t be at Alabama) with wide-ranging recruiting connections. He would be a tremendous addition to the Tigers’ coaching staff.
Now, how would LSU steal Gillespie from Alabama?
Money, of course.
The Tigers have displayed a clear commitment to giving the football program all the resources it needs to win championships.
What’s another couple hundred thousand?
Gillespie currently makes $535k a year at Alabama (according to the Tuscaloosa News). LSU could pay Gillespie around $700k a year — a drop in the bucket when it comes to money spent on football — and probably get him.
Next. LSU had one great and one terrible assistant coach hire this offseason. dark
If LSU wants to dominate, they need to go all out. Swiping Gillespie from Alabama could be the difference between the Tigers landing an elite running back or missing on an elite running back.
Make it happen, Kelly. It makes too much sense.