LSU football: Swapping Brian Kelly for Matt Rhule not in the cards yet

LSU football has gotten off to a decent 4-2 start this season. Although the Tigers have dropped games to opponents that fans aren’t used to losing to—Florida State and Tennessee—they also have a quality win over Mississippi State. It’s undoubtedly a rebuilding year for this program. Everybody who follows the Bayou Bengals knew this coming into the season. Yet, some have still called for Brian Kelly’s head throughout his first six games in charge.

The LSU Athletic Director, Scott Woodward, knew what to expect from his first-year head coach. That’s all that matters right now as he’s ultimately the man who will make any changes in the Tigers’ Athletics Department. While boosters are notoriously harsh, not even they would make a rash decision related to Kelly in the first year.

LSU football: Swapping Brian Kelly for Matt Rhule is not in the cards yet

Kelly’s doing a fantastic job with the hand he’s been dealt. He had the Bayou Bengals ranked inside the Top 25 just one week ago, which is remarkable for any program that’s dealt with all of the adversity that LSU has throughout the last few months. Some may be dissatisfied with last weekend’s performance (who can blame them?), but they’re not making the decisions.

Those who have been put in power to overhaul the Tigers’ football program are not rash. LSU has one of the best coaches in the country wearing its purple and gold every Saturday, it’d be silly to give that up. This is especially true when talking about replacing Kelly with recently dismissed Carolina Panthers Head Coach Matt Rhule.

Rhule has been the name on the tip of many tongues since he was fired from his NFL job a couple of days ago. It’s believed that the 47-year-old will return to the college ranks very soon. He’s expected to have suitors lining up in bunches, suitors that include some of college football’s top available jobs.

Rhule has done an excellent job of rebuilding the two NCAA programs that he’s overseen throughout his career—Temple and Baylor. In both instances, he turned struggling teams into formidable opponents in a very short period. The impressive turnaround of the Owls and Bears has earned him a reputation as a savior, which is exactly what schools like Auburn, Georgia Tech, Nebraska and Wisconsin need at the moment.

If Rhule is a savior then Kelly is College Football Jesus. Kelly’s resume is Rhule’s on steroids, and that’s why LSU is in a great position right now. The legendary former Notre Dame coach will have the Tigers firing on all cylinders once again in no time. It’s not a stretch to say he’ll achieve more in Baton Rouge than he ever did in South Bend either due to the resources at his disposal.

Kelly was brought in to do one job. While I have dubbed him College Football Jesus, he’s no miracle worker. LSU was never going to contend for a conference or national title this season, that much has always remained true. Give him time though and he’ll prove naysayers wrong.