LSU’s Coaching Search Puts The Pressure On Mike Bohn
On Sunday night LSU officially announced that they will be parting ways with head coach Ed Orgeron. The 2019 national champion coach will finish this season but will not return in 2022. I really hope USC made some progress on the coaching search because LSU will be fierce competition.USC athletic director Mike Bohn has had a lot of work to do the past two years to convince the world that USC still cares about football. Firing Clay Helton was a good start but now with the LSU vacancy, he has to come out guns blazing.In Baton Rouge, absolutely no one is questioning LSU’s commitment to football. Firing their championship-winning coach who replaced a championship coach is ballsy. On top of that, LSU is just 17 games removed from Orgeron having arguably the greatest season ever. They will also be eating a reported $17.5 million owed to Coach O.
The Fight For The Guy
Mike Bohn has to show he is serious about committing to the future of USC football and hire current Penn State coach James Franklin. There are rumors that he is open to moving to LA but LSU will certainly have him high on their list.Despite both being top 5 jobs you won’t see a lot of crossover on the coaching shortlists between USC and LSU. That’s because most coaches aren’t plug-and-play like Franklin. Most coaches thrive in a certain type of environment, a geographical region that they know well. Someone who works in LA might not necessarily work in the Southeast and vice versa.James Franklin looks like he can be an exception. Similar to coaches like Urban Meyer and Nick Saban he can find success anywhere (in college). He’s done it in the SEC with Vanderbilt. Now he’s doing it at Penn State. His personality is strong enough he’s not going to get lost in an overcrowded LA sports scene. It’s a good fit.Bohn needs to beat LSU in this coaching search. It will prove that USC is still USC. LSU will try to lure James Franklin but the SEC has other big names. They can also draw from that pool and still score a big win. As far as realistic options that can fit at USC, it’s Franklin and then a big drop-off.Mike Bohn, you need to go all out for James Franklin. That means assuring him he will be able to run his program his way. The days of university politics disrupting the football program need to be over. Lastly, he needs a commitment from you that the athletic department will be as committed to winning as him. No matter the cost.
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Penn State Football Coach James Franklin. Photo Credit: Mark Selders | Penn State Athletics