LSU could be looking to hire a big-name head football coach this upcoming offseason, and Jimbo Fisher is once again considered the school’s top target.
James Smith of The Times-Picayune reports that Fisher and interim head coach Ed Orgeron have emerged as the strongest candidates to replace Les Miles. LSU has reportedly kept contact with Fisher since pursuing him last fall, and the $5 million buyout the coach has at Florida State is said to be a non-issue.
Smith spoke with multiple coaches who have worked under or alongside Fisher, and they all agreed it is “highly likely” Fisher would accept the LSU job if his salary demands are met. When LSU decided to stick with Miles last year, money was supposedly an issue in negotiations with Fisher. Fisher would likely command more than $5 million a year and need another $5 million to fill out his coaching staff.
Will things be different this time around?
“Jimbo was (LSU athletic director Joe Alleva’s) guy from the beginning, and I just don’t see him passing on hiring him,” one source told Smith.
Fisher, who led the Seminoles to a national championship back in 2013, signed a new contract with Florida State last year that could pay him up to $44 million through 2022. He said last year that he had no interest in leaving Florida State for LSU or any other job.
While LSU is also considering big names like North Carolina’s Larry Fedora, Oklahoma State’s Mike Gundy and Houston’s Tom Herman, Fisher’s biggest competition is likely to come from Orgeron. Since taking over for Miles, Orgeron has led LSU to a 4-1 record, with the lone loss coming against No. 1-ranked Alabama. The Tigers were competitive in that game, eventually losing 10-0.
Earlier this year, Fisher said he had turned down good offers that some would argue are even more appealing than the LSU job. As we have learned countless times in college football, saying and doing are two entirely different things.
