Lonn Phillips Sullivan
Nov 11, 20213 min
by LONN PHILLIPS SULLIVAN
@LonnPhillips
I have to say....
LSUODYSSEY.COM have been on this case from the beginning....
The two coaches most in play for LSU are for sure Jimbo Fisher and Lincoln Riley, just as we've said this entire time through all of our coaching update pieces, with Jimbo's name lingering in the shadows and rising (despite our annoyance), while Riley's surprising name was first confirmed by LSUODYSSEY.COM sources.
Now everyone's watching planes coming to and from Norman to Baton Rouge, freaking out over every cancelled press conference, wondering what Scott Woodward is doing right now....
Well, since there's a lot of smoke and not too much fire, I have to believe now is the time when those agent negotiations are going down.
Now, is Woodward negotiating with Lincoln Riley and Oklahoma, trying to free him from his contract, while paying his $6,500,000 buyout??? Or is Scott on the run with Jimbo Fisher, an agreement most likely already settled with super-agent Jimmy Sexton?
I've felt all along these two are the main candidates, regardless of how any outside people went at us over these "rumors" etc, we maintained our source said Lincoln should be "viewed as the frontrunner".
At the time, that was a huge buzz out of almost nowhere, and by Halloween weekend, LSUODYSSEY.COM were the first to report his flirtations with LSU.
Now, it seems this is a reality.
So many would say "why would Lincoln leave Oklahoma for LSU?"
All you have to do is watch what transpired @ Alabama this past Saturday.....
Any head coaching candidate who seriously wanted that job, or was on the fence, wasn't anymore after watching that game from LSU's 3-5th string defense.
Lincoln Riley is the man for the job, no question....he's been our pick all along personally, but since just before Halloween, I've been hearing that Riley is right at the top, only Jimbo next to him.
Despite the $0 buyout, it seems tougher for Fisher to extricate himself out of Texas A&M compared to Riley bailing out of Oklahoma.
I've been told Lincoln has been courted behind the scenes for some time, and now, after the LSU vs Alabama game, with strong returning All-American pieces such as Kayshon Boutte, B.J Ojulari, Eli Ricks, Jack Bech, Brian Thomas Jr, Corey Kiner, Armoni Goodwin, Chris Hilton, Malik Nabers, Deion Smith, Maason Smith, Jaquelin Roy, potentially Jay Ward...Riley is attracted by both the upperclass talent as well as the strong 2022 freshman class, headlined by Walker Howard, Will Campbell, Emery Jones, Jake Johnson, Laterrance Welch, & Tre'vonte Citizen.
Was there an airplane tarmac meeting between Woodward and Riley, either in Baton Rouge or Norman yesterday?
Why is Lincoln Riley cancelling yesterday's press conference, why is he ducking from the questions?
I think Lincoln Riley is about to become LSU's next head coach.....
This reminds me of the Kim Mulkey situation, but only with more shadows and layers.....we don't absolutely know what's going on here...even Woodward's closest staffers are only given vague instructions & ideas of what's taking place.
However, from the get-go LSUODYSSEY.COM have been beating the pavement on this story, and we're not going to stop.
We could upload some Coaching Update thing every day, but we don't.....we only upload when we have news, when we have something real to say, when we have something you can't find anywhere else online....only here at LSUODYSSEY.COM, the place where you first read about Lincoln Riley's involvement as a front-running coaching hire.........yup that's right....we didn't just say he was a potential candidate, we called him a frontrunner.
While Jimbo Fisher's name will still be around like vapor and I know Woodward is obsessed with working alongside Fisher again, would Scott be able to refrain from hiring Lincoln Riley if he had the chance?
Hell no.
Lincoln Riley is the best coach for this job....which is why LSUODYSSEY hasn't been shy about our opinion regarding the OU Head Coach.
But since 10/29/2021, things have stopped being opinion....
By 11/09/2021, things are now growing deeper and deeper....suddenly, next to a lamp, a leather sofa, a large contract, and a bowl of gummy bears, I can see the flicker of a solitary flame through my smoke-filled eyes.
I'm saying it right now: with the news I have, the sources I speak to, I believe Lincoln Riley is most likely about to become LSU's next head coach.
If Jimbo rises out of a coffin around Christmas and takes over the LSU job instead, I will drown myself in gummy bears, booster shots and episodes of The Office until my reckoning.
FROM 10/31/2021
FROM 11/1/2021: THE 2ND TIME
by LONN PHILLIPS SULLIVAN
@LonnPhillips
Copyright 2021 Uninterrupted Writings Inc
SHOUTOUTS: Auri, the greatest fuss in the world. I don't know how much longer she'll be around...but I'm so glad I haven't taken a single second for granted. Don't take a single moment for granted with anyone....drink it all down....consume it all....it's there for us NOW....seize it....believe it....