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by LONN PHILLIPS SULLIVAN
@LonnPhillips
LSUODYSSEY.COM continues to dominate the LSU Head Coaching search story....
We've been ahead of the curve at every turn, and you've been forced to buckle up for this intense, rabbit hole ride:
-We introduced Michigan State's Mel Tucker to the Head Coaching search before Ed Orgeron was even officially fired.....
Though Tucker has been offered an extension, he hasn't signed it yet....
-While so many were wondering about Penn State James Franklin's chances, we rode his candidacy out on a rail, outed his Title IX disgraces & pathetic record vs AP Top 10 opposition (9 straight defeats to AP Top 10 teams at Penn State).
-Over our first few Coaching Updates, we pointed out why Lane Kiffin's large buyout, lack of experience hiring strong defensive coordinators, among a plethora of other factors would mean the Ole Miss Head Coach was likely not going to be LSU's next head man.
-We liked the idea of former LSU defensive coordinator and current Baylor Head Coach Dave Aranda leading the program, but we debated whether he has enough experience as the captain of the ship.
-We stuck up for University of Louisiana-Lafayette Rajin Cajuns' Head Coach Billy Napier, legitimizing his candidacy, background, track record, his 2 National Championships, the experience he's gained working under both Nick Saban and Dabo Swinney, the love recruits & their families have for him....
-But when it came down to it, there's two names that continued to be serious for LSU, one circulated throughout rumor & innuendo for some time, former National Title-winning Offensive Coordinator at LSU Jimbo Fisher, and the other name, Oklahoma Head Coach Lincoln Riley, was introduced by this very website with this, another weird video & a follow-up article the next day.
At this point, it appears there are three solid candidates that we know aren't speculative or smoke....they're confirmed to be on Scott Woodward's radar & they happen to be the same three names LSU Odyssey have been reporting as "real candidates" for the past month:
Jimbo Fisher, Lincoln Riley and Mel Tucker as the outside candidate.
-Fisher continues to be in pole position nationally as the name that connects the most dots, makes the most sense....marked by a huge history together alongside Scott Woodard: past friendship at LSU, Woodward hired Fisher away from Florida State...a place where he'd won a National Championship....he hired him at A&M with a mega-contract, max-control and a $0 buyout....
It feels like there's either a pre-arranged agreement which will turn out to show Jimbo emerging from the shadows at an introductory press conference, hair slicked back, eyes bulging out, or his departure from Texas A&M simply won't be possible.
From what I'm hearing, nothing would surprise me concerning Jimbo Fisher at this point.
-Riley is the "dreamer's choice" supposedly, but you actually have to look at what is happening: There has been a major emotional shift throughout the football team at Oklahoma, going from cancelled press conferences, Lincoln Riley's interviews having to discuss the job offers, an undefeated 9-0 start followed by an ass-throttling collapse vs Dave Aranda's Baylor, including the team losing their nerve with their postgame anger about Aranda's field goal.
I don't think this is weak Lincoln Riley coaching....
I believe the Baylor defeat, rampant locker room chaos and fanbase-wide insecurity around Norman could be the ramifications of a man who's caught in two places, stuck in two minds....
The likelihood of Lincoln Riley already receiving an offer to become the next championship Head Coach at LSU has a probability of 95%....and he's wrestling with his decision.
From what I continue to hear from our sources, "Lincoln Riley should be viewed as the frontrunner, possessing just as much of a chance at getting this job as "Woodward Bro" Jimbo Fisher", and it's looking like the national media are starting to get that fact drilled into their heads over this past weekend....
Our initial report discussed LSU's top brass targeting Lincoln Riley because of their devoted admiration to his humble rise, knowing he could repair the Orgeron era's culture of silence & eroding decay, believing he could return LSU back to their empirical offensive heights of 2019 as well as establishing a QB dynasty in Baton Rouge for years to come.
-It's down to Fisher and Riley, with Jimbo getting a financial edge due to his buyout;
While RIley's $6,500,000 release clause isn't a bridge too far, the friendship of Woodward & Fisher, their collective history, Woodward's knowledge that Jimbo can run a top program to title-winning heights, ensures the former LSU OC & Florida State Head Coach is the frontrunner that makes more sense.....right?
Yeah, if thinking outside of the box isn't your cup of tea.
Simultaneously, my sources this entire time have been mentioning Lincoln Riley as someone who's "a frontrunner" in this head coaching search.
A double frontrunner?
Both options at the top of Woody's list as dual favorites, dual contingency plans in case something goes awry with the first candidate to bite at the purple & gold apple???
I believe Lincoln Riley, if offered, would 99 times out of 100 accept the job.....and with all the evidence of instability at Oklahoma, the combination seems to support an upcoming cage rattling.
But Jimbo simply wouldn't hesitate a single second to come back to Baton Rouge himself, right?
Who says "yes" first, who is able to give LSU's top brass the ultimate confidence, someone who's all in....
Who wants it?
I am not professing to know who Scott Woodward is selecting....I am not inside the man's head nor do I have a device that could allow me to do that....
What I do know?
We told you before anyone else that Lincoln Riley was a legitimate candidate, we also had sources confirming Jimbo's name being in the hat, however we have confirmed all along Riley is more than just a name, more than just a candidate, he's a frontrunner for this job if he can remove himself from the Oklahoma situation, if he can find the courage to battle the SEC West heavies week in & out.....and I believe Riley could very well be in the process of that emotional transformation right now....
All down the line, LSUODYSSEY.COM's reporting has been first & most accurate, beating the national reporters at every turn.....and the proof is all over this article.
If you believe in what we're doing, if you care at all about the future of what we're doing here, if you care at all about this work, we need your help:
Please share this, tell the people the truth about LSUODYSSEY, tell the people about the power & mobilize behind LSUODYSSEY.COM
by LONN PHILLIPS SULLIVAN
@LonnPhillips
Copyright 2021 Uninterrupted Writings Inc
SHOUTOUTS: Jamer we are with you & your Pops! He's going to get through this because he's the toughest Tiger I know!!!
84 and there's still so much more.