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LSU Football: Five Coaches The Tigers Have No Shot At Landing

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 10:26 p.m. ET

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The search for a head coach for the 2017 season is well underway at LSU. With the season still in full effect, the chances of any real developments are very slim for the foreseeable future.

But, that certainly has not stopped the fans and media from speculating. While guessing and giving our picks for the next head coach is fun and entertaining, it has gone a bit too far in some cases. Reading articles and listening to local sports talk, I’ve heard people seriously suggest names that LSU has no real shot at landing.

So, let’s discuss some. Here are five coaches you may have heard linked to the Tigers, but will never actually land in Baton Rouge.

Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports

1. Nick Saban, Alabama

I’m not exactly sure how this one started, but it needs to stop. In no universe is Nick Saban ever going even give a thought to leaving Alabama and returning to LSU.

In his time with the Crimson Tide, Saban has won four national championships, four conference championships, and a ton of football games. At this point, Nick Saban is arguably the most important man in the entire state of Alabama.

In nine seasons as the head coach, Saban has built a dynasty that will last at least until he decides to retire. He can have nearly any recruit he wants, and his teams almost never drop off from year-to-year, no matter how much talent he loses. He has the Crimson Tide in a position to win, at the very least, a conference title every single season, and a 10 win season is considered a terrible failure.

With all of that, why in the world would Nick Saban want to coach elsewhere? At over 60 years-old, why would he want to move his entire family to another state, give up his dynasty, and have to build up another team. It just makes no sense.

Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

2. Urban Meyer, Ohio State

Throwing around Urban Meyer’s name isn’t quite as crazy as Saban’s, but it’s pretty close. Meyer was hired at Ohio State after walking away from Florida to take a break from coaching, and has picked up at the same level of dominance that he had with the Gators.

In his time with the Buckeyes, he has won a national championship and has sent loads of players to the NFL. He is able to recruit under one of biggest brands in the nation, and certainly the biggest in his conference. Much like Saban, he has been able to easily retool his roster every year and not miss a step.

Having Meyer back in the SEC would certainly be fun and great for the conference, but it’s not happening. Rarely do you ever see a coach walk away after building such a great situation. Meyer is not going to leave Ohio State to come down south, and that’s a fact.

Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

3. Jimbo Fisher, Florida State

Much like the case with Nick Saban, Jimbo Fisher previously coached at LSU and has gone on to be one of the best in the country. Fans now, for some reason, expect him to leave a very good situation at Florida State and jump at the chance to return to Baton Rouge.

Sorry folks, but it’s just not going to happen. Much like Meyer and Saban, Fisher has built a very successful program in Tallahassee and it just wouldn’t make sense for him to leave an established situations at a premiere school. 

Jimbo is a great offensive mind, and we all saw that when he was here. It would do wonders for the Tigers to have him back and running things, but it’s not a smart move from his perspective. He shot the idea down very firmly when asked about it, and that’s probably the end of that discussion as far as he’s concerned.

Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

4. Dabo Swinney, Clemson

Dabo Swinney has not been linked to this job as frequently as the other three on this list so far, but he is still a name that some have brought up. When a big-time SEC job opens up, we almost always see the names of top out of conference coaches linked to the school, and Dabo fits that bill perfectly.

Swinney has coached at Clemson since 2008, and has done more for the Tigers than anyone would have ever expected. In fact, he has somehow managed to turn the school into one of the elite programs in the game. I’ve seen many fans say something along the lines of “If he can do that at a school like Clemson, just imagine what he could do at LSU.”

I’m sorry to break it to those of you who actually thought this was possible, but Dabo Swinney is not leaving Clemson. He just took his team to the national championship game, and is finally at a level that allows him to compete with elite programs for recruits. Why would he abandon that just to start over at another school?

Yes, LSU is certainly a better job than Clemson, but the move just doesn’t make sense for Swinney. 

Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports

5. Peyton Manning

Yes, you read that correctly.

I never thought I would have to write on this, but apparently this is an idea people are actually taking seriously.

Driving this morning I heard a caller into a local sports talk station suggest the idea that Peyton Manning (yes, the Peyton Manning you’re thinking of) could potentially be the next coach of the LSU Tigers. I almost drove off the road from laughter, thinking to myself “this guy’s an absolute nut.”

But after researching the idea a bit more, I found out that there are actually multiple people who think this is an actual possibility.

First off, I doubt LSU would have any interest even if Manning wanted to. The guy has never coached before, and the team needs a proven head coach after firing someone as successful as Les Miles. From Peyton’s standpoint, he just retired, and is certainly not hurting for money. I could see him getting into coaching at some point, but there’s no chance he wants that workload just months after ending his playing career.

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