New LSU Tigers head coach Ed Orgeron is still filling out his staff, with the vacancy at offensive coordinator being perhaps the most crucial to his success. Orgeron knows that the offense held this program back under Les Miles, and both fans and administrators are expecting the new coordinator to fix that problem. Alabama's Lane Kiffin was considered to be the odds-on favorite, but he chose to accept the head coaching job at FAU instead. With him out of the running, here are the top five candidates to be LSU's offensive coordinator.
5) Jeff Scott, co-offensive coordinator, Clemson
Scott has been a co-offensive coordinator at Clemson for two years now, helping engineer what has been one of the top units in the entire country. He is also an excellent recruiter, being responsible for a good deal of the offensive talent currently on the Tigers' roster (he was their recruiting coordinator from 2008-14). At 35 years old, he is one of the rising stars in coaching.
4) Sterlin Gilbert, former offensive coordinator, Texas
Gilbert is currently a coaching free agent after Tom Herman decided not to retain anyone from Charlie Strong's staff, making him the most accessible candidate on the list. While the Longhorns struggled this year, offense wasn't the issue - they ranked 19th in the country in yards per game. However, he only has one year of experience coaching at the Power 5 level.
3) Doug Meacham, co-offensive coordinator, TCU
After spending a year at Houston, Meacham has been with the Horned Frogs since the start of the 2014 season - which, uncoincidentally, was the first year in which TCU went from being a defensive team to an offensive one. He also has a proven ability to develop quarterbacks, shown by him turning Trevone Boykin from a wide receiver into a Heisman candidate at quarterback.
2) Mark Helfrich, former Oregon head coach
Helfrich is one of the names that Orgeron as reportedly put at the top of his list, and rightfully so. Despite his failures the last two years as Oregon's head coach, he did lead them to the first College Football Playoff championship game - and was the offensive coordinator for four years under Chip Kelly. Offense was never Oregon's problem with Helfrich (in fact, they were always one of the best in the country), and considering the success he had as the OC with the Ducks, he would be a slam dunk hire for LSU.
1) Lincoln Riley, offensive coordinator, Oklahoma
Speaking of a new challenge, LSU is hoping Riley is looking for one. Still just 33 years old, Riley led explosive offenses at ECU before going to Oklahoma in 2015, where he has turned their offense into one of the most prolific in the entire country. With quarterback Baker Mayfield returning next year, it seems unlikely he will leave, but LSU will surely do everything they can to lure him away.
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