LSU Football Coaching Staff: Who replaces Frank Wilson?

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LSU football interim head coach and running backs coach Frank Wilson won’t be a part of Lane Kiffin’s first LSU coaching staff. On Tuesday, it was reported that Wilson would leave LSU after the Tigers’ bowl game, accepting a position on Pete Golding’s staff at Ole Miss.

The move adds to the growing intrigue between the Tigers and Rebels. Less than a month ago, LSU poached Kiffin and the majority of Ole Miss’s offensive staff. Earlier this week, reports stated former LSU GM Austin Thomas would head to Oxford. Now, Wilson joins Thomas. Ole Miss and LSU have swapped over 15 staffers in the last month.

Wilson’s exit leaves a gap on LSU’s staff. Along with coaching running backs, Wilson was LSU’s recruiting coordinator and is viewed as an ace recruiter in Louisiana. Wilson rose to prominence coaching high school football in New Orleans and those relationships paid off over the years.

Kiffin’s LSU staff is close to final. A chunk of the defensive staff is being retained with Blake Baker returning as DC. On offense, Kiffin brought a slew of assistants from Ole Miss. Wilson’s position will be the final vacancy on the offensive side of the ball.

Here’s where Kiffin and Co. could turn. now.

Will Kevin Smith be the next Ole Miss coach to follow Kiffin to LSU?

With Wilson at Ole Miss, the immediate speculation for LSU’s next running backs coach will turn to Kevin Smith, the man who currently holds the title in Oxford. Smith did not get on the plane when Kiffin initially flew to Baton Rouge, but he’s yet to sign an extension with Ole Miss or declare any future plans.

Smith spent a few years in the NFL before returning to UCF, his alma mater, as a coaching intern in 2015. Two years later, Kiffin hired Smith as FAU’s running backs coach. Smith followed Kiffin to Ole Miss and aside from a brief stint at Miami in 2022, Smith has been with Kiffin since.

As days passed without a status update on Wilson, it became obvious Kiffin was looking at other candidates to fill the role. But there hasn’t been much smoke around anyone except Smith. Ole Miss’s rushing attacks have been some of the best in the country with Smith leading the RB room, and even though he didn’t follow Kiffin earlier this month, it’s not hard to picture Smith heading to Baton Rouge after the season.

Wilson’s official position at Ole Miss is yet to be announced, but he’s a running backs coach through and through. If Wilson keeps the same title at Ole Miss, the writing is on the wall for Smith in Oxford.

For now, Smith is the obvious leading candidate to be LSU’s next running backs coach.

This article originally appeared on LSU Wire: LSU Football Coaching Staff: Who replaces Frank Wilson?

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