Who's on Donald Trump's short list if he's charged with hiring LSU's next football coach
NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos...
Louisiana has a lot in common with states like Alabama, Arkansas and Florida.
Each are football centric with a major SEC influence. Each has a major university looking for a head football coach.
And each has a governor that bows to Donald Trump.
But none of the other three have called a press conference primarily to discuss the fallout in his state from the federal government shutdown, and have it go off the rails, turning into a rant about the football program at the state's flagship university, like Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry did recently.
And in the process, making sure the president knows his loyalty has no bounds.
Landry railed about LSU athletic director Scott Woodward and his leadership following the decision to fire coach Brian Kelly, which cost the university a $54 million buyout. While doing so, Landry made sure he swore his allegiance to Trump.
"Maybe we’ll let President Trump pick (the next coach). He loves winners," Landry said Oct. 29, three days after Kelly was fired, knowing word would get back to Trump.
"I can tell you right now Scott Woodward is not selecting the next coach. Hell, I’ll let Donald Trump select it before I let him do it."
Woodward was fired one day after Landry's rant.
As to who will make the decision on Kelly's successor, it won't be Trump, although you never know nowadays. The school said new athletic director Verge Ausberry will lead the Tigers' coaching search. LSU already dropped the interim tag from Ausberry's title.
But let's say our president and Palm Beach resident, a passionate sports fan who believes he can fix everything wrong with sports, was put in charge of fixing LSU football.
Who would be Trump's top candidates? We have the list.
Donald Trump's short list for LSU football job
Tommy Tuberville
The Alabama senator is a frontrunner being a former coach who Trump endorsed for the U.S. Senate in 2020 and described as a "terrific head football coach" and a "real leader." Tuberville, though, may have to do some homework. Considering Tuberville was unfamiliar with the three branches of the U.S. government early in his term as senator, he could have trouble citing the three phases of football if he ever returned as a coach.
Pete Hegseth
Hegseth joined the Trump team as the Secretary of Defense and every football team needs a Secretary of Defense, as the late and great Deacon Jones — the original Secretary of Defense — proved. That would leave an opening for the newly created position Secretary of Offense, which could be filled by Trump himself. Just think of the possibilities, LSU loses 35-3 to Tennessee and Trump calls commissioner Greg Sankey and demanding, "find 33 points."
Jim Tressel
Trump says he loves winners, and by bringing in Tressel, the Republican lieutenant governor of Ohio and former Ohio State coach, he'd be hiring a man who won at the highest level in the sport, the 2002 national championship. A bonus: Tressel's Buckeyes won a highly controversial title game over Miami that many Hurricanes fans believe was rigged … right in line with the Trump playbook.
Todd Lyons
The Director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, known as ICE, is a darkhorse candidate. Consider, Lyons' employees already work with their faces shielded by masks, and he could instruct them to illegally round-up the opposing teams' best players the night before the big game by raiding their bus as they are heading for their job.
Herschel Walker
Trump first met Walker, the former University of Georgia standout, in the 1980s when Trump owned the New Jersey Generals of the USFL and Walker was his running back. Trump then endorsed Walker for the 2022 U.S. Senate race in Georgia. And Walker's habit of making numerous false claims could come in handy after losses.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Top candidates if Donald Trump was hiring LSU's next football coach
More at NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos