LSU beat writer Wilson Alexander and columnist Scott Rabalais join sports editor Perryn Keys to discuss two weeks’ worth of sweeping change within the football program.
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LSU’s defensive coaching staff is now complete. Wilson and Scott break down the additions of Bo Davis, Kevin Peoples, Jake Olsen and Corey Raymond — how much they’ll earn, and what each coach can do differently to improve the Tigers’ defense.
The guys also discuss remaining holes in LSU’s roster now that the NFL draft deadline has passed — whether the Tigers can bring in help at defensive tackle and in the secondary. We also discuss the addition of CJ Daniels, a 1,000-yard receiver from Liberty.
Also, we discuss the retirement of Nick Saban — his impact on LSU (good and bad); Alabama’s hire of Kalen DeBoer; and whether the SEC is more wide-open than it’s been for much of the past decade.
Finally, we wrap it up with discussion of the offensive coordinator’s job, as well as a look at the LSU men’s and women’s basketball teams.
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0:00-Intro
3:00-LSU’s defensive staff is complete
9:00-How LSU made a major financial commitment
11:50-More important: technique or recruiting?
18:45-LSU’s spring roster is *almost* complete
23:00-A new No. 1 receiver from the transfer portal
28:55-Nick Saban leaves: what will you remember?
33:00-What drove Nick Saban? Rabalais reflects
36:05-What if Saban had never gone to Alabama?
37:30-Did Alabama get it right with Kalen DeBoer?
44:45-Is the SEC a more wide-open league now?
46:00-Updates on the offensive coordinator job
48:15-Updates on the LSU men’s and women’s teams
#lsu #ncaafootball #lsufootball
Welcome to the LSU sports Insider brought to you by the journalist at The Advocate nola.com and the times pikun pan Keys here joined rejoined by Wilson Alexander and Scott rabet we’ve uh it’s been a while since we’ve been back here in our lovely home and our lovely studio
So almost almost two weeks but uh we are here we’ve got plenty to talk about Nick Sabin uh has come and gone kayin dor has arrived at Alabama LSU has a new wide receiver and LSU may have some potential additions uh to its defense we’ll see about that but uh first and foremost
Obviously we need to talk about all the changes the sweeping changes to the LSU defensive coaching staff and Wilson and RAB are here to talk about all that as as they are a couple other topics how are you gentlemen doing today on this fine Friday good thought out after the
Freeze earlier this week um and uh uh you know so I I guess that’s how I’m doing just you know finally a little bit rest of maybe after all these defensive changes a flurry of moves over you know we didn’t get any snow flurries but I’ll
You gu flurry of moves over last two week we got an avalanche we got a blizzard of worth of moves RAB how you doing today good I I I didn’t fall and slip on any ice on my driveway or anything like that so so yeah was definitely a no P surgeries nothing
That’ll be that’ll be for all of us in the future one day that’s right a bit of business here first at the top of the show uh if you’re uh if you’re watching uh you know already know that the advocate is the number one destination for all things LSU please subscribe to
The Advocate to do that you go to the advocate.com subsscribe Subscribe look we’ve got all these changes uh that have happened at LSU not only with the football program but men’s women’s basketball baseball’s coming up here soon stay up to date with everything with our LSU newsletter to do
That you go to the advocate.com LSU newsletter we are typically here I know I’m keep saying this over and over but we are typically here on Mondays and Thursdays we’ll get back on track on schedule uh but we are typically typically here Monday and Thursday live uh on all our social channels
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We are brought to you by Champion well strategies Champion well strategies as a National Financial Services firm specializing in the capital markets Securities Insurance 401ks and college and retirement planning our broker dealer is LPL Financial member finra sipc as you know Investments are not FDIC insured may lose value and have no
Bank guarantee contact Champion wealth strategies and plan Like A Champion today so gentlemen uh the last time we recorded this I I believe we recorded this podcast uh not counting uh RAB you uh you and ki’s visit to Jay Johnson uh that was our most previous podcast but the last time
We were here in studio I believe it was a mere few hours uh before LSU had actually officially signed Bo Davis uh so Bo Davis comes along uh to coach the defensive line later on Kevin peop to coach Edge rushers Jake Olsen comes along uh just yesterday uh to handle the
Safe safeties and Cory Raymond uh the long rumored deal against them with Cory Raymond to come back and return uh LSU presumably or int intending to return LSU to DBU status uh is a lot to mow through RAB what uh give us your two cents on just uh what all this means and
Uh did anything surprise you anything makes you feel good about where these guys are headed well going back to the the reli quest Bowl you know as time went on I just wasn’t sure you know if Brian Kelly was going to be willing to make the all these sweeping changes on
Defense and uh you know I I know some people have theories that you know well if they’d had a good performance in against Wisconsin maybe he wouldn’t have but I I don’t know it happened so quickly a couple of days after the bowl game I think he probably would have so
You know but that he cleaned house to this extent uh with with Cutting Loose four coaches and bringing in four new coaches I think was five five coaches oh sorry I was told there would be no math that’s why in journalism um to bring in all these coaches is really uh you know
Is it sends a statement it goes back to something he said at midseason I think after they lost to old man he said I don’t have a lot of time do I look like I have a lot of time he’s going to be 60 Three this coming football season so you
Know he’s uh he he wants to win and win now and and and he knows as well as anyone that it’s wonderful to have a great offense but you can’t be a championship program playing the kind of Defense C you played last year and uh things had to improve and he obviously
Didn’t see it was going to improve with the the current C of characters so uh this is only one step you got to you got to recruit well you got to you got to get the players in and they still have uh you know a lot of issues to deal with
In terms of player Personnel but but this is a big step and shows a a huge commitment to winning and winning quickly and getting the college football playoff as I as I know I’ve said on this podcast and written with a 12 team college football playoff it’s going to
Become a past fail for program pyu you in the playoff you had a good season you didn’t it it was it was a Lost season and and it’s going to it’s going to be even more I know people feel that way to some degree about this season LSU had
That they wasted this great offense with Jaden Daniels uh and and uh Malik neighbors and all the other guys and they didn’t you know maximize that but it’s going to be really more exaggerated now that you got to make the playoff every year and this seems like a
Commitment to that step to being a national player once again and um it’s it’s impressive now you can ask why didn’t Brian Kelly keep some of these guys when why didn’t he keep Blake Baker why didn’t he keep Cory Raymond right and um I don’t know I’m I’m curious know
Wilson’s opinion you know just did he come to a realization that maybe he didn’t have before when he first got the job that oh I need these people with Louisiana ties and maybe it would be good to have them well he was hired he hired people with Louisiana ties when he
Got here you look at Frank Wilson in you know uh Joe Sloan Brad Davis yeah keeping Brad Davis hiring Cortez hton New Orleans guy and so you had all that on the offensive side of the ball on defense not as uh prevalent I’m trying to think through everybody who’s you
Know been on defense the last couple years if there were any previous Louisiana ties and nothing is coming to mind and I’m worried I’m forgetting something but nothing’s really coming to mind at the moment and so um but they’ve clearly done that with this staff now um
Like you said two years after you know I don’t think it was much so much a reflection on um his opinion really of Brad excuse me of Cory Raymond and of Blake Baker at that time because he cleaned out everybody right uh I mean the only you know onfield coach he
Retained was Brad Davis when he came in um it was very clear that he was going to mold this the way that he wanted to right off the bat and that anything kind of connected to the origon era on the previous regime was by and large was
Kind of out the door and so but now two years later sort of maybe comes to a realization that those two are in Baker and Raymond are people they needed to have on staff and I’ll be interested that you know once we get to talk to
Brian Kelly and ask him like you know you know what within the last two years sort of brought you back around to these two people and um because they are such big hires within this you know five that they have have made here and so um but
And now but to go back to the Louisiana Point that’s a big theme within this these five hires they’ve made is they’ve all coached in Louisiana at some time before um I that’s strikingly that’s really notable Baker was at um you know uh I mean gosh I’ll miss a whole bunch
Of things but he played at two lane he coached at Louisiana Tech obviously he was at LSU in 2021 Bo Davis played at LSU um he coached at LSU not as the defensive line coach but you know he was he’s been around LSU understands the climate here um then you know obviously
Cory Raymond was at LSU for 10 years Kevin was Kev peop thank you and then and then Olsen who people don’t really know much about yet um this is his fourth Louisiana School that he’s coached at and so he’s kind of an upand Comer in the business um you know has
Not been an onfield coach at the foot the at the FBS level before um but he has coached at Northwestern State um and he’s been uh you know a coach in some capacity anyway like a grad assist and that kind of stuff at um ULM and at uh
Nichols and so yeah a lot of Louisiana ties within this group that they just brought in Rab also mentioned that hey they made a a heck of a commitment um they made a commitment certainly financially you just want to I don’t I’m not asking you to name every nickel and
Dime but if you can just give us the reader digest of just I mean they they had to open up the wallet for Bo Davis and and certainly for Baker and Cory Raymond as well and all that yeah so you know I’ll start with uh you know we got
You know Baker um is going to be the highest paid assistant in college football at least you at the salary we’ll see kind of how you know raises and extensions elsewhere shake out but right at the moment he’s at 2.5 that’s $11,000 higher roughly than anybody El
Any other assistant was in the country this year um Bo Davis they are paying him um an average of 1.35 million over the next three years it it starts at 1.25 and then goes up to 1.45 um and then also a $500,000 buyout at Texas um and then you know so those
Are kind of the two most um expensive hires that you made on the defensive side but Kevin peoples he’s making $700,000 a year over three years Raymond’s contract is interesting um LSU only has to pay him $200,000 in this first year um because you know that was
Sort of offset by his buy Florida and then in his second year he’s making 755,000 which is more than he made when he was at lscu last in 2021 his salary at the time was 600 grand um but that equals what he was set to make it
Florida before he got let go there um but what’s interesting here about Cory Raymond in his contract is that he has an option year in 2026 um that is not something that you typically see around here we keep up very closely with all the contracts and
I you know I’ve done that now for five years around here LSU I don’t remember seeing an option year in a contract um for one of LSU’s assistant football coaches before um this and so LSU is going to coming out of the 2025 season going to have to decide whether or not
It wants to exercise the option on Corey’s contract going into 2026 and so he’s kind of got a bit of a you know a couple proof Pro it years here as he comes back in terms of his contract he like again that’s something you see option years all the time at the pro
Level I mean it is especially baseball you see option ears all the time but it’s not something you see right here and that’s a little bit of a quirk and then Jake olssen um will be amongst these coaches obviously we saw this is a young guy as we said who’s kind of up
And coming he’ll be making 350,000 and then 400,000 he’s on a two-year deal um and LSU normally gives out threeyear deals to assistant that’s assistance that’s kind of the standard um but I think it’s because you know someone who is as as um sort of unproven at this
Level as he is is going to be on the two-year deal um and it’s sort of similar to Cory that regard kind of a let’s show show us what you can do and and then maybe they’ll extend him if they like what he’s been doing so um
That’s kind of how all of that shakes out but again that that that part of Corey’s contract where he’s got an option year is is interesting so uh with all these staff changes we listen you you make changes like this because you’ve got a major major major problem
And they are obviously recognized that decided they were going to do something about it decided they they couldn’t afford to bring back the staff as it was which also means that the that they’re expecting uh vast improvements you know from these assistant coaches where exactly uh now is this in is this in
Technique recruiting a little bit of both for for for these assistant coaches what’s the most important things they got to do well clearly um it is some of both I mean Cory Raymond coached some really excellent defensive backs and and and secondary when he was at LSU the
First time uh Blake Baker is becoming more Renown and and let’s say about Blake Baker you know you know what you’re getting in Cory Raymond he went and improved his resume when he was at Missouri he wasn’t that hot a name when he was coaching for Ed oon that one
Season so you say why why didn’t uh why didn’t Kelly keep him well you know maybe you can say why why did why would he but U it’s certainly you know with the the recruiting aspect you know not to just pound on Matt house but he
Wasn’t known as he’s coming from the NFL he wasn’t known as a great recruiting uh recruiting guy these guys have recruiting Acumen you know for for the most part and um in Boda certainly and but it’s some of both I mean you know you know Pete Jenkins you is Bo Davis is
A Pete Jenkins disciple and Pete Jenkins is pretty high on Bo Davis too and he thinks he’s he’s a very good you technician in terms of teaching defensive line obviously that was one of the big successes at Texas this year was there def line part everybody pointed to
How how they got after jayen milro in the Alabama game a big part of their their win and so it’s it’s it’s a combination but because it has to be in college football you got to have the athletes not to disparage your your your your uh your beloved Bobby Bowen that
Much but I always thought Bobby Bowen was pretty good as a coach but he was fantastic as a recruiter he had the best players and that’s why they were in the top four 15 Str years yeah you know that’s why that’s right for the most
Part so you got to have that and with LSU you’re trying to get both and and but and I want throw real quickly these are coaches that those schools want to keep Blake Baker not Cory Raymond he was looking for a job but Blake Baker they
Offered him a big a big fat contract to stay at Missouri and and Bo Davis was making some pretty good money at Texas as well so uh these are schools that else you outbid to get these guys for yeah they were clearly High priorities and that’s things like we talk about
This got done in two weeks I mean LSU very quickly Blake Baker emerged as the target for defensive coordinator after uh I mean by Wednesday night um it was like okay they’re zeroing in on him and that you know Wednesday morning they clean out the house
Wednesday night uh wanted was the top of their list um certainly at that point in time I don’t know you know if there had been other conversations that sort of before preceded all of that but by after you know sort of the hammer fell on Wednesday morning by Wednesday night it
It seemed like okay they’re really zeroing in on Blake Baker so he was clearly you know uh someone they desired at that point in time and so you know they got that done and they got Bo Davis done you know a few days later and then you know continued to round out this
Staff in in a pretty short order there’s lots of interviews done of course um on especially I think within the secondary and and but obviously end up you know Landing back on Corey Raymond and um deciding to bring him back and so um in terms of what they have to do yeah I
Mean it’s a combination of both I mean because we saw this past year at LSU your the players didn’t seem to be getting developed enough or put in the right positions on a to succeed and they also didn’t have you know the players that they needed from a talent
Level especially in the secondary and so like for Cory who we’ve seen him you know bring in players develop three stars into solid players and contributors who’ve seen him land five stars at something else you lacked over last few years was not getting the high level Corners um in particular um and
You know so that’s going to be the biggest thing I think right off the bat for him is recruiting some of those guys and then um and getting some of those big time players um at corner and then um once you know that’s still though like a year plus process so right away
You know we’ve talked about how LSU does have numbers at corner now um even none none of them are proven they’ have a lot of players and so now but it’s going to be on him to be able to um develop those guys throughout this offseason so that
LSU has an improved secondary uh next year um him and Jake Olson are going to have to do that and then up front same thing I mean Brett Bo Davis um in particular has a a massive job on his hands getting defensive tackle figured out because as we’ve talked about before
I mean ls’s got five defensive tackles right now and um he’s got to go and get some more guys out of the transfer portal um you know probably during the Spring window uh one thing to note about that of course is that it won’t be somebody transferring within the SEC
Because you will have had to have done that by February 1st and so um it’s uh it’s a combination of the two for sure um and it’s sort of uh all at different times like I keep saying combination like for Blake Baker like they’ve got some I think if you’re looking at this
Defensive depth chart right now this the strength is probably a linebacker I mean Harold Perkins we know what he can be if Blake Baker can continue to develop him and maybe within a more aggressive style really unleash him um GRE came on Greg pin was a solid player who maybe he can
Get even better we saw what Blake Baker did with Deone Clark Whit weeks I mean flash so much as a freshman as he goes into a sophomore year Baker working with those linebackers I’m really excited see what he does I don’t think recruiting at linebacker is as much of an immediate
Need as it is at the other positions as it is developing what they currently have on the roster and they continuing to recruit of course so it recruiting obviously is is it it is the lifeblood it’s it’s always going to be the major need you know big picture uh when you
Zoom out but I I just you know to piggyback a little bit to me to me um you know for it’s it’s different things at each position right now at the moment what I mean by that is just as you said defensive tackle they need numbers you
Know defensive ends I thought it was really interesting that they they they hired a coach specifically to coach Edge rushers we we I again I don’t mean to pile on a young man but you know we keep on using Savon Jones as a as an example
You know Brian Kelly himself as you said preseason said he was going to have a monster year Well seon Jones didn’t have a monster year what that says to me is that they think in the building there’s Talent there there’s talent coming off the edge but it has not been developed
So same thing at the Jack position I mean you know raen s really had some good moments last year D shk is a former five star right um who really got after the passer in high school and we we only saw for like a little Glimpse as a
Freshman and that’s those are people who LSU’s Got Talent at those spots and that needs to be developed so uh LSU just as you said though has the the roster is not complete it’s not all the way complete but it’s it’s close we’re going
To see what what LSU has now is going to be very very close to what LSU is going to bring with it into spring practice because the draft deadline passed uh it was January 15th correct yes on Monday and so uh there really weren’t need some
Big surprises for LSU coming out of that but you know just where does with that in mind where does this roster stand in terms of how good are they how deep are they where do they still need to maybe fill a hole here and there well in terms
Of the overall numbers what LSU is dealing with is much different than the last two years the last two years it was trying to get back up to 85 that limit um and it helped a lot that the NCAA lifted signing class uh restrictions now LSU is actually over the 85 at the
Moment um by my count they’re at 88 that might you know uh that’s what again that’s by my count they’re at 88 scholarship players um and so they’re going to actually have to get down uh to 85 and that’s just by the start of preseason camp so expect to see probably
Some attrition after Spring ball um as competitions play out maybe guys will see like okay maybe I need to transfer um they could also o probably find some clever uh Financial workarounds um if they really needed to um because yeah they are going to have to um cut down a
Little they’re going to have to get down anyway and at the same time they’re needing to add at a few positions yeah they they really need to add at defensive tackle like we talked about um and they also I think are trying to probably get at least one more Corner um
Couple names to keep an eye on at the moment would be Trey Amos two Alabama guys you know the Fallout from Nick Sabin leaving um and then jir uh Grimsley Grimsley thank you who uh said uh this week that he’s interested is LSU in Florida and and he was an Alabama
Sige who um is now you know looking around uh after you know Sav retires and and someone Corey recruited at Florida um and so you know me might not be an instant differenc maker but that’s at least like a four-star top 200 own prospect that you may be getting if he
Ends up choosing LSU and then Amos is um apparently taking a visit to miss this week we’ll see if LSU can get him on campus and and what happens there I think there’s definitely interest from the LSU side he’s a Louisiana native who um you know was considering LSU last
Year and then ends up going to Alabama he didn’t play but he was possibly going to be a starter this fall and so I think those would be two to keep an eye on but the main thing is defensive tackle because like you said there was no surprises coming out of the draft
Deadline um miles Frasier stayed Garrett delinger stayed that was expected uh jacobe and gillery obviously stayed um you know Jaylen Lee stayed like but I mean they weren’t going to be neither of them were going to be high draft picks and so um the big the big things had
Come earlier you know with with Mason Smith and Makai wingo and so um like who said LSU comes out of that um just fine I think the two that you were really just kind of like meeing to maybe see at the deadline pass were those two offensive linemen and they they stayed
And um so now LSU’s got four of its five starters coming back on the offensive line and that’s a very strong thing to be able to build around going into next fall we will get into uh we we discussed uh potential defensive additions we’ll get into an offensive addition here in a
Moment but first we should tell you uh that this is the LSU sports Insider brought to you by the journalist at the advocat nola.com and the times pyun uh you know to find all our writers great work that’s at the advocate.com uh please subscribe go to the advocate.com Subscribe please subscribe to our
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Champion wealth strategies to learn more go to Champion at wealth strategies.com uh so we we just as you you discussed U jir Grimsley tramos maybe a couple other they’re going to have to find a defensive tackle which they could obviously do again just as you say you
Know players may may hit the portal after spring Spring ball and LSU may find themselves still shopping for maybe a defensive tackle or a corner or something like that after Spring ball when something else may shake out on some other campus uh in the meantime LSU did bring on somebody uh somebody else
They brought in wide receiver CJ Daniels from Liberty 55 catches 1,67 yards and 10 touchdowns uh RAB I’ll tell you I I just sort of assumed that LSU was done once they got uh zavon Moore from Mississippi State zavon Thomas from Mississippi State uh to to transfer in
As another wide receiver but um you know they they certainly flush with players at the receiver position but not necessarily experience yeah I mean it’s um it it’s kind of looks like they let’s get in a bunch of guys and let’s see who can rise to the top and obviously you feel like
Ken Lacy looks like the the guy going into to next season but uh is uh Aaron Anderson gonna going to Blossom you know he he didn’t he didn’t get in very much I mean you had these three great receivers at the top and so it was kind
Of kind of hard but uh he more was expected of him and you get you know a young player like Shelton Samson who you know didn’t see much did he end up getting a red shirt he play he played so little he was able get a red shirt but
Obviously a very highly regarded recuit so kind of like with the quarterbacks a little bit you know you got a lot of guys who who can who can rise to the top and and and find that you know you know perform well and find that chemistry with Garrett nire quarterback and
Everything so um yeah maybe it was a little surprising you kind of thought okay they got their guy you know in the portal but then they go and and and get this this is an accomplished player though thousand 10 touchdowns yeah and uh it’s it’s adds adds some competition
To the room it doesn’t let anyone any returning play players get complacent and say Hey you know this guy is coming in coming in here and Brian Kelly is not afraid to do that as we saw when when when when Jaden Daniels came in you that
First year and is like oh he’s he’s not just going to give the hand the job to Miles brenon no he’s he’s creating some competition here so uh it’ll be interesting to see how that shakes out I mean as much as I’m not a fan of spring
Football it will be interesting to see who are the guys who who really come out and and show come to the four and make you think okay these are gon to be the top three receivers going into the season Ellis you needed this guy um there not obviously it was a priority
For the staff as they as you saw what they were doing throughout the last couple a month or so to get a couple of experienced wide receivers and so I didn’t think they were done after zavon Thomas um but CJ feels that need in that he’s more of a big body downfield
Receiver 6’2 200 pounds adjusts really well to the ball in the air like you said there was 11 uh receivers in the country last year with over a th yards and 10 touchdowns two of them were Brian Thomas and Malik neighbors one of them was CJ Daniels right um and with Brian
Thomas and Malik neighbors leaving LSU needed somebody who has played the amount of football that CJ Daniels has played even if it was at Liberty who did not have a difficult schedule last year um not necessarily the same type of competition that LS he’s going to get
Here at LSU and that’s something he’s going to have to adjust to as he goes in the next year um he’s he’s put stuff on tape that looks good and he’s put up production and put up numbers um Shelton Samson could be a fantastic wide receiver Kyle Parker could be a
Fantastic wide receiver neither of them has a college catch yet right um and it would be I think unrealistic based on what we’ve seen receivers do in the past to expect them to Just J leap yeah be that wide receiver one uh next year as a
Red shirt freshman I mean we saw it happen with Malik neighbors and Brian Thomas they had their fantastic true breakout you know Seasons You could argue Malik neighbors breakout was as a sophomore but the year you know obviously made a massive leap as a junior both of them Juniors um CJ
Daniels here is a senior um who and I also think it’s a really you know we’ll see kind of what sort of speed he has and all that stuff but at Liberty he was a a downfield Target I mean um you know I think his aage average depth of Target
Was like 15 and a half yards um and he I think that pairs really well with Garrett nus and some of his strengths you know wants to throw the ball deep wants to give his receivers chances downfield CJ Daniels is going to fit into that and have chances downfield and
So you know we’ll see how it shakes out during spring ball like you said um Karan Lacy coming back that’s a bit of a pro proven commodity who maybe can even get better um zavon Thomas is probably going to be like a really good sort of
Slot guy he’s you know more of maybe your underneath intermediate routes sort of thing and then CJ Daniels is probably your guy taking the top off deep and then also you know Chris Hilton somebody who with his speed could maybe even add into that and be another streaky deep
Threat um uh you know he had to I think he would probably be like wide receiver four at the moment with a chance to break into the rotation even more um he had 13 catches last year for I think 225 yards and so he needs to kind of take a
Step and Aaron Anderson I mean he had 12 catches for 59 yards so it’s like when you talk about yes LSU had Talent at receiver coming back they’ve even added some freshman and all that kind of stuff and some highly rated guys like Shelton in particular but none of them had
Proven it at the college level yet you needed guys like zavon Thomas and now CJ Daniels to come in and and improve this room and you some more proven options around Garrett NM you you really had two maybe three if you want to count Aaron Anderson known Commodities on the
College level going in leaving the Texas a&n game or leaving the bowl game that was Lacy and Hilton maybe thereon Anderson if you want I would not say that Aaron Anderson or Hilton are proven commod because because they only had they had fewer than 20 catches yeah I
Mean Aaron Anderson didn’t play as a freshman in Alabama he has 12 career catches right have a lot of upside though like kind of like Brian Thomas mode he’s obviously he hasn’t built the same way as Brian Thomas but I mean yeah he was he was one of the highest rated
Recruits ELC brought in all those receivers in that class with Hilton neighbors Thomas uh Deion Smith and um Jack bash and and it was you know fantastic receiver class um and Hilton was one of the highest rated guys maybe not the highest rated I can’t remember
Exactly how it shook out but I mean yeah he’s got a ton of upside he’s just he’s been hurt for the first two years of his career he’s finally healthy this year and there was just so much Target share that went to neighbors and Brian Thomas they sucked up pretty much all the
Oxygen in the room um that nobody else really got a ton of touches and so LSU coming in out of that bowl game really only had one guy I would say who was proven and that’ be Lacy and that but that’s what that’s the point I was going
To get out now you feel like you have at least three known Commodities in Thomas CJ Daniels Lacy and if you want to add Hilton or Anderson there then now now you’re talking about a fairly experienced uh wide receiver group so uh a changing topics uh
We’re making a hard left turn here but it’s still still LSU football related and still very much in the news uh even though it may have happened a week or a week and a half ago when was when did Nick step aside what day was that that
Last when it was the same day that Bo Davis got hired yeah which was must I thought it was Wednesday a lot has happened boy it has I feel for those Alabama writers trying to keep oh my goodness the funny thing that struck me was like oh Pete Carol is being forced
Out too oh it was Nick sa oh my gosh that’s the big deal well that’s I was going to ask you just you I was going to ask you two gentlemen where were you uh we we have a group text going and Wilson was the first to point it out but where
This I’ll tell you what this RAB reminds me of is and I’m not breaking any new ground in saying this but it very much reminded me of when Steve spurger resigned from Florida it was just oh my goodness what wait what and spur was was
Very much kind of out of the blue I don’t think a whole lot of people saw that coming Nick we felt Nick Sab and we felt like well okay that’s coming at some point um but we didn’t know we didn’t know when exactly and certainly
That bomb dropped kind of the out of the out of out of the clear blue sky and so U anyway where were you I was sitting at my little desk in my home office and we got a text I think it was from Wilson that Wilson was breaking a lot of news
Days BR news our little group text and I was stunned yeah it was stunning yeah was one of those moments you’re like you knew that obviously he was closer to the end than the beginning but when the moment actually comes yeah but but there
Was this as I wrote in my column the day there this kind of a rational sense that he was going to coach forever you know there was going to coach you know well minator he can’t be bargained with he can’t be reasoned with Sly in his late
70s you know because you know Nick’s had a lot of work done he’s he’s pretty well preserved and um and so uh but yeah he uh he yeah and and there were rumors of this I I will I will refer to our former colleague Ross
D was telling me you know maybe back in the summer maybe like in media days that he thought he thought sa only had a year or two to go right I remember going around and of course when when he B buys the house on Jupiter Island and then
Yeah like okay he’s setting up setting things up uh for for the end but uh he uh yeah I I went around asking people before the Rose Bowl uh before they lost a Michigan I said okay if if you knew Nick was going to ride into the offen of
The sunset if they won one more title would you pull for Alabama to win and you a lot of LSU you know friends and family people pull for LSU oh no no no I still wouldn’t pull for him but you got the best of both worlds they didn’t win
And and and he and he’s gone so uh but um it was still it was still kind of a shock because he’s been about foot all about football his entire life yes his entire life and I and I and I you know having covered him when he was here and
A couple things come to mind if if I may one was what what drove Nick Sabin you know what what drove Nick you know Nick Nick came from coal mining country in West Virginia and I think deep down way in the back of his mind was like you’re
Never going to put me in that coal mine I’m going to do whatever it takes to stay out there told the story about that yeah yeah his his grandfather worked in in the coal mines and his his dad wanted him Nick and his sister to geted an
Education so they would never have to do that and uh second of all um apparently he was trying to decide 5 minutes before he said 5 minutes before his speech to the team you know he told them what he was going to say and it reminded me of
When he came to LSU back in late 1999 apparently he was on the on the plane down from Michigan racking his brain with with self-doubt trying to think did I make the right decision am I am am I making point he had not seen a campus he
Never never been on campus his wife Terry had been down here but he had he had never been and and you know you know he was taking a gamble on LSU as LSU was gambling on him at the time you you people forget at the time Nick sa was
Like well he’s they always say he’s going to be good what has he actually done and he was 9 and2 at Michigan State that year he was something like 34 24- one at Michigan State they beat him in the Independence Bowl right’s first year L had really kind of overpay to get him
He was making one they paid him 1.2 and at that point Bob yeah I know it’s qu increasingly increasingly qu at that point Bobby bow and Steve furer were the were the two highest paid coaches in the nation and then he was third and at that
Point he was not Nick saving he had not put SK on the wall and everybody’s like boy I don’t I don’t know it was always they say he’s going to be good but what has he done at this point well you find out and then I remember this very much
When he was wrestling with the decision to go to um Miami Dolphins uh late in the 2004 season he called me out of the blue I’m sitting in our Newsroom talking about another out of the blue moment and he wouldn’t he wouldn’t be quoted on the
Record or anything like that but he he he laid it all out for me said I I got this good thing going here and you know but this has always been my dream mean you trying I he just kind of wanted to it was it was one of the
Most I’ve never heard this story this it was one of those a left field moments I’ve ever had in my my entire career it just that he wanted to call and just like kind of like unburden himself a little bit yeah I’m like yeah and uh you
We’d had a relationship by this point I covered him for five years and stuff but I I didn’t you know think he wanted to confide in me with anything and he was really torn about it because you know he said when he left and we may look back
On this meeting him and and and his wife Terry and say this was The Best Time Of Our Lives ATS I I think he really did enjoy his time here and he wanted to come back he thought about coming back coming back to coming back to Alabama
It’s basically an open admission I made the right I made the wrong move going to the dolphin well he said and one one more thing that spring when he went to Alabama I was at the SEC spring meeting in Desa and I asked to talk to him for
The book I was doing on LSU football history in that chapter of LSU football and I didn’t think he would talk to me but he did and he he said I I wasn’t with the dolphins a couple of months before I realized it was a mistake but
By that time LSU had hired less miles of course and and moved on and uh but he was eager to get back to Alabama and and wouldn’t people regard Nick Sabin much differently here if he had not gone back to Alabama and caused LSU so much
Torment over the years yeah no 100% you know I’d always thought that sort of I mean for all this time since he’s been in Alabama I don’t think the LSU fan base would have faulted him or been upset with him for leaving LSU going to the Dolphins and then gone to gone back
To the college game at UCLA or uh you know just give me you know West Virginia or pit or some place like that they would just oh hey Nick Nick gave him five good years and set the program you know on the course that it’s been on
This entire time and we thank him and wish him well and all that instead maybe maybe even if it was an SEC program that just wasn’t Alabama Tennessee you know you didn’t play them every year someone someone in the East oh you got to deal
With them you know if and when you get to the SEC Championship game which of course they got blocked from going to the SEC Championship game for so many years because because they went 5 and 13 against Nick Sav so um and and so much
Of elu success or or or lack of it was tied to it they they beat Sav five times I believe four those years they went to the SEC 100% it it made all the difference in the world in in a lot of cases so uh so Alabama they they go
Around the block uh Jimmy seon gets all of his clients a couple extra coins uh as is as his Tradition at this time of year uh and they they wind up Alabama winds up with kin dor 104 and 12 uh and he’s won everywhere he’s been starting with Sue Falls NAIA where he
Won three national championships to Alabama for for a little sort of a two-part question number one did Alabama get it right number two whether they got it right whether they didn’t doesn’t this feel like it’s it’s sort of the road is open it doesn’t mean LSU is
Going to be the one to drive through it but now now it feels like everybody again going back to sper you know when sper was in his Heyday at the you know the UN University of Florida everybody was playing for second place and that’s how it felt and obviously now Georgia
Has sort of taken over the role as as Top Dog in the SEC but it was it was those two and Alabama as you said was that big huge roadblock doesn’t it feel like now that maybe okay there’s a chance there there’s LSU is going to have every chance and any other program
For that matter in the old SEC West is going to have a chance now to really dig in and take this thing and and become a true National contender in a way that you know sort of always yeah they were but not quite but not all the way
Because this big huge roadblock is always standing in the way I don’t think it would be realistic to expect a team Georgia is probably the most equipped to maybe become that next sort of dynastic Pro program obviously they’ve already won backto back national championships and were the only the loss away from
Alabama for at least being able to compete for a third but to say like oh LSU is just going to fill that void of being like every single year okay yeah okay so you’re not suggesting that which is good because I don’t think that you could possibly um even you know
Replicate what was one of the greatest if not the greatest run in college football history uh history so um you know you’re still it’s tough though because it’s not just your old sec I mean West is gone Texas is coming Oklahoma’s coming in Texas is you know
Lost some of their key players and they’ve just attacked the transfer portal and plucking up some of these Alabama guys who have left especially Isaiah Bond and so um I think LSC is certainly with its resources um with its um recruiting base that is sort of naturally built in around Louisiana and
They’ve U I think done a pretty good job especially this past cycle of of attacking that and and they’re look like they’re continuing to do so in 2025 of setting themselves up to you know be able to break through more often um into that 12 team playoff and be a
Consistent U you know player in that field and and in the mix at the end of the year um we’ll see cuz it’s got to play out on the field the defense has got to get a heck of a lot better um but you know there’s certainly a a chance
There you you don’t have that like you said the roadblock um that is going to kind of always be there and I’m curious to hear all of your thoughts on this R but also this question in parent to do you think the Alabama game now on LSU
Schedule maybe loses a little bit of juice like I mean for for years it was like the game every season and now it’s sort of like I mean it’s still Bama but it’s like part of that was Sabin right longterm can’t help but lose some I’m
Sorry R it can’t help but lose some juice because uh yeah Nick sabin’s not there and now you know again you know did didn’t you feel when these uh permanent opponents came out that or what we think is going to be permanent opponents with Alabama om Miss and Texas
Sama is that right RAB that’s who we think is going to be they go to a nine game schedule that is what has been right that would be and well boy she’s gonna have Alabama every year where some of these other team you know Old Miss gets Vanderbilt or whatever it is and
Now it feels like well okay that’s a tough game and it’s always going to be a tough game but it’s a always going to be a tough game in the same way Texas A&M and Auburn and all these other teams are going to be tough games going to be
Super tough but yeah it’s it’s not going to be the game of the year like it is so many so many years across college football I I think or a very long time Alabama has been that Scarecrow in the cornfield for LSU because it goes back
To to be0 yeah LSU played Alabama every year just about every year since since 1958 I mean going back to first year and when LSU finally beat LSU they won in 69 and 70 then beat Alabama again until 1982 and when they did it was a Monumental thing and that was Bryant’s
Last year and it kind of started him on the path out and of course he died right after he left Alabama then you had the Stringer coaches and they some had success Jee Stallings won a national championship and you know they they had some successful teams and even people
Mike schula you know in 2005 El she went to Alabama it was a TP top five match up LSU and Alabama so to think Alabama they’re going to struggle this year it appears I mean they’ve lost a lot of key players to the portal and it’s going to
Be a struggle this first year but to take the long term that Alabama’s just going to fall off the map is is unrealistic just as unrealistic as it is to think they’re only going to lose 18 SEC games in the next 17 years like Nick sa did right they’re going to lose more
Often and so there’s that more of that opening they just the feeling that they’re going to come back to the pack a little more are they going to become are they going to become um you know Vanderbilt no you know or Kentucky s and five you know but it’s going to be a
Little it’s a bit of a reality sandwich for the folks in Alabama now just to see how you know what they put the all the other programs through and and and and to but to think that they’re not going to have any success is is foolish just
Like just like LSU’s program didn’t fall apart when Nick sa left it’s foolish to think Alabama completely will but uh deor has been a good coach he’s been a good coach now some of his wins kind of come against schools like things like that but yeah watching his
Team this year you know the championship game I mean Michigan is a line of scrimmage team and they were beating these guys up at the line of scrimmage and looked like they’re on the verge of blowing out Washington you know right out of the gate and somehow somehow that
You know despite a tremendous disadvantage at the line of scrimmage and probably in terms of talent they stayed in that game they they they weren’t going to beat him but I mean to me that was a testament to caylin deor getting the most out of these guys and
They beat or twice yeah they had a game against Arizona State where they looked terrible they did you know but they also won a ton of one- score games and I think that speaks to coaching he still got to prove himself as a recruiter they you know they they have not had like
Knock it out of the park recruiting classes at Washington now it’s Alabama and Washington he’s got a lot to prove U Ju Just Like sa had to prove when he came here but it’s a good solid hire that you know they weren’t going to they weren’t going to hire a junior high
School coach or something like that it’s a good solid hire but he’s got a lot to prove and and there’s going to be some some stuff to overcome first of all but yeah generally speaking you can’t expect Alabama to have the kind of success over
The next 17 years they had the last 17 it’s just not of course not it’s just not realistic right but um yeah it does create more of an opening that LSU will have a chance to be but it’s such a the whole thing has changed such a whole
Different Dynamic no divisions in the SEC adding Texas and Oklahoma College football playoff and what is success but yeah to to Wilson’s point guys got to com over a cold um the Alabama game will not quite have the same luster that it has had because you won’t have that you’re trying to be
Not just that team but that guy aremy that man and uh it won’t be quite the same yeah I like the way though that you just described it as kind of a pack if you’re looking at those SC teams in Alabama was always kind of that team you
Were trying to catch up to in the race and they were the ones out in front and Georgia’s now kind of gotten up there but Alabama was still Bama and now with them kind of falling back to it it feels like you’re not going to maybe have um
You know we’ll see if another team can kind of really surge ahead and be the one that everybody is chasing again but it feels like there’s an opportunity for so many many to try and go be that team and maybe it won’t be every single year you’re trying to chase the exact same
Team every year like you have but you’re at least you know there’ll probably be opportunities for more to kind of have a breakthrough and maybe one team pulls out ahead for a little bit and comes back and it’s more of an even race than it is you know always feeling like
You’re in Alabama I I think you nailed it uh Wilson it wouldn’t surprise me if you know one year it’s LSU’s year and LSU is the best team there’s no question and then the next year it’s Oklahoma’s year and they’re the best team and there’s not any question that kind of
Thing to where it’s and you know after that you know just give me you know Tennessee or you know Georgia Florida whoever it is it’s it’s Missouri just had a great year that’s right the opportunity is there for for everybody for what take I was going to uh wrap up
With u a little bit of LSU basketball and we will do that but we be remiss uh Wilson you U you mentioned uh uh before we uh before the mics got hot here that we have not mentioned offensive coordinator any any changes uh with that any they’re still they’re still looking
For one yeah thing know we talked about the defensive staff that’s all wrapped up that’s and and everything to within that twoe period but I think part of it may be that such a focus was put on getting the defensive staff in place um that maybe now sort of turning attention
To the offensive side of the ball fully and that that all that is done I’m you know I don’t doubt that Brian Kelly and the other administrators around LSU have been working on this for weeks now but um ever really you know ever since Mike di Brock left but all to
Say um I think that uh there’s a few names that are probably uh you know they got to hire tight ends coach um I think there’s a couple names that come to mind for that uh slay Nagel at tane is a name that’s generated quite a bit of Buzz um
You might notice that tane has announced quite a few hires and people coming back in 2024 he’s not been somebody that they have officially announced yet um and so he might be an option there um MCN uh who’s just at Alabama might be another option for TI end’s coach if LSU was to
Promote internally um they’ve got an air analyst uh K Malone I think right I think hopefully I’m saying the right name um who was has been instrumental in their tight end development over the last couple years Brian Kelly gave him a lot of credit for Mason Taylor as a
Freshman um could be you know maybe if they were to go that route but they I think they’re probably looking more external for that but for internal hires will probably be more relevant for the offensive coordinator job um I still think the wind is blowing in the
Direction of probably going with a Sloan hton combo or you know maybe Sloan just uh you know singularly or something like that um but we’ll kind of have to see how it plays out because obviously LSU has not actually you know made a higher settled on something and so we’ll see um
If they are if Brian Kelly has been you know looking externally and making phone calls and doing interviews then he and LSU have done a fantastic job of keeping all that extremely quiet because there’s just been no uh Buzz around it um at all over the last few weeks um so it still
Feels like from talking to people around LSU as well that you know there’s a very strong possibility that they go internal um but that’s not done yet so we’ll have to see well speaking of uh having to wait and see we have to wait and see as
To whether uh the LSU women are going to get back on track long term RAB I was going to as I said I was going to wrap this up with a little bit LSU basketball the women lose at Auburn and a R they they frankly struggled uh a little bit
Thursday night uh on the road at Alabama but they’re still 17-2 4- one in conference South Carolina is fast approaching on the horizon that game um and then the men uh they’re five- two since jayen cook came back three and one in conference which I I would have to
Think is probably better than what most people would have guessed uh four games into the conference season yeah first of all elu women yeah they U like the depth is really a problem and if those five starters aren’t those five starters are hit well they’re they’re really really good
They can play with anybody in the country and certainly South Carolina in that group but if somebody’s a little offer a couple players off they might be a little vulnerable and that’s what that’s what happened at Auburn and and and they you know going on the road it
Made their Auburn season it’s it’s going on the road this year it’s it’s going to be tough uh when they play everybody but but that was a good bounce back win at Alabama Alabama’s a a solid team that could have beaten them and they really played much better defense in the second
Half so that was encouraging they come back home and play Arkansas Sunday and then they have the Showdown here uh next Thursday with South Carolina uh game day coming it’s uh it’ll be a show it’s it’s going to be a show for sure the men’s team you know boy it’s easy to think
Back you kind of wrote them off right off the bat when they lost to Nickel State yeah early season like oh man this is bad but but they they’re not going to get jayen cook well they got jayen cook and they look like more more of a team
Obviously that was a um a very good win they had the other night against Old Miss they got will Baker inside uh Jordan Wright played tremendous they have a chance to go to 4- one conference where they beat A&M on Saturday so you know long way to go but they they look
Like they get some pieces and they look like more of a team and there’s some room for optimism with LSU basketball when it all seemed like pessimism a couple of months ago they’ve already eclipsed their SEC win total from last year not not a they did do that uh we’ll see if they
Can uh go for a sweep against Texas A&M uh uh 300 p.m Saturday speaking about the LSU men and then of course as RAV said uh there’s going to be quite the show coming up this week for the LSU women in the meantime we will see uh
Wilson will be by the phone waiting for maybe some news on an offensive coordinator maybe some defensive additions uh but we will be here for all of it we will be back here on Monday uh as I say we are typically here on Mondays and Thursdays we’ll get back on
Schedule uh we’re here on all our you all our U social channels specifically the YouTube channel LSU Tigers on.com if you don’t catch us live on those channels you can catch us after the fact fact on those same channels we’re also on Apple podcast Spotify wherever the final podcasts are found please
Subscribe to The Advocate uh support your local journalist these guys are the best so uh do that at the advocate.com Subscribe uh and stay up today as we’ve discussed we’ve uh gone almost an hour now so we we clearly got a lot to talk talk about these days uh stay up to date
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It’s been a pleasure for Scott rabet for Wilson Alexander for Robert Young behind the glass this is Pon keys this has been the LSU sports Insider
