LSU's Head Coaching Carousel

LSU fired Head Coach Les Miles along with Offensive Coordinator Cam Cameron after a close and difficult loss to Auburn in week 4. Defensive Line coach Ed Orgeron became the successor to the role and has since led LSU to a 4-1 record, their single loss being to #1 Alabama, a game that was hotly contested and scoreless until the 4th quarter.

Now reports are circulating that an angry and upset Florida State Head Coach Jimbo Fisher, not Ed Orgeron, is the leading candidate for a head coaching vacancy where a well loved assistant, affectionately named "Coach O" by players and fans alike, is keeping LSU in the top 25. The anonymous reports also believe that LSU's Athletic Director, Joe Alleva, wants to hire Fisher, who will need a $5M buyout to get him from his contract at Florida State.

Jimbo Fisher is a highly respected name in the college football industry. After serving on Nick Saban's 2003 National Title LSU team as the offensive Coordinator, Fisher jumped around a little before landing at Florida State in 2011. He has led Florida State to a National Championship win over Auburn in 2013 with Jameis Winston at the helm playing QB, and made Florida State a powerhouse in the ACC. Now, after tough losses to Louisville, North Carolina and Clemson, it appears that Fisher, who was fined $20,000 for his comments against the officiating in the loss to Clemson, is looking to move away from Dabo Swinney and the Tigers domination of the ACC try his luck again with his own Tigers in football's most competitive conference, the SEC. Multiple former coaches who have worked for or with Fisher also believe he would take the LSU job if offered the right contract. Right now, Fisher is looking at $44M payed to him through 2022, so with a $5M buyout, LSU has to be ready to commit long term and give out a lot of money.

Is this a good move for the Tigers to undertake? And will this move be better then making Coach O the official successor to Les Miles?

Truly, in terms of selling tickets, this is a tossup. Now that Tiger fans are aware of the situation, LSU has to win football games. If Fisher is hired into the spot and doesn't have the instant success that Coach O has seen, ticket sales will drop and Fishers leash will be very tight. If Coach O remains the Head Coach and looses games, the result would be a little different but still very disappointing.

I think that Coach O has won the respect of LSU fans, it's evident in their participation in the games at Death Valley, and the way the players fondly talk about their interim head coach. The players have bought into his mentality and are more then ready to play for him. If Coach Fisher were to take the job at this moment, Fisher would have a lot to prove to the players and fans of LSU. Because of the instant success that LSU has seen with Coach O, players and fans will want to know why this Fisher was chosen over their own successful Coach O.

The one advantage Fisher would bring to the table that Coach O doesn't is the recruiting factor. While Coach O isn't known for his recruiting skill like Jimbo Fisher is, he still is good at it. Look at some of those monster defensive linemen he has created in LSU, Tennessee and Ole Miss throughout his career. However, Fisher overall is the better recruiter and therefore, Fisher's advantage. Will that be enough to justify him getting the job?

This is why it's a better move for the football program to keep Coach O at the helm and let Fisher be Fisher fishing for a new job where he can be the center of attention and look to keep his program securely in the top spot.

As to these other candidates that LSU named as also in the running (UNC's Larry Fedora, Oklahoma State's Mike Gundy and Houston's Tom Herman), these are just names thrown out. Don't make anything really of it.

UPDATE (12:40 am ET, 11-16-15)

Jimbo Fisher has made his comments to the reports. "I love being here at Florida State," he told reporters earlier this evening. "I plan on being here."

Personally, I'm not convinced. If Fisher has said "There is no way I am leaving this school, I love being here. No amount of money can buy me out of coaching this team and I plan on staying here," I would be more convinced and thinking that this rumor was started by some media group looking for big attention. However, Fisher has neither confirmed nor denied the rumors circulating around his possible hiring at LSU at the end of this season. Personally, I would like to see what Joe Alleva has to say about it all before a clear judgement call can be made.