The LSU Tigers are still on the hunt for the program’s next head football coach following the dismissal of Brian Kelly earlier this year.
LSU is an attractive landing spot for prospective college football coaches. The school has a wealth of financial resources to facilitate NIL moves, and championship pedigree as a historic SEC program.
So, who will take over as the newest sideline leader in Baton Rouge?
According to ESPN college football insider Paul Finebaum, two prominent coaching names stand above the rest as the top candidates for the Tigers’ vacancy: Missouri’s Eli Drinkwitz and USC’s Lincoln Riley.
“I think the name of the moment is probably Eli Drinkwitz,” Finebaum said on McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning. “Certainly, he is a good name. He isn’t Lane Kiffin on the buzz meter, but he’s probably the next best thing.”
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“Do you go back to the well where you were five years ago and make another run at Lincoln Riley, who, in spite of a couple of incredibly mediocre years, has done a very good job this year,” Finebaum added. “At least resurrecting his name and respect and his program is in tremendous shape at the moment, barring whatever happens Saturday afternoon in Eugene. That’s what we think.”
After starting the year with five consecutive wins, Drinkwitz and Missouri have dropped three of their last five games. The Tigers will travel to Norman for a matchup against the No. 11 Oklahoma Sooners this coming Saturday.
Riley and USC are 8-2 on the season following this past weekend’s win over the Iowa Hawkeyes. The No. 17 Trojans will look to keep their College Football Playoff hopes alive in a highly-anticipated matchup against Dan Lanning and the No. 8 Oregon Ducks on Saturday.
LSU, led by interim head coach Frank Wilson, will face off against Western Kentucky this weekend.