Every new year brings with it new hopes, new possibilities, and, most importantly, the belief to start anew. All these things apply to the LSU Tigers. However, one thing has remained the same—the instability for the Tigers at the D-line coaching position. You take Ed Orgeron, Pete Jenkins, Dennis Johnson, or Andre Carter. In the past 15 years, only Brick Haley seems to have stayed longer than planned. As for others, they may not stick strictly to the 1-year timeline, but you get the idea. This time, LSU suffered a similar setback in the DL room.
They lost Bo Davis to the NFL’s New Orleans Saints. This coach came to LSU on the back of extremely high hopes just last year and has an illustrious resume. From learning under the best of college football, Nick Saban, to revitalizing Steve Sarkisian’s defense. The man knew his craft and applied it too well on the field. So, naturally, there would be suitors for the man in every direction. His departure will hurt LSU in many ways, but could it have been halted by Brian Kelly? Could Brian Kelly have persuaded Bo Davis to stay?
This is the question that certainly needs to be asked because we know what happens when a major presence in the coaching room leaves. What follows is a high attrition rate, prospects who would be committing for you switching camps at a whim, and most of all, the major loss for that department. Former LSU defensive tackle Gio Paez provided how big a loss Bo Davis’s departure would be and what his influence was in the DL room.
“He’s an intense coach (Bo Davis); he gets it out of everybody. He’s great in terms of teaching from a technical standpoint but also like having the aggressiveness that is needed to coach the D-line, and I appreciated that I loved playing under him from Monday to Saturday being under his belt. We have Sundays off, but I learned a lot from him. I appreciate what he did for me, and it’s sad to see he left LSU.“
Well, it seems Bo Davis had quite an influence on his D-line players. Although the defense wasn’t that great, he was in LSU for just one year, and the job he was doing would have taken time to reap rewards. Bo Davis was also key in signing Gio Paez from Wisconsin on a transfer, and in his one season, the player executed 20 tackles and 1 sack. His run defense was spectacular at times, too, as his 6-foot-3 and 310-lb build surely helped in tackling away even the best of the rushing offense. Bo Davis’s departure could also trigger a mass exodus of sorts as prospects like Richard Anderson, the 2026 commit, or some in-team players like Dyrrus McKinley and Dylan Berymon. But now Bo Davis has left, and the DL room needs someone else.
LSU’s new defensive line coach hire a blunder?
Well, LSU and Brian Kelly have actually taken no time and have signed former LSU defensive tackle Kyle Williams as their new D-line coach. The move raised more eyebrows since the man did not have much experience at the collegiate level, as his previous job was coaching Ruston High School as a defensive coordinator. But his playing career in his days at LSU (All SEC, 2005 and 2004) screams that he might get the job done. But the main concern seems to be his contract.
Williams has signed a 700,000-per-year deal for 2025, which will increase to $775,000 and $850,000 in subsequent years. This amounts to almost $2.3 million through the length of his contract. LSU Insider Matt Moscona wasn’t too impressed with LSU’s decision to hand the coach out with such an expensive deal. “Bringing in Kyle Williams at 700k with escalators that go to 775k and 850k, I was surprised to see the numbers that high, especially considering you’re still taking a risk.”
The contract surely will be a concern since he doesn’t have that much backing in his coaching career to merit this kind of contact. Also, some things do not look too optimistic. Take, for example, the former LSU CB Coach, Robert Steeples. He came with zero collegiate experience and couldn’t last long on the staff. If Williams’ high school career is taken into consideration, then it looks quite optimistic on the other hand. He had an 11-3 season with his team and was second in the whole of Louisiana, only behind Edna Karr High School, New Orleans. Only time will tell how Brian Kelly’s new hire fares, and if you are an LSU fan, you’d hope it works out for the former Tiger.
The post Former LSU Star Clears Stance on Brian Kelly’s Massive Setback as $2.3M Kyle Williams Move Raises Concerns appeared first on EssentiallySports.
