LSU coach Ed Orgeron surprised many when he dismissed Jabbar Juluke and Dameyune Craig from LSU’s coaching staff following National Signing Day (Juluke will reportedly be reassigned within the athletic department). It hasn’t taken Orgeron long to identify who he wants on staff as Juluke and Craig’s replacements.

Ross Dellenger of The Advocate is reporting that LSU is “closing in on” La Tech’s Mickey Joseph and USC’s Tommie Robinson. The marquee hire would be Robinson.

Robinson has more than 25 years of coaching experience, primarily in college football. He has bounced back and forth between USC (2013, 2016) and Texas (2014-15) the past two seasons. In the 2017 recruiting cycle, Robinson was rated the Pac-12’s No. 1 recruiter by the 247Sports Composite. Helping USC land six of its 24 commitments, including 5-star RB Stephen Carr, 5-star OT Austin Jackson, 4-star S Bubba Bolden, 4-star S Isaiah Pola-Mao and 4-star OLB Levi Jones. His resume also includes having coached NFL stars Beanie Wells, Tatum Bell, Michael Irvin, Javorius Allen and Silas Redd.

Robinson has experience coaching both wide receivers and running backs, but he has primarily coached running backs for the past 18 years of his 25-year career. While Robinson has most recently coached at USC, Texas, Lousiville and Miami, the Phenix City, Ala. native should have no trouble adjusting to life in the SEC.

If Robinson joins the staff as running backs coach or run-game coordinator, he will likely be paid similarly to former wide receivers coach Dameyune Craig, who made $550,000 in the 2016 season after leaving his alma mater, Auburn, to come to Baton Rouge.

Craig was originally brought on by former coach Les Miles to help give the Tigers a recruiting boost. Despite the Tigers finishing No. 7 nationally in the recruiting rankings, Orgeron felt he could upgrade by cutting Craig loose. Robinson should be well aware of what Orgeron expects, as both were on USC’s staff in 2013 when Lane Kiffin was fired and Orgeron was the interim head coach.

Joseph has deep ties to Louisiana. The New Orleans native played for Nebraska from 1987-1991 and began his coaching career in 1999 as a graduate assistant at Tulane. He was head coach at the private Desire Street Academy high school from 2005-08 and coached at Langston as an assistant from 2009-10 and head coach 2011-12. Last season he coached running backs at Louisiana Tech, but he recently coached wide receivers at Alcorn State (2013) and Grambling (2014-15).