Report: LSU assistant in the mix for vacant Group of 5 job
Over the past few years, Matt Wells has turned Utah State into one of the best Group of 5 schools in the country.
Now, though, he’s off to coach at Texas Tech, leaving the Aggies on the hunt for a new head coach. That search, apparently, will include at least one big-name SEC coordinator.
According to Brett McMurphy, LSU DC Dave Aranda is in the mix to replace Wells at Utah State:
Possible Utah State candidates, sources told @WatchStadium:
Texas DC Todd Orlando, LSU DC Dave Aranda, UW co-OC Matt Lubick, Colorado QB coach Kurt Roper, Stanford DC Lance Anderson, Weber coach Jay Hill, Troy DC Vic Koenning, ex-USU coach Gary Andersen
— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) November 30, 2018
The only problem with McMurphy’s report is that Wells was only making $900,000 as Utah State’s head coach this year. Aranda, meanwhile, made $2.5 million to coach LSU’s defense.
While the allure of being a head coach is certainly strong, Utah State would likely have to bump up its salary offer quite a bit to lure Aranda away from Baton Rouge.