Report: LSU expected to add FCS position coach as graduate assistant
By SDS Staff
Published:
LSU appears to have found its replacement for John Decoster. Brooks Kubena of The Advocate is reporting that Derek Shay is expected to leave his position as tight ends coach at McNeese State to join the Tigers staff as a graduate assistant.
In a way, Shay will be LSU’s new tight ends coach. Unlike most college football staffs, for the last two seasons, Ed Orgeron’s on-field staff has not featured a position with the title of tight end coach. Orgeron replaced the tight end coach position, last held by Steve Ensminger in 2017, to a passing game coordinator position. Without a designated tight ends coach, a graduate assistant has worked with the tight ends. Decoster, who recently left to become Old Dominion’s on-field tight ends coach, was the graduate assistant who worked with the tight ends most recently. Orgeron credited Decoster with helping LSU land 5-star TE Arik Gilbert in the 2020 signing class.
Shay, 29, began his college coaching career at his alma mater, Eastern Illinois, as the offensive line and tight ends coach. He coached at Bowling Green in 2014 and spent the last four seasons at the high school level. Shay was the offensive line coach at the prestigious IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida for two seasons. He has also coached at Warren Central High in Indianapolis as the team’s co-offensive coordinator and offensive line coach and as the offensive line coach for USA Football’s U17 National Development Team.
Saturday Down South reports and comments on the news around the Southeastern Conference as well as larger college football topics.
