Report: LSU expected to interview Top 10 team's defensive coordinator
Cincinnati had one of college football’s top defenses in 2020. Now LSU is reportedly targeting the Bearcats’ defensive coordinator.
Brandon Saho of WLWT NBC 5 Cincinnati reports that Marcus Freeman is expected to interview with LSU this week. Saho adds that Freeman wants to be a head coach next, but is listening to LSU and others with defensive coordinator openings.
Freeman was a finalist for the Broyles Award which goes to the top assistant coach in college football. 247Sports named Freeman its Defensive Coordinator of the Year for 2020, citing his unit’s pre-Peach Bowl numbers top 10 rankings in scoring (16 points per game) and total defense (314.4 yards per game). Freeman’s Bearcats extended its streak of forcing a turnover to 20-straight games.
The 34-year-old former Ohio State Buckeye standout has been in coaching since 2010, starting as a grad assistant at his alma mater. He has also coached at Kent State (linebackers, 2011-12) and Purdue (linebackers 2013-16; co-defensive coordinator 2016).
LSU fired defensive coordinator Bo Pelini on Dec. 22 after one season on Ed Orgeron’s staff.
Sources: Cincinnati DC Marcus Freeman is expected to interview for the LSU defensive coordinator job this week. Freeman wants to be a head coach next, but is listening to LSU and other DC jobs. #Bearcats
— Brandon Saho (@BrandonSaho) January 4, 2021
Might I suggest Pete Golding?
Smh Lsu and Orgeron making moves to improve. Wish we would do the same.
I think Mullen wants to jump to the NFL, which may be why he hasn’t fired Grantham yet.
Orgeron looking for a scape goat. Truth is Orgeron is a a horrible head coach and everyone knows it. I’d be embarrassed to have that clown represent my university. He can’t even talk. Only reason he got lucky last year was bc of Joe Brady and Joe Burrow. He also had a top 10 D coordinator. We saw how he is clueless and incapable of sustaining staff turnover and his complete inability to stay at the top despite all the talent in BR.
^^^^^ 200 IQ this one..
A lot smarter than Coach O apparently….
Thought Barry Odom was their top target. Either of these guys would be good. Or Kevin Steele
Hadn’t heard anything about Odom. LSU’s reported list included Freeman, Derek Mason, Will Muschamp and Kevin Steele. I hope they hire Freeman or Mason.
I don’t think Odom would leave Arkansas. He and Pittman have some mad respect for each other and clearly work together very good. Odom would leave for a HC job, or an NFL job, but I don’t see him simply moving to another school just for a few more bucks. He’s not that of that ilk.
Todd Grantham would be an awesome fit for LSU. Come on, Ogreloon! Bring in the master of the 3rd down defense!
My wish list for DC is Marcus Freeman but it would be extremely difficult to get him from Cincinnati because he’s so close and loyal to HC Luke Fickle. If we wouldn’t have wasted that 2+mill on Bo Pelini we could’ve used that as enticement for Freeman. Now I would like for Coach O to hire Georgia Co-DC Glen Schumann as our new DC because not only is he a great coach but one of the best recruiters in the country. We need our next DC to be great defending against the spread, a great teacher and leader of Young men because whatever Bo Pelini was doing wasn’t getting through to the players and last and definitely not least he has to be a phenomenal recruiter.
I don’t think you could go wrong with either. LSU won’t struggle to recruit no matter who they get at DC. Schumann doesn’t get the credit he deserves for the job he does with the UGA defense. I think he’s much more impressive than Lanning.
Freeman would be a home run hire worth throwing the bank at.
7 mil total for 1 year of Pelini
Should have made Orgeron cover the buyout.
Lol he aint that rich yet. Whether stated or not he’s been served notice and he knows it, and he made big changes to try and fix things. Is BeBe the real deal and can adjust and persevere? or did he just catch lightning in a bottle? LSU will have a better time of it next year with lots of returning starters and fresh young studly new talent backing them up.
And that would make Pelini the smartest man in the room. Let me put it another way…if you were a working stiff, it would take you 40 years at $175,000 PER YEAR to make that much. We should ALL be as bad at coaching as Pelini, Morris, etc.
He seems like he would be a good hire, but only temporarily as he wants to be a HC and he is ascending towards that. We will see.
Throw the bank at him! I love the 3-4 3-3-5 defense he runs at Cinci. I believe that if O is a hard azz and is dead set on a 4-3 it may steer him away due to not being able to implement his own scheme.
The comments could be H-I-L-A-R-I-O-U-S if LSSHOE pulls this off and ShoeTossU is left holding 3rd n Grantham…time to order some more beer and popcorn…