LSU Head Coaching Rumors: Mel Tucker Expected to Be Candidate to Replace Ed Orgeron

As LSU and head football coach Ed Orgeron are expected to part ways this offseason, the school may have already identified a candidate for his replacement.

According to Adam Rittenberg of ESPN, Michigan State head coach Mel Tucker has been mentioned by "several industry sources" as a potential option for LSU's coaching search.

In his second year has Michigan State head coach, Tucker has coached the Spartans to a 7-0 record and a No. 9 ranking. Michigan State topped Indiana 20-15 on Saturday and is one of two remaining undefeated teams in the Big Ten along with Michigan.

Michigan State went 2-5 in 2020, but Rittenberg noted that Tucker was able to achieve a quick turnaround after he "flipped the Spartans' roster through the transfer portal this summer." Rittenberg also described Tucker as a "top-level recruiter."

Tucker is in just his third year as an FBS head coach, leading Colorado to a 5-7 record in 2019 and taking the MSU job after one season. Prior to that, Tucker spent time on defensive coaching staffs at Georgia, Alabama, Ohio State and LSU.

Tucker also has extensive experience as an assistant in the NFL. He was defensive backs coach and defensive coordinator for the Cleveland Browns before joining the Jacksonville Jaguars as defensive coordinator. He was promoted to interim head coach in 2011 when Jacksonville fired head coach Jack Del Rio.

The Spartans are off this week before rivalry showdown against the No. 6 Wolverines at home on Oct. 30.