Nebraska Football: Cornhuskers Secondary Coach Corey Raymond Leaves NU for LSU

Well, that didn’t take long.

Just days after saying that he wasn’t leaving, Nebraska secondary coach Corey Raymond has accepted a lateral move to LSU as a defensive backs coach. The move leaves Bo Pelini with a huge hole to fill just weeks before the start of spring practice.

It’s not like Raymond’s itchy feet should have been a surprise. Before taking the job at Nebraska, Raymond was a member of Indiana’s coaching staff for just a few weeks. Only Gunner Kiel had a shorter stay at Indiana than Raymond did. (Wait. Does that mean that Raymond is going to end up at Notre Dame as well?)

Raymond told the Omaha World-Herald that his move was to be closer to his family, and to return to his alma mater. Of course, the chance to coach an LSU secondary loaded with NFL talent, including the Brent Musburger-favorite Honey Badger, might have made the decision a little easier for Raymond as well.

Even with the decision leaving Nebraska a bit in the lurch, many Nebraska fans weren’t sorry to see the back of Raymond. While there were a number of factors, the decline in production from the secondary was a significant factor in Nebraska’s defense not being nearly as effective as it had been in years past. Having Raymond leave, even under circumstances like he did, will likely be met with a collective meh from the Children of the Corn.

So, who’s next? Who will Pelini tap to replace Raymond?

Sean Callahan tweeted what is probably the most obvious selection—that Pelini will promote from within. Certainly for spring football, that move would make a lot of sense at least in the interim. But Pelini has gone to the well quite a bit to fill openings from his own staff, including replacing both his offensive and defensive coordinator positions from internal hires. And many commentators, including one particularly smart and handsome one, believe that Pelini would be well served to look outside the program to break up the echo chamber and inject some new ideas.

So if it isn’t an internal hire, who? Corn Nation speculates that Fred Reed, the secondary coach at Ohio with Nebraska connections, could be on Pelini’s radar screen as a long-term replacement. Kevin Kugler and Mike’l Severe posited on the Unsportsmanlike Conduct radio program that former Illinois head coach Ron Zook would be a great hire as Raymond’s replacement, noting that Zook coached Pelini and has a background in the secondary.

Zook seems an unlikely candidate, although he would be a home run hire if he could be convinced to take the job. And while the conventional wisdom is that Pelini will hire from within as he did with offensive coordinator Tim Beck and defensive coordinator John Papuchis, don’t forget that Pelini went outside of the “family” to hire Rick Kaczenski away from Iowa. Don’t be surprised if Pelini goes the same route—maybe after an interim tag for an internal candidate during spring practice—to replace Raymond.

If you would like to contact me directly to schedule an interview, ask a question or to get my recipe for a killer peach cobbler, you can send an e-mail to [e-mail]. (DISCLAIMER: Peach cobbler recipe might not be all that killer.)

Or, you could always ... Follow @patrickrunge