LSU Fires Joe Sloan, Names Alex Atkins OC After Brian Kelly's Reported Contract Buyout

The changes to the LSU coaching staff aren't limited to Brian Kelly's ouster.

The school announced Monday it's moving on from offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Joe Sloan, who is being replaced by former Florida State offensive coordinator Alex Atkins.

This comes a day after LSU confirmed Kelly's imminent departure. ESPN's Pete Thamel and Max Olson reported the two sides are still finalizing a buyout that could be worth around $53 million.

Sloan was previously the offensive coordinator and QB coach at Louisiana Tech before Kelly hired him in 2022. He was the quarterbacks coach in 2023 as Jayden Daniels threw for 3,812 yards and 40 touchdowns en route to winning the Heisman Trophy.

Sloan earned a promotion to offensive coordinator with Mike Denbrock leaving for Notre Dame ahead of the 2024 season.

The offense took a step backward in 2024 and has continued going in the wrong direction this year.

Garrett Nussmeier, who was considered by some to be a potential top-10 pick in the 2026 NFL draft, has 1,806 yards, 12 touchdowns and five interceptions through the air. LSU also ranks 116th in rushing yards with 112.9 per game.

Kelly has bristled at outside criticism of his offense, but the numbers speak for themselves. The coach also seemed to question Sloan's play-calling midway through a 49-25 loss to Texas A&M last Saturday. The ABC cameras appeared to catch Kelly being frustrated with a pass play inside the final 30 seconds of the first half.

The Inside Zone's Matt Fortuna reported that LSU athletic director Scott Woodward asked Kelly to fire Sloan in the wake of the A&M game. Things spiraled from there when Kelly suggested he'd get rid of offensive line coach Brad Davis as well.

With that story out there, it was only a matter of time before Sloan was shown the door since he had lost the support of the administration. A new head coach would presumably want to hire his own offensive coordinator anyway.

The manner of Kelly's and Sloan's dismissals do, however, raise bigger questions over the athletic department and whether the LSU job is as attractive as the Tigers' historic successes would lead one to believe.