College GameDay's Rece Davis Reveals Sleeper Pick for LSU Football Job Opening

The coaching carousel is heating up across college football with the LSU Tigers involved this time around after relieving Brian Kelly of his duties in Baton Rouge.

Kelly is out as the decision-maker for the purple and gold after the LSU administration made the move to part ways on Sunday.

Now, it's full steam ahead for the Bayou Bengals with the program set to navigate a coaching search and roster retention while also looking to keep the 2026 Recruiting Class intact across the next few weeks.

With the rumor mill swirling, there have been a myriad of potential candidates linked to the LSU Tigers gig with BetOnline revealing the betting odds for each.

The LSU Head Coaching Betting Odds:

- Jon Sumrall [Tulane]: +150
- Joe Brady [Buffalo Bills OC]: +200
- Lane Kiffin [Ole Miss]: +400
- James Franklin [Ex-Penn State HC: +600
- Eli Drinkwitz [Missouri]: +800
- Jeff Brohm [Louisville]: +1200
- Brent Key [Georgia Tech]: +1400
- Jimbo Fisher: +1800
- Clark Lea [Vanderbilt]: +2000
- Marcus Freeman [Notre Dame]: +2500

There's a sleeper among the candidates with ESPN College GameDay host Rece Davis providing his reasoning behind why he believes it could happen.

“Things can change over time, things can become politically untenable,” Davis said. “But do you know who the athletic director at LSU loves? And this is not just because he gave him a big, fat contract at Texas A&M. He has loved him since he was the offensive coordinator at LSU under Nick Saban years and years ago.

“You know who wants back in? John James Fisher. I think I got the John James right, but what do they call him? Jimbo. You get down to a level. I know you can’t. I know you kind of can’t… He loves him,” Davis said. “I know that for a fact.”

Davis hopped on the College GameDay Podcast this week where he dove into a potential reunion of Fisher and LSU after the well-traveled coach spent time in Baton Rouge earlier in his career.

“If you don’t hit, and no matter who you are, sometimes you don’t hit on your first couple of preferred candidates. They might go elsewhere. They might choose not to come. Whatever. It’s a different era, as we’ve pointed out, Davis said. "That guy won games. I know it got a little squirrely at the end at Florida State and A&M didn’t quite do what he thought.

LSU Tigers Football: Garrett Nussmeier. — Courtesy of LSU Tigers Football.

"I mean, can you even imagine? Politically, I don’t think [LSU AD Scott] Woodward can do that again after he’s already done it once and after the BK thing, he probably can’t do it again. But I bet there would be some people in Louisiana that wouldn’t balk at that. They remember the glory days of when he was running the offenses.

“It’s a far out there notion. But it just crossed my mind when I saw it,” Davis added. “Because I know of the affinity that Scott Woodward and the regard that Scott Woodward has for Jimbo Fisher.”

Now, the LSU coaching search is full steam ahead with names being thrown around left and right as the selection committee begins making calls.

More LSU News:

Elite LSU Football Commit Reaffirms Pledge Despite Ohio State, Ole Miss Pushing

Five Players LSU Football Must Keep After Brian Kelly's Firing, Including DJ Pickett

ESPN Insider Labels Lane Kiffin 'Top Target' for LSU Football, Florida Gators

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