LSU Attempting to Hire Familiar Face to Lane Kiffin's Coaching Staff

The LSU Tigers are looking to reunite with a former member of the team's coaching staff.

LSU Tigers head coach Lane Kiffin walks on the sideline during the first quarter against the Kentucky Wildcats at Kroger Field. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The LSU Tigers are preparing for a crucial SEC matchup on Saturday with Alabama that could determine the College Football Playoff fate of both teams.

And in the meantime, Lane Kiffin is doing whatever he can to give LSU an edge, even that means making an in-season addition to improve the coaching staff.

LSU is looking to hire former Baylor head coach Dave Aranda to Kiffin's staff in an analyst role, per reports from Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports. Aranda, who was fired by Baylor earlier this season after nearly seven full years with the program, was previously LSU's defensive coordinator from 2016-19. The familiarity is already there.

Baylor was 4-3 at the time of Aranda's firing but it's clear the program wanted to move in a different direction after he failed to reach the standard that the team set in the early 2010s.

Dave Aranda is Already in Baton Rouge

Baylor Bears head coach Dave Aranda looks on during the first half against the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs at McLane Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Per Zenitz's report, Aranda is already in Baton Rouge as LSU looks to make the hire official. Kiffin is obviously keen on bringing Aranda back to the program and is wasting no time trying to do so.

It's not often a Power 4 head coach lands another job in the same season he was fired, but it says a lot about how Aranda is viewed in the college football world if he's potentially joining a new team less than a month after leaving Waco.

Dave Aranda's Coaching History

Though Aranda had just two winning season during his time as Baylor's head coach, he showed he's capable of leading a championship-level program when the Bears finished with a 12-2 record, won the Big 12 Championship, and took down Ole Miss in the 2021 Sugar Bowl.

This came after a 2-7 finish for Aranda in his first year at Baylor the previous season. He turned things around in just one season and was named the AP Big 12 Coach of the Year as a result, but never came close to replicating those results.

Aranda finished his Baylor career with a 40-40 record. Perfectly average, which explains why Baylor chose to move on despite that memorable 2021 season.

Aranda's potential addition to the LSU staff won't necessarily move mountains for the Tigers but it would give them another experienced coaching mind to a staff that already has championship pedigree.

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