LSU Football Great Ryan Clark Pitches Penn State Nittany Lions to Hire Brian Kelly

Brian Kelly and Co. will gear up for a Top-20 clash at Vanderbilt, LSU's decision-maker remains in headlines.

Nov 25, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; Ryan Clark on the ESPN Monday Night Football Countdown set before the game between the Baltimore Ravens and the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

No. 10 LSU (5-1, 2-1 SEC) will square off against the Vanderbilt Commodores on Saturday at FirstBank Stadium, but LSU head coach Brian Kelly remains in headlines for other reasons.

Kelly and Co. will look to carry the program's momentum into Week 8 after taking down the South Carolina Gamecocks last weekend in Tiger Stadium with an opportunity to remain in the College Football Playoff hunt.

LSU Tigers great, Ryan Clark, weighed in on the matchup and what a win would mean for the Bayou Bengals long-term.

“Obviously, it’s Vanderbilt-LSU,” Clark said on ESPN's First Take. “And, I am a homer, for sure. For me, it’s – who is the real LSU? Where’s the Garrett Nussmeier that was supposed to go top-five? Where is this explosive offense that you supposedly were able to get by having a track team, or a 4×1 team in the wide receiver room?

"You have a defense that’s playing top tier. Now, can you go and play Diego Pavia, who is all energy, all execution, all fight, and can you go and win that game handily? Because, if you can’t, then that’s an issue, and you are not a College Football Playoff team.”

Courtesy of LSU Tigers Football.

But Clark also tossed out a statement towards the end of his statement where he seemingly pitched LSU head coach Brian Kelly to the Penn State Nittany Lions.

“If they do (make the College Football Playoff)? Penn State? There’s a great coach at LSU named Brian Kelly, that everybody loves, that you should look at,” Clark said.

Penn State and James Franklin parted ways earlier this week after the program lost its third consecutive game of the season after dropping a matchup to Northwestern.

Now, different outlets and media personalities have pitched Kelly to Penn State - including a former LSU great in Ryan Clark.

Courtesy of LSU Tigers Football.

Sports Illustrated recently labeled Kelly as a potential candidate once the job freed up in College Park.

"There’s a case to be made that Kelly and Franklin were the two most successful head coaches not to have won a national title and that going from one to the other will only produce the same results in State College, Pa," Sports Illustrated wrote.

"But Kelly is a serial winner and seems like a much better cultural fit at Penn State than LSU. A change of scenery on the coach’s end and a big name on the school’s end could be a win all around."

More LSU News:

LSU Football, Oregon Ducks and Indiana Hoosiers Headline Latest CFP Projections

The Early Betting Lines: LSU Football vs. Vanderbilt Commodores in Week 8 Matchup

Updated AP Top-25 Poll: LSU Football Climbs Up, Oklahoma Sooners Drop in Rankings

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