Report: LSU Defensive Coordinator Search to Continue, Ryan Nielsen Staying With New Orleans Saints
LSU's search for a defensive coordinator will march on as reported candidate Ryan Nielsen will be staying with the New Orleans Saints as defensive line coach according to The Athletic's Bruce Feldman. It seemed at times that the Tigers were going to land one of there top targets, with Nielsen even accepting the position on Monday.
However, language in his contract with the Saints ultimately kept the deal from being finalized. The Saints disputed whether or not Nielsen, because of the contract he signed, was allowed to leave for the college ranks and that's what ultimately won out.
According to ESPN's Mike Triplett, Nielsen will receive a three-year extension on his contract with the Saints and be named assistant head coach.
Ed Orgeron said on Off the Bench Tuesday, that Nielsen was a "primary candidate" for the job but that the deal was not yet final.
"We're still working on it, obviously we love Ryan. Ryan's a bright, young, energetic coach that comes to us highly recommended but there's still some things to work out to see if he can come," Orgeron said. "Those things are not final yet."
With Nielsen staying in New Orleans, the LSU defensive coordinator search remains unresolved. In addition to Nielsen, there was reported interst and interviews with both Marcus Freeman and Zach Arnett but neither of those worked in LSU's favor either.
This is perhaps the most important hire of the Ed Orgeron era and for the Tigers to strike out on Freeman and now Nielsen for various reasons is alarming. Over his time with the Saints, Nielsen had developed that defensive line in all of pro football so it's understandable why New Orleans wanted to keep him in town.
How that relationship ultimately works out is anybody's guess but for Orgeron and the Tigers, it's on to the next option on the board. After a traditional hiring on the offensive side, the defensive coordinator search has turned into a soap opera of epic proportion. This will continue to be the story to follow this week around Baton Rouge.
