Ryan Clark names college football head coach LSU must ‘go get’

Just ahead of Saturday's feast of college football action, ESPN analyst Ryan Clark tweeted out his preferences for who LSU should hire as their next athletic director and head football coach. This comes after the Tigers fired Brian Kelly following last weekend's home loss Texas A&M, which precipitated the firing of LSU athletic director Scott Woodward as well.

In case you missed it, the Louisiana Governor inserted himself directly into the head coaching search and assured folks earlier this week that Woodward would not be hiring the next coach. Days later, he too was gone along with Kelly. Now, LSU searches for both AD and football coach at the same time, which really isn't ideal. The current interims are Verge Ausberry (AD) and Frank Wilson at coach.

However, LSU remains an elite job, and their wide base of notable former alumni have chimed in on the upcoming coaching search, including Ryan Clark, who played in Baton Rouge back during the turn of the century and then enjoyed a 13-year professional career.

He tweeted out the following picks for LSU's new AD/Coach: "Keep Verge as AD, and go get Lane Kiffin!!" Clark cried out online. "Rise from the ashes Tigers!"

Mississippi Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin reacts during the second half of the game | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Joining The Herd with Colin Cowherd this past Wednesday, Fox Sports commentator Joel Klatt shared sentiments in Clark's direction. He predicted Kiffin to ultimately make Clark's dreams come true and pick the Tigers over Ole Miss and whatever other open jobs are offered to him.

"I don't think Dan Lanning would leave, but I think Lane will," Klatt said of the LSU job. "If I had to bet, Lane Kiffin is your next coach at LSU."

Klatt dove deeper into his reasoning for Kiffin being likely to accept an LSU job over the very comfortable gig he's got right now at Ole Miss.

"I just think LSU is a step above," shared Klatt. "I think that you have to overachieve at Ole Miss, you've got to do things that the program has never done to reach your ultimate goals and win at the top end of college football."

Ryan Clark is certainly not along in wanting to see Lane Kiffin take over his old school. You could say he's biased and hopeful, but for a neutral observer like Joel Klatt to predict Kiffin to LSU suggests there's some serious smoke there — or, at the very least, that LSU simply has one of the best jobs in sports to offer.