Woah! Looks like the coach’s roster has also caught some transfer fever like the players. Over the past few days, we have seen coaches falling like dominoes – Jim Knowles, Tashard Choice, and the list continues. Now it’s Brian Kelly and the LSU Tigers who had to bear the blows. They definitely had a costly loss as they lost their defensive line coach Bo Davis to the New Orleans Saints.

And guess who landed in the hot seat because of Davis’ departure? None other than HC Kelly. Now, as a college football insider dived in to find the reason behind Davis’ decision, and the Tigers HC’s role came to light. 

Matt Moscona connects the dots on Bo Davis’ exit

Now that’s not what the fans expected the future would look like for Davis. After all, he joined the Tigers staff as the highest-paid position coach in college football last season. Before moving into Kelly’s squad, he had spent three seasons with the Texas Longhorns. That’s where he had set the bar high for himself. Davis led the Longhorns to the College Football Playoff in 2023 with one of the nation’s top defenses. However, he still opted for the Tigers since LSU is his alma mater where he played in the early 1990s. Going by all the factors, analyst Matt Moscona has been taken aback. On the After Further Review podcast, he recognized a pattern in Davis’ exit.

It’s not likely to be the money factor here. After all, he made $1.25 million this year and was set to get paid $1.35 million this coming year. The analyst stated, “There’s enough coaches in college football to recognize the pattern and Bo Davis is part of that […] Bo Davis doesn’t love the path that college football is on.” That’s how things went awry in all of Nick Saban, Chip Kelly, and Shawn Elliot’s case. What’s the exact factor behind Davis’ disappointment? “Throughout his career [Davis] has been a very, very good recruiter. And whenever recruiting becomes more about money and less about relationships that’s going to be offputting to someone who’s been so good at that piece of the game for so long because he’s very good at building relationships.” Within such a short stint the coach had signed four defensive tackles. Now how does Kelly fit into the picture?

“I think there was some frustration from Bo at the lack of resources invested on the defensive line,” stated Moscona. Back then, Davis wanted to land Damonic Williams and  Simeon Barrow Jr. But, at that time Kelly refused to invest the resources. For this, the coach had to “bubble gum and duct tape the defensive tackle room.”

Even though it won’t be an easy task for the HC to find Davis’ replacement, here are some options he might explore. 

Brian Kelly and the LSU Tigers are on the hunt

Well, Davis did spread his recruiting magic in Brian Kelly’s squad. Ahmad Breaux and Dominick McKinley were ready to play as freshmen. Plus, transfer defensive tackles Jay’Viar Suggs and Gio Paz both had career years. While the Tigers lost one important piece of their defense room, Breaux and McKinley are set to return. Now what about the replacements? The probable top pick might be Gerald Chatman from Florida.

Chatman has experience across the SEC and worked in the NFL. Along with this, he already has some experience with the Tigers having coached LSU in two separate stints. While he worked with Kelly as the interim defensive line coach in the spring of 2023, the program lastly opted to hire Jimmy Lindsey. The next name up in the line is Al Davis. Already Baton Rouge has a Missouri connection. 

That’s none other than their defensive coordinator Blake Baker. Al Davis and Baker have even worked together. We already know that he spreads recruiting magic. After all, last season, Missouri’s defensive tackle tandem was one of the best in the SEC. Now as they lost Bo Davis to NFL, they might also think of bringing in some NFL talent. That’s when Baltimore Ravens defensive line coach, Dennis Johnson comes into the picture. Maybe for the right price, the Tigers can make the deal possible. Only time will reveal if Brian Kelly played it smart or made a blunder LSU fans won’t soon forget.