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LSU coaching search: Robert Griffin III reveals Tyrann Mathieu wants to replace Brian Kelly

Untitled design (2)by: Sam Gillenwater10 hours agosamdg_33
Tyrann Mathieu
Dale Zanine | Imagn Images

LSU fired Brian Kelly on Sunday, which opens one of the best jobs in all of college football with the Tigers now set to begin a search for their next head coach. But, of all the candidates that are going to come out, Robert Griffin III thinks they need to go with someone who understands their program best, and he has already heard from someone who could be the man for the job.

RGIII reacted to the firing of Kelly in a video on social media on Sunday night. He was the latest to say that this tenure was never going to truly work because of how little this head coach fit with LSU.

“Well, that marks the end of one of the worst fit hires in college football history,” said Griffin. “The man, Brian Kelly, faked an accent in his first public speaking engagement at LSU. That tells you just how fast that was going to go downhill.”

With that, Griffin made the case for who should be next down in Death Valley. Thinking the program needs to get back to an identity, he revealed that Tyrann Mathieu, the former Consensus All-American who played at LSU in 2010 and 2011, has told him that he’d take the job to come back as head coach, albeit with him in need of help in that circumstance considering his lack of any coaching experience, in Baton Rouge.

“When you talk about who they should bring in, you guys will not believe who hit my line telling me that they want the job at LSU. I believe, for LSU to be successful, they have to have an identity,” said Griffin. “In years past, we’ve called them Wide Receiver U – you talk about Ja’Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson, Jarvis Landry, Odell Beckham Jr., Brian Thomas Jr., the list goes on and on. But, they had an identity. Could it be the running game, like it was with Leonard Fournette and others? Could it be the passing game? I don’t know, but who they bring in has to understand what it means to be an LSU Tigers

“And, guys, I can let you guys know here right now. You’re going to have to surround this guy with a great staff – defensive coordinator that’s got experience, offensive coordinator that’s got a ton of experience, and other head coaches on the staff that can help him learn the ropes. But, Tyrann ‘Honey Badger’ Mathieu hit me up and let me know that he wants the head coaching job at LSU,” Griffin continued. “And you can’t tell me any LSU Tiger wouldn’t want him to lead them back to prominence, like they’re supposed to be.”

Despite how his time there ended, Mathieu, a New Orleans native, was an all-time kind of player for the Tigers. He, in two seasons with the school, posted 133 total tackles, 16 deflections, 11 forced fumbles with eight recoveries and two of those going for scores, six sacks, and four interceptions on defense, while also returning 27 punts as a sophomore for two more touchdowns. Simply put, he was a complete playmaker in two phases of the game, which earned him the Bednarik Award, consideration for The Heisman Trophy, and just recently earned him recognition as part of the next class of SEC Legends. That also led to a dozen years spent in the NFL, being three times selected as an All-Pro and Pro Bowler respectively with the Arizona Cardinals, Houston Texans, Kansas City Chiefs, and New Orleans Saints, before his retirement which he announced back in July.

Again, a whole lot of names are about to get dropped into this coaching search, with one of college football’s premier positions now available with Kelly’s firing. Mathieu, though, is one that came from out of nowhere tonight after apparently talking with Griffin III.

“Let me know what you think. Tyrann Mathieu, head coach at LSU? Honey Badger! Bring him back home, y’all,” Griffin said.