Paul Skenes promotes Nick Saban, Lane Kiffin as candidates who fit LSU

The LSU job is open, meaning one of the best jobs in the country is drawing attention from around the sports world. That includes from Pittsburgh Pirates and former LSU pitcher Paul Skenes, who recently shared he wants to see a big name come to Baton Rouge.

Skenes recently appeared on CBS Sports HQ. There, he shared that he’d like to see LSU go after either Nick Saban or Lane Kiffin as their next football coach.

“I really don’t pay much attention to it,” Paul Skenes said. “I think there are a few guys in college football that would fit Baton Rouge pretty well. Baton Rouge, it’s an interesting place to be a sports head coach there. I’ve seen Lane Kiffin out there a little bit. That would be an interesting hire. We could go big and go for Nick Saban. Hopefully, he takes the job. But, yeah, I’m interested to see what happens. I’m kind of passively an LSU Tigers football fan. I’m not a football guy. I don’t have any recommendations or anything like that on who we should hire, but it’s gonna be interesting.”

Nick Saban certainly would be interesting. The legendary coach is best known for his time at Alabama, where he won six national championships. However, he also spent time at LSU, building up that program and winning a national championship in Baton Rouge. At the same time, he’s made it clear that he’s firmly retired.

“You know, I want to stay retired,” Saban said on College GameDay. “I do not want (Jimmy Sexton) anywhere near Miss Terry. Because when she hears some of these numbers, she gets interested. And I’m not interested.”

That might mean that Lane Kiffin is a more likely candidate. The current Ole Miss coach, Kiffin is expected to have multiple suitors around the SEC this coaching carousel. That includes the open Florida job. Of course, Ole Miss is also doing all it can to keep him in Oxford.

Lane Kiffin did make an appearance on the LSU head coaching hot board, according to On3’s Pete Nakos. However, he has to want that job too. As Steve Spurrier recently noted, he’s the hottest name in the country. So, he does have the chance to choose what option is best for him moving forward.

“He’s without a doubt the hottest name out there right now,” Steve Spurrier said. “See how it all plays out, but I think he’s done an excellent job of putting it away right now. Just tell his team, ‘You guys are the reason I get a lot of attention right now, but I don’t plan on going anywhere. Let’s try to have as big a year as is possible this year.’”

For now, Paul Skenes and the LSU community will have to wait and see what the future holds. Athletic director Scott Woodward has made some massive hires in the past. He very well may want to make another this cycle too.