Robert Steeples sends thank you message after firing at LSU
On the Wednesday after the ReliaQuest Bowl, LSU Tigers head coach Brian Kelly made the decision to part with several LSU Tigers assistants. Among those assistants was cornerbacks coach, Robert Steeples.
Shortly following the announcement that Steeples was let go by LSU, he released a statement on social media thanking the LSU community for his time there.
“God is Good,” Robert Steeples posted. “ALL the time! THANK YOU LSU.”
In his statement, Steeples thanked the LSU coaches, players, walk-ons, and the community as a whole. He also made sure to personalize it, thanking players from St. Louis, where he is from, and his family. That includes his wife, who went to LSU. He ended his statement by quoting from Proverbs and sharing his definition of love and thanking those who showed it to him.
Prior to coming to LSU, Steeples was a high school coach and a defensive assistant in the NFL. He also spent several seasons playing in the NFL.
Along with Steeples, defensive coordinator Matt House, and fellow position coaches Jimmy Lindsey and Kerry Cooks were also fired. It wasn’t a cheap decision to move on from these assistants either, with it costing LSU $5.4 million total in buyouts for the coaches, including $3.7 for Matt House alone.
The Bengal Tiger’s Shea Dixon broke down why this was a move that Brian Kelly wanted to make while speaking to Andy Staples.
“When you have the No. 1 offense in college football — they will finish that way — the defense finishes No. 108,” Dixon said to Staples. “If you’re wondering how many teams are out there, there are 133. The difference between 108 and 133 is not that many yards. So, in reality, you’re looking at a team that has the best offense in college football and the worst defense — and it costs them games.”
Brian Kelly released a statement on LSU defensive staff changes
Shortly after informing the defensive assistants that they would not be retained, Brian Kelly released a statement explaining the decision.
“This morning, I met with Matt House, Kerry Cooks, Robert Steeples, and Jimmy Lindsey to inform them that they would not return to our coaching staff in 2024,” Kelly said in a statement.
“I want to thank each of these coaches for their work on behalf of our football program and our institution during their time here. Decisions like these are always difficult, and we do not make them lightly, but they are made with the best interests of our program and our student-athletes in mind. Moving forward, we will continue working to build a championship caliber coaching staff in support of our mission to Graduate champions.”
The expectation for LSU, according to The Bengal Tiger’s Shea Dixon, is for Brian Kelly to move quickly to fill these positions.