After a historically bad season for the LSU defense, Bo Pelini is out as defensive coordinator. The school announced last night that Pelini and LSU mutually parted ways with two years left on his contract, which puts his buyout at five-point-two million dollars. Tiger Rag Editor Ron Higgins says a change had to be made.
“In these days of college football, if something doesn’t work, you remedy the situation, if you have the money, they got the money from somewhere, somebody paid the five-million dollars to pay Bo Pelini off,” said Higgins.
LSU says Pelini has accepted a one-time payment, but an exact amount was not given. The school has said previously the pandemic has cost the athletic department 80-million dollars. So Higgins says financial resources might be tight as Coach Ed Orgeron looks for a new defensive coordinator.
“It will be interested to see what Ed can come up with and who he can find for a limited budget unless one of LSU’s Sugar Daddy’s appears out of nowhere, which happens,” said Higgins.
The 53-year-old Pelini was LSU’s defensive coordinator when the Tigers won the National title in 2007. But Higgins says Pelini lasted just one season with LSU in his return to Baton Rouge.
“Nobody wanted Bo Pelini when he was hired, LSU just plucked him out of Youngstown State where he was a head coach, after he was fired from Nebraska, and they thought they could recreate some magic they had a long time ago and it just didn’t happen from the very beginning,” said Higgins.
Pelini is not the only assistant coach leaving. Defensive line coach Bill Johnson is reportedly retiring, while safeties coach Bill Busch and passing game coordinator Scott Linehan will reportedly not return.
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