Report: LSU to zero in on Tom Herman as HC, Fisher to stay at Florida State
LSU will zero in on Tom Herman as the school's next head coach, and could have a deal in place as early as Saturday, a source told ESPN's Chris Low.
The decision to focus on Herman for the head coach position comes after Jimbo Fisher told the school he's staying at Florida State.
According to Low, Fisher told the Tigers he was staying with the Seminoles before talks advanced, claiming he could have "some of his most talented teams at Florida State over the next two years."
Members of the Tiger Athletic Foundation, a fundraising arm of the LSU athletic department, told Glenn Guilbeau of USA Today that they met with Herman in Houston on Thursday prior to the school's game against Texas A&M.
LSU responded to the reports with a statement indicating that no decision regarding its coaching situation has been made.
There are a lot of unsubstantiated rumors about LSU's coaching search. We will not comment on this speculation and are currently focused on our game against Texas A&M. There is a process in place for the search, and we will take our time to make sure the best decision is made for the future of the program.
With Fisher out of the picture, Herman is certainly the brightest star on the coaching market for LSU, having posted a 22-3 record in two seasons with Houston. It's been widely-reported that Texas is the landing spot for Herman, who spent time with the Longhorns as a graduate assistant, and has deep recruiting ties thanks to his time with the Cougars.
When asked about reports of Herman's possible departure, Houston athletic director Hunter Yurachek said he has "not been informed by Tom or his agent that they are in conversations with LSU. We are in Memphis together, preparing for a game."
A report prior to the Longhorns' shocking loss to Kansas last weekend had boosters placing extreme pressure on Texas to hire Herman, and that likely intensified after the devastating setback to the Jayhawks.
The Tigers fired Les Miles after a 2-2 start to the season, with Ed Orgeron taking over in an interim role. While LSU has looked strong at times under his coaching, last week's loss to an injury-depleted Florida team likely sealed his fate with the Tigers.