Brian Kelly has made the expected move after promoting quarterbacks coach Joe Sloan and wide receivers coach Cortez Hankton as co-offensive coordinators, sources tell LSU Country.
Sloan will serve as the primary offensive play-caller for the Tigers while Hankton will be a key component in play design and the passing game.
It's a move many LSU fans have been waiting for. Sloan and Hankton handled offensive coordinator duties during the Tigers' ReliaQuest Bowl victory over Wisconsin with Kelly seeing the vision for his two rising stars.
Now, the deal is close to being finalized.
Sloan has been an integral piece in LSU's recruiting success, paving the way for the Bayou Bengals to land Bryce Underwood, the No. 1 prospect in America.
For Hankton, the proof is in the product. As the Tigers' passing game coordinator, he led star wideouts Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas Jr. to elite-level play.
Both expected to be first round draft selections in the 2024 NFL Draft, Nabers led the country is receiving yards while Thomas Jr. led the nation in receiving touchdowns.
The 2023 LSU offense shined with Sloan and Hankton now set to be the future of this unit.
A look into the success last fall:
For the second time in five years, LSU has claimed the NCAA statistical titles for scoring offense and total offense as the Tigers led the nation in both categories.
The Tigers, winners of seven of their final eight games, posted a 10-3 overall mark capped with a 35-31 win over Wisconsin in the ReliaQuest Bowl.
LSU ranked first among all FBS teams in scoring with 45.5 points per game and the Tigers were No. 1 in total offense with a 543.5 average. LSU’s 45.5 points and 543.5 total yards per game rank No. 2 in school history, trailing only the 2019 team who averaged 48.4 points and 568.4 yards a contest.
In addition, LSU’s total offense average ranks No. 3 in SEC history, trailing only the 2019 Tigers and the 2012 Texas A&M team that averaged 558.5 yards a game.
Prior to 2019, LSU had never led the nation in either scoring offense or total offense and the Tigers have now done it twice in five years.
LSU topped the 40-point mark nine times in 2023 and the Tigers had nine games when they reached 500 yards of offense with a season-high of 701 yards in the win over Florida.
Individually, Heisman Trophy quarterback Jayden Daniels paced the nation in several categories including total offense (412.2), pass efficiency (208.0), points responsible for per game (25.2), yards per rush (8.4), and rushing yards by a quarterback (1,134).
Daniels’ pass efficiency rating of 208.0 is the highest in FBS history, bettering the previous mark of 207.6 set by Grayson McCall of Coastal Carolina in 2021.
Daniels’ 412.2 total yards per game broke Joe Burrow’s school record of 402.6 set in during his Heisman Trophy season in 2019. Daniels capped his career as the only player in FBS history to pass for 12,000 yards and rush for 3,000 yards. In his 53-game career, Daniels accumulated 12,749 passing yards and 3,307 rushing yards.
Daniels also ranked No. 2 nationally in passing TDs (40), No. 3 in passing yards per game (317.7), No. 4 in passing yards per completion (16.15), and No. 5 in total passing yards (3,812).
LSU’s top two receivers – Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas – both led the nation in receiving categories. Thomas led the nation in receiving TDs with 17, while Nabers was No. 1 in receiving yards per game (120.7) and No. 2 in receiving yards (1,569).
Nabers, a consensus All-America, became LSU’s all-time leader in receptions (189) and receiving yards (3,003).
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