LSU is expected to pursue several big names for its head-coaching vacancy, and one report claims the Tigers have already made a mammoth offer to one of the top coaches in the nation.
Jake Crain, a former college football coach who used to work for Rivals.com, said on his “The JBoy Show” Wednesday that LSU is willing to pay Oklahoma head coach Lincoln Riley a whopping $96 million over eight years. Crain also said he was told that it is “not likely” that Oklahoma would match the offer.
If that offer does exist, Riley could make himself the highest-paid coach in college football by accepting it. That honor currently belongs to Nick Saban, who will be paid around $10 million by Alabama in 2021. Riley makes around $8 million at Oklahoma.
The Riley-to-LSU rumors have been popping up in different places. Riley was asked about them this week, and he emphatically threw cold water on them.
Crain has coached at programs like South Alabama and a few different community colleges. It’s fair to question his sources, but these types of rumors and reports come up every year. Even if they don’t turn out to be true, coaches often use them as leverage to get bigger contracts from their current employer. Riley could certainly do that with Oklahoma, but he did get a new deal from the Sooners just last year.
If Riley does leave Oklahoma, it will probably be for the NFL. We’ve heard him linked to some huge NFL jobs in the past, and many believe the 38-year-old can be the next Sean McVay.
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