A quadruple history is unfolding for LSU sports with the hiring of four new head coaches in women Basketball, Men's basketball, football and baseball. All four head coaches have a few things in common. They have winning records, head coaching experience and none have coached an SEC team as a head coach. So what will the future look like since all four face the same problem?
Women Basketball: Coach Kim Mulkey is a proven winning head coach winning multiple national championships. She has already concluded her first full season as LSU's head coach with a winning record and a trip to the NCAA playoffs. So progress was made in her very first year. It will take two more years to recruit the type of players she believes fits her program to see the real results. This writer believes Mulkey's greatest challenge is that she now coaches in the SEC and how she handles that challenge. The AP named Mulkey Coach of the Year
LSU Baseball: Coach Joy Johnson is in the middle of his first season and there are no surprises at this juncture. The team he inherited was inconsistent the last several years with pitching and hitting problems and those problems need to be solved. LSU has not had a starting pitcher in years who could be counted on to win that one game when needed. At the present time LSU has an overall winning record and are 7-5 in the SEC in Johnson's first year. When the season ends we will know more about where the Tigers stand.
LSU Football: Coach Brian Kelly has his work cut out for him as his first season will be starting soon. His past winning record will be challenged as half of his schedule games will be against SEC opponents, a challenge he has yet to face. Kelly takes over a Tiger team that went 12-12 over the past two seasons after winning the National Championship in 2019. LSU football has too many problems to list that Kelly will have to solve. This writer believes it is a stretch to believe that this years record will be much better than last years.
LSU Basketball: Coach Mitt McMahon will be taking over a program that has been inconsistent and lived in the shadows of an NCAA investigation that led to the firing of Will Wade. The team made the NCAA playoffs this year and were eliminated in the first game. The team has not made a final four appearance since 2006. McMahon will have the toughest job of all the four new coaches because LSU's team has been depleted. He will have a lot to do and a lot on his plate before the first game comes around.
This writer believes LSU sports have made little progress for the past several years. The school's past recruiting simply did not satisfy the needs of the teams or the coaching staff. And in a short 12 month period, LSU will have started four new head coaches to their sports teams. All four have a past record that is already known. Now the important question is what will be their future record at LSU? This writers position for the past several years has been a "wait and see" thing. Don't get excited until its time to get excited. I will be happy if they succeed and turn things around when LSU is able to compete every year at the highest level.
In the meantime pay no attention to all the hype and cliches along the way because in the final analysis, it is the performance that counts.
This commentary written by Joe Lorio
