Brian Kelly makes the expected move and promotes his emerging talents to run the offense.
Brian Kelly has made the expected move, upgrading quarterbacks coach Joe Sloan and wide receivers coach Cortez Hankton to co-offensive coordinators, according to LSU Country.
Sloan will be the Tigers’ primary offensive play-caller, with Hankton playing an important role in play design and passing.
Many LSU fans have been eagerly anticipating this change. Sloan and Hankton assumed offensive coordinator duties during the Tigers’ ReliaQuest Bowl victory over Wisconsin, with Kelly seeing the potential in his two developing talents.
The transaction is now nearing completion.
Sloan has played an important role in LSU’s recruiting success, clearing the path for the Bayou Bengals to sign Bryce Underwood, the No. 1 prospect in America.
Hankton believes the proof is in the product. As the Tigers’ passing game coordinator, he guided top wideouts Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas Jr. to elite performances.
Both are predicted to be first-round draft picks in the 2024 NFL Draft; Nabers topped the country in 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 is third in SEC history, trailing only the 2019 Tigers and the 2012 Texas A&M squad, who averaged 558.5 yards per game.
Prior to 2019, LSU has never led the nation in scoring offense or total offense, but the Tigers have done it twice in the last five years.
LSU scored 40 points nine times in 2023, and the Tigers had nine games with 500 yards of offense, including a season-high 701 yards in a win over Florida.
Individually, Heisman Trophy quarterback Jayden Daniels led the nation in multiple categories, including total offense (412.2), pass efficiency (208.0), points responsible for each game (25.2), yards per rush (8.4), and rushing yards by quarterback (1,134).
Daniels’ pass efficiency rating of 208.0 is the greatest in FBS history, surpassing Grayson McCall’s 207.6 from Coastal Carolina in 2021.
Daniels’ 412.2 total yards per game beat Joe Burrow’s school record of 402.6, which he set during his Heisman Trophy season in 2019. Daniels finished his career as the only player in FBS history to have 12,000 passing yards and 3,000 rushing yards. Daniels finished his 53-game career with 12,749 passing yards and 3,307 rushing yards.
Daniels also placed second in the nation in throwing touchdowns (40), third in passing yards per game (317.7), fourth in passing yards per completion (16.15), and fifth in total passing yards (3,812).
LSU’s top two receivers, Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas, lead the country in receiving categories. Thomas topped the nation with 17 receiving touchdowns, while Nabers was first in receiving yards per game (120.7) and second in receiving yards (1,569).
Nabers, a consensus All-American, set LSU’s all-time record for receptions (189) and receiving yards (3,003).
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