Report: LSU Basketball Has Found "Frontrunner" for Vacant Head Coaching Position
It's been a little over a week since LSU basketball moved on from coach Will Wade and just a few days since the 2021-22 season came to a fitting end in the NCAA Tournament.
But the Tigers are attempting to move quickly and diligently on a new head coach for a program that faces a very uncertain future. What we know about athletic director Scott Woodward is he likes chasing the "splashy hires" with championship level experience. Many of his significant hires including women's basketball coach Kim Mulkey, football coach Brian Kelly and baseball coach Jay Johnson have either won or appeared in national championships.
It's a part of the criteria that's very important for Woodward and he certainly hasn't been afraid to spend since getting to Baton Rouge. But this basketball job also comes with some unique ties to it. After the seven Level I allegations against the program in the recently released notice of allegations from the NCAA, this program is bracing for impact on some potentially severe penalties.
Any coach who takes on this job will have to keep that in mind as the first few years are likely to be rather rough when it comes to competing and recruiting. It's also likely why Woodward will have to include a few extra years in the contract, with the understanding that the first few won't be indicative of what the program will eventually be.
But according to Stadium insider Jeff Goodman, the Tigers have their eye on one particular name. Goodman reported Sunday that Murray State head coach Matt McMahon is "in the mix" for the Tigers open position, with On3's Billy Embody calling McMahon a "frontrunner" for the job after a successful visit with LSU over the weekend.
McMahon would be cut from that same cloth as Wade several years back, a mid major coach looking to make the jump to a bigger program with more resources. Over his seven seasons at Murray State, McMahon had a 154-67 record, leading the Racer's to three NCAA tournament appearances, including a Round of 32 appearance in 2018-19 led by point guard Ja Morant.
Morant went on to be a No. 2 overall pick and is one of the NBA's brightest young stars, pointing to McMahon's ability to find hidden gems in recruiting. Bringing in a coach who has a great track record of finding really good players who aren't necessarily "highly touted" recruits is a positive for a program that will be looking to rebuild.
LSU has already lost signees Julian Phillips, Devin Ree and Marvel Allen and the assumption is the current roster is likely to be gutted as well. How the new coach approaches the transfer portal and talent in upcoming class will say a lot about just how far the Tigers fall in the first few years.
McMahon makes a ton of sense as a still young head coach who will be able to relate to players while also having the ability to keep this ship from completely sinking.
