LSU Country

LSU Football Assistant Set to Take Offensive Coordinator Job at Big 12 School

LSU tight ends coach and special teams coordinator Slade Nagle joining the Houston Cougars.

Zack Nagy

Courtesy of LSU Football.
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LSU tight ends coach Slade Nagle is set to become the next offensive coordinator with the Houston Cougars, FootballScoop reported on Wednesday evening.

Nagle, who joined the LSU staff in 2024, will now rejoin Houston head coach Willie Fritz where the two worked side-by-side with the Tulane Green Wave.

It's now another loss for Brian Kelly while at the helm of the LSU program after he lost former offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock to the same position. He departed LSU to return to Notre Dame last offseason.

Nagle spent one season in Baton Rouge as the tight ends coach and special teams coordinator before accepting the offensive coordinator gig with the Houston Cougars on Wednesday.

What's Houston getting in Nagle? What's his history?

The Bio (via LSU Sports):

"Nagle returned to LSU after an 8-year stint at Tulane, a stretch where he helped the Green Wave to back-to-back 10-win seasons for the first time in program history. In 2023, Nagle served as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for the Green Wave and was appointed interim head coach for Tulane’s bowl game against Virginia Tech. Tulane recorded an 11-3 mark in 2023 securing the first back-to-back 10-win seasons in program history.

Nagle coached the Tulane tight ends for seven years from 2016-22, a span that saw the Green Wave appear in four bowl games. In 2022, the Green Wave had arguably the finest season in school history as they finished the year ranked No. 9 in the nation and tied a school-record with 12 victories. Tulane’s 12th win came in the Cotton Bowl when they defeated No. 8 Southern Cal, 46-45.

Tulane won the American Athletic Conference in 2022 and then reached the AAC Championship Game in 2023. The Green Wave played in three consecutive bowl games from 2018-20, a first in school history.

As offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach in 2023, Tulane quarterback Michael Pratt was named American Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Year.

In perhaps the biggest win in Tulane history – the victory over Southern Cal in the Cotton Bowl – Nagle’s tight end Alex Bauman hauled in a 6-yard TD pass with nine seconds remaining to tie the game.

In eight years on the Tulane Staff, the Green Wave topped the 5,000-yard mark for total offense four times and had another three seasons with at least 4,600 yards. Tulane tight ends were consistently among the Tulane leaders in the passing game during that span.

Nagle, a native of Lake Charles and a graduate of McNeese, previously served on the LSU coaching staff in 2009 when he worked with the special teams.

Prior to Tulane, Nagle served as the running backs coach and special teams coordinator for four seasons at his alma mater, McNeese State, and helped the team to a combined record of 33-13 including a pair of 10-win seasons and two Football Championships Subdivision (FCS) playoff appearances.

During Nagle’s final season at McNeese State, the Cowboys posted a 10-1 overall record, a perfect 9-0 mark en route to a Southland Conference titles and advanced to the FCS Playoffs. McNeese State’s rushing attack averaged 233.3 yards per game (2,566 on the year) and accounted for 25 touchdowns. The Cowboys averaged 25.5 yards on kick returns and 10.29 yards on punt returns.

In 2014 under Nagle’s tutelage, the Cowboys’ running back corps rushed for 2,441 yards and scored 28 touchdowns while marking the second straight season the Cowboys rushed for over 2,400 yards as a unit.

Nagle helped coach McNeese special teams to a record-breaking season in 2013 where the team set a new single-season record with 1,514 kickoff return yards and three KO returns for touchdowns.

A 2001 graduate of McNeese, Nagle played for the Cowboys for three years from 1999-2001, leading the team to two appearances in the NCAA playoffs and to a Southland Conference title. An all-conference selection during his playing time, he completed his career as the school’s seventh ranked performer in total offense (4,977 yards), sixth in passing yardage (4,596), fifth in passes attempted and completed (378 of 653) and fifth in touchdown passes (35). Nagle’s career completion percentage of .578 is one of the best in school history. In 2001 he quarterbacked the Cowboys to the SLC title, completing 113 of 198 passes for 1,279 yards and 14 touchdowns. During his career he had a 19-8 won-loss record as the Cowboy starting quarterback.

After graduating from McNeese, Nagle served as graduate assistant coach at Northwestern State (2002-03), as the quarterback coach at Dodge City (Kansas) Community College (2004-05), as the quarterback and wide receiver coach at Northwestern State (2006-09), as an administrative assistant working with the special teams at LSU (2009), as the co-offensive coordinator and quarterback coach at Texas State (2010) and as the running backs/assistant head coach at Central Arkansas (2011).

Nagle earned all-state and all-district (three times) honors at Barbe High where he set school records for passing.

He signed with Clemson out of high school and played as a freshman before transferring to McNeese. His father, John, is a veteran football coach in the state on the college and high school level."

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Zack Nagy
ZACK NAGY

Zack Nagy is the Managing Editor and Publisher of LSU Country, a Sports Illustrated Publication. Nagy has covered Tiger Football, Basketball, Baseball and Recruiting, looking to keep readers updated on anything and everything involving LSU athletics. 

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