Head coach LSU Ed Orgeron he will have to continue his search for a new defensive coordinator.
On Monday, Jane Slater of the NFL Network and other media reported the New Orleans Saints defensive line coach Ryan Nielsen told coach Sean Payton that he was prepared to take over the defensive coordinator at Baton Rouge. Sources confirmed the same with the Geaux247 team.
But then there was an obstacle, with Slater reporting later that the Saints were not agreeing to release Nielsen while the franchise disputed “whether the language of Nielsen’s contract would support the move to the college ranks”.
As of Tuesday morning, Orgeron was on ESPN’s Off the Bench 104.5 with T-Bob Hebert to share the latest news from the end of LSU.
“We are still working on it,” said Orgeron. “He is a primary candidate. Obviously, I love Ryan. He is a young, brilliant and energetic trainer, and comes to us highly recommended. But there are still some things to work out to see if he can still come to LSU, and those things are not yet definitive. “
On Tuesday afternoon, Bruce Feldman reported that Nielsen would remain with the Saints and would not assume the position of defensive coordinator, with sources telling the Geaux247 team that the Saints would not release Nielsen from his contract.
Nielsen was Orgeron’s most recent target to replace Bo Pelini, who spent a season as a defensive coordinator under Orgeron. Baylor head coach Dave Aranda previously he was LSU’s defensive coordinator before Pelini’s 2020 season in Baton Rouge.
Nielsen, a Southern Cal graduate, played on the defensive line under Orgeron in the late 1990s and early 2000s. His first coaching job at college was as a graduate assistant under Orgeron at USC in 2002, and he worked his way up to the coach rankings from there. In 2005, Orgeron appointed Nielsen as his defensive line coach at Ole Miss, and the two spent three seasons together at Oxford. From 2013 to 2016, Nielsen was the defensive line / recruiting / racing game coordinator in the state of North Carolina, where his rise to fame took on a new speed. After participating in the Broyles Award, the Saints coach Sean Payton hired Nielsen as the team’s defensive line coach in 2017, and his results have been impressive over four seasons with the team.
Now, Payton and company have placed restrictions on Orgeron’s bid to attract the talented Saints assistant.
For Tigers, there are still three signings to be made in the defensive part of football.
Orgeron needs to find a defensive coordinator and then hire the defensive line coach or linebackers, as well as a new security coach.
Stay tuned to Geaux247 and 247Sports to learn more about this development story.