5 possible long-term replacements for Les Miles at LSU

3.David Cutcliffe

Cutcliffe has SEC roots, as a long-time assistant at Tennessee (1983-1998, 2006-2007) and six-plus seasons as head coach at Ole Miss (1998 bowl game-2004). His work with Peyton and Eli Manning over that time stood out to make Cutcliffe a notable collegiate assistant, and he has coached multiple other quarterbacks that eventually got an opportunity in the NFL.

Cutcliffe is now in his ninth season as head coach at Duke, and he has led the Blue Devils to a bowl game in four straight seasons with at least eight wins in three straight campaigns. In 2013, Duke won the ACC Coastal Division for the first time and had the first 10-win season in over 100 seasons of football at the school.

Cutcliffe has not often been mentioned as a serious candidate for other, bigger jobs. But he has made football relevant at a noted basketball school, for the first time since Steve Spurrier was head coach at Duke in the late 1980’s. That in itself is a serious accomplishment, even if football will always be the red-headed step child among revenue sports in Durham.

I’m beating the same drum over and over, but an offensive-minded head coach that can develop a quarterback has to be LSU’s next hire. Cutcliffe fits that bill, going back nearly two decades, and he’s also had success as a head coach in the SEC (44-29 at Ole Miss). He’s an under-the-radar name for sure, but it would not be surprising if Cutcliffe is LSU’s head coach in 2017.