How WIll Bo Pelini Impact LSU Football?

Former Nebraska head coach Bo Pelini has found his way back to his former team the LSU Tigers, This time Pelini will be taking his role as defensive coordinator. SI's Ross Dellenger shares thoughts on Pelini's return to LSU and what it could mean for the Tigers football program going forward.

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Kaitlin O'Toole: Bo Pelini is back at LSU and he's opening up about it. Joining me now is S.I.S. Writer Ross Dellinger. Ross Bo called Baton Rouge his second home and now he is back after crafting a national title defense during his first stint there in 2007. What does this mean for LSU? 

Ross Dellenger: Well, hopefully big things. If you're a Tigers fan and certainly the staff, they're hoping that Bo can kind of rekindle the magic of his days as a defensive coordinator. And he was a LSU from 2005 to 2007 and really kind of crafted the defense that that one that the helped LSU to win the 2007 national championship and those three years. It's kind of interesting, those three years LSU's defense and in total defense statistically in the NCAA ranked number three in the nation. Each of those years and two of those three years, they were the best in the SEC. So everybody there in Baton Rouge hoping that Bo can mimic that production from, 13, 14 years ago.

Kaitlin O'Toole: We'll see if he can do it. So he was at Nebraska for some time, they actually let him go back in 2014. He joked, saying Huskers fans probably really appreciate him now that the season's gone in decline. What are your thoughts on this? 

Ross Dellenger: Yeah. You know, it's it's really interesting when you look at the numbers from the seven seasons that Bo was head coach to the last five since he's been fired. And you compare the numbers, you know, under Bo Pelini, Nebraska never had a losing season in those seven years and finish ranked in the top twenty five five times. And you look at the number since at Nebraska, they've had four losing seasons in the past five and they haven't finished the season, ranked the top 25 and none of those five years. 

So really, really interesting when you look at that. And he did it open up about his time in Nebraska. And we also talk, of course, to Tom Osborne, who hired him at Nebraska, about how there's a little more appreciation now for for Bo Pelini did. You know, Nebraska fired him after 2014 season and at the time and I think still to this day was the only firing for, you know, on the field reasons there weren't anything significant off the field. So you kind of put in the category. He was fired for on the field and he was the first power five head coach to ever have been fired for all the field reasons. With with that good many wins over over seven years. So it was kind of unprecedented at the time. 

Kaitlin O'Toole: It definitely was. You know what they say one man's loss is another one. Skeins. I want to get your thoughts really quick, though. What are you what do you think? Could Bo be another head coach for a college team again? 

Ross Dellenger:  Yeah. You know, that's I think that's the goal, you know, coming Dale issue was it was one of the first step down that path to him. I think being a major college football head coach, again, he'll have some obstacles. You know, he's he's certainly a guy that that has had a temper in the past. It has had some issues with with authority and administrative figures. But as they say, you know, winning heals everything. And he's certainly one good enough at Nebraska in any one some at at Youngstown State with his last head coaching staff at the FCS level. But, you know, if he can kind of rekindle that magic on the LSU defense and they win a lot of games, I think you'll see him. You'll see him back on that level as a major college coach.

Kaitlin O'Toole: All right. LSU is happy he's back. We're happy to see how it turns out, Ross. Thank you so much for the insight. We appreciate it. 

Ross Dellenger: Sure.

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