Alright guys, just got back to the office and sat down in front of my computer. Been making the rounds and chasing calls all day. Going to pass along the latest I've heard.
On LSU
I exchanged a few texts with my LSU contact today and was told that AD Joe Alleva was very displeased with the aftermath of what happened following the story being leaked. Folks on the LSU side are also convinced it was leaked by Herman's agent, but that's just speculation on their part. It does make sense based on some information I heard from the Herman side of things.
So to recap... Last night I was told that LSU had an agreement in place with Tom Herman for around $7M per year and part of that agreement was that he would retain Joe Aranda as defensive coordinator. I was told that was the first and only offer that LSU made to Herman and that he accepted the first offer. Again this was all posted in my update last night, just recapping.
Jimbo Fisher - Last night I was told he had decided to stay put at Florida State. Today the latest I'm hearing is that he might not be completely out of the picture just yet, but other than that I didn't get any additional information since my update last night other than he's not quite out of it yet. This is coming from the LSU side.
I was also told that LSU met with Coach O following the win against Texas A&M and that he had a really great interview and is getting a ton of support from the locker room. Without knowing more on the Fisher situation it sounds like he may be their guy if Herman/Fisher aren't locked up.
I was also surprised to hear that LSU is looking to bring in Lane Kiffin to interview as well. But that's all that was really mentioned in regards to him.
Texas
My contacts at Texas aren't as close to the administration as my contacts at Houston or LSU, but here's the latest I'm hearing from my contacts on that side.
I was told this evening that Charlie Strong is expected to meet with officials at Texas tomorrow. That part I don't think is really news to anyone. It's expected that if Herman hasn't reached a concrete deal with LSU that they will part ways with Charlie Strong and pursue Tom Herman. So I expect the meeting to happen early on Saturday morning.
I'm also hearing they are planning to meet with Herman and or his agent tomorrow as well to present their case. I'm hearing the same numbers in terms of contract offer, they're expected to offer in excess of $7M per season and might have to tread closer to $7.5-$8M per year to top what LSU has offered.
The picture should become a lot clearer tomorrow as the circus might come to an end, hopefully sooner rather than later. I know that there are tons of reports out there citing a variety of different sources, some even contradicting others, some maybe even contradicting what I'm putting out here. All I can tell you is, I'm not trying to be the guy to end up on the ticker, I've got contacts that are giving me information, so I'm going to share with you everything I'm hearing.
I know some might question me for whatever reason, but I would like to think I have a better track record than some may be aware of. Remember when I told you guys Georgia was hiring Kirby Smart and Herman turned them down? That turned out to be pretty accurate right. I think I did pretty well with the South Carolina, Missouri and Baylor rumors as well when I refuted the "Herman leaving for fill in the blank" on those.
I wouldn't bring this to you if I didn't trust the guys it's coming from. So take it for what it's worth, but that's the latest I have. I'll try to get another update for you guys tomorrow.
On LSU
I exchanged a few texts with my LSU contact today and was told that AD Joe Alleva was very displeased with the aftermath of what happened following the story being leaked. Folks on the LSU side are also convinced it was leaked by Herman's agent, but that's just speculation on their part. It does make sense based on some information I heard from the Herman side of things.
So to recap... Last night I was told that LSU had an agreement in place with Tom Herman for around $7M per year and part of that agreement was that he would retain Joe Aranda as defensive coordinator. I was told that was the first and only offer that LSU made to Herman and that he accepted the first offer. Again this was all posted in my update last night, just recapping.
Jimbo Fisher - Last night I was told he had decided to stay put at Florida State. Today the latest I'm hearing is that he might not be completely out of the picture just yet, but other than that I didn't get any additional information since my update last night other than he's not quite out of it yet. This is coming from the LSU side.
I was also told that LSU met with Coach O following the win against Texas A&M and that he had a really great interview and is getting a ton of support from the locker room. Without knowing more on the Fisher situation it sounds like he may be their guy if Herman/Fisher aren't locked up.
I was also surprised to hear that LSU is looking to bring in Lane Kiffin to interview as well. But that's all that was really mentioned in regards to him.
Texas
My contacts at Texas aren't as close to the administration as my contacts at Houston or LSU, but here's the latest I'm hearing from my contacts on that side.
I was told this evening that Charlie Strong is expected to meet with officials at Texas tomorrow. That part I don't think is really news to anyone. It's expected that if Herman hasn't reached a concrete deal with LSU that they will part ways with Charlie Strong and pursue Tom Herman. So I expect the meeting to happen early on Saturday morning.
I'm also hearing they are planning to meet with Herman and or his agent tomorrow as well to present their case. I'm hearing the same numbers in terms of contract offer, they're expected to offer in excess of $7M per season and might have to tread closer to $7.5-$8M per year to top what LSU has offered.
The picture should become a lot clearer tomorrow as the circus might come to an end, hopefully sooner rather than later. I know that there are tons of reports out there citing a variety of different sources, some even contradicting others, some maybe even contradicting what I'm putting out here. All I can tell you is, I'm not trying to be the guy to end up on the ticker, I've got contacts that are giving me information, so I'm going to share with you everything I'm hearing.
I know some might question me for whatever reason, but I would like to think I have a better track record than some may be aware of. Remember when I told you guys Georgia was hiring Kirby Smart and Herman turned them down? That turned out to be pretty accurate right. I think I did pretty well with the South Carolina, Missouri and Baylor rumors as well when I refuted the "Herman leaving for fill in the blank" on those.
I wouldn't bring this to you if I didn't trust the guys it's coming from. So take it for what it's worth, but that's the latest I have. I'll try to get another update for you guys tomorrow.
