LSU head football coach Brian Kelly had just one vacancy on his ten-member coaching staff and he officially filled it on Wednesday by announcing Alex Atkins as tight ends coach and run game coordinator.
Atkins replaces Slade Nagle, who left LSU to be the offensive coordinator at Houston University.
Atkins was the offensive coordinator at Florida State the last three seasons. When he had talent, the Seminoles were really good. In 2002, Florida State ranked 10th nationally in total offense and in 2023 FSU finished fifth in the final CFP poll.
Atkins was fired from Florida State in November after the Seminoles went through a miserable two-win season.
Atkins will not be calling plays in Baton Rouge, but he’ll try to get LSU’s ground game going after the Tigers finished last in the SEC in rushing offense, averaging just 116 yards a game.
“This is really having somebody who will coach the tight ends and have a specific focus towards our run game and how it matches with what I’m looking for in our overall offensive structure,” Kelly said.
“Having somebody that is dedicated to that, having somebody that has his eye on it every day, I felt like where we are today, that was a great need. To get someone with his type of experience in building runs games, the need and the timing, make it a great fit.”
Atkins has a history of jump starting a ground attack. He was an offensive line coach at Tulane from 2016-18 and in 2016, the Green Wave improved from 116 rushing yards a game, 118th in the country, to 228 yards a contest, 26th best in the country.
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In his final two seasons at Tulane, the Green Wave finished in the Top 25 in rushing yards.
When he was the offensive line coach at Georgia Southern in 2014, the Eagles led the country with 381 rushing yards.
Atkins is from Chicago, Illinois, and was a four-year starter at offensive guard at UT-Martin. He earned all-conference honors twice.