After revamping the coaches on the defensive side of the football, Coach Brian Kelly is not interesting in making big changes on the offensive side. He would rather reward a couple of assistant coaches that played a big role in developing one of the most explosive offenses in college football in 2023.
Quarterbacks coach Joe Sloan and wide receivers coach Cortez Hankton are expected to be named as co-offensive coordinators for the 2024 season. They’ve been at LSU since head coach Brian Kelly’s arrival.
Hankton has also served as passing game coordinator under former offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock. He deserves a lot of credit in developing Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas Jr into future first round draft picks.
Sloan should receive a lot of credit for helping Jayden Daniels become a Heisman Trophy winner. Garrett Nussmeier, the likely starting QB in 2024, has spoken very highly of Sloan. Sloan is an excellent recruiter and he’s a big reason why the top prospect in the Class of 2025, quarterback Bryce Underwood has committed to LSU.
Both men served as co-offensive coordinators in the bowl game victory against Wisconsin. The offense scored 35 points and had nearly 500 yards of offense that day.
Hankton has never called plays before, but as passing game coordinator, he was involved in putting together game plans with Denbrock. Hankton is a former NFL player. He played for three teams from 2003 to 2008, Jacksonville, Minnesota and Tampa Bay.
The New Orleans native got his first coaching job at Dartmouth in 2012 as a wide receivers coach. He was named Vanderbilt’s wide receivers coach in 2015 then went to Georgia in 2018. He was hired by Brian Kelly at LSU in 2022.
Sloan only has one season as a play caller and that’s when he was the offensive coordinator at Louisiana Tech in 2020.
He is expected to be the primary play caller for 2024.
Some LSU fans are not fans of a co-coordinator system. In 2008, LSU had co-defensive coordinators in Bradley Dale Peveto and Doug Mallory and it did not go well. LSU gave up more than 50 points in losses to Florida and Georgia, and the unit also played poorly in losses to Arkansas and Ole Miss.
But co-coordinators do work. Georgia head coach Kirby Smart has had either a co-offensive coordinator or co-defensive coordinator set-up since 2017.
LSU also went the route of going with a young player caller in 2021, when Ed Orgeron hired Jake Peetz. That didn’t work either. But based on the information we have now, Sloan and Hankton seem like the right move to be LSU’s co-offensive coordinators in 2024.
Jayden Daniels preparing for the draft
Most mock drafts predict Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels will be selected after USC QB Caleb Williams and North Carolina signal caller Drake Maye. But legendary draft guru, ESPN’s Mel Kiper, has Washington using its second pick on Daniels.
Daniels, who won the Manning Award on Tuesday, was asked whether he looks at the mock drafts.
“Nothing is given at this point in time that’s just a lot of noise, until I actually hear my name called none of this really means anything,” said Daniels.
Daniels is back in southern California working with his personal quarterback coach as he prepares for what he hopes will be a long NFL career.
Many compare his game to Baltimore quarterback Lamar Jackson, who has won an MVP and will lead the Ravens in Sunday’s AFC Championship game. Daniels does not get caught up in the comparisons.
“I want to do it my own way, play Jayden Daniels football, not really model myself after anybody, but I do give flowers and tributes to those that came before me,” said Daniels.
Daniels legs were a weapon in college football, can his running style work in the NFL? He believes so.
“You got to be able to move out of the pocket, because you got guys who are 6-5, 6-6, 260, who run a 4.3, honestly you don’t want to get chased down, you don’t want have negative plays or sacks and have the defense dictate the game that’s why I believe my game will translate over to the NFL.”
