LSU possibly considering Kelvin Sheppard is not the first time an SEC team has tried to steal a Lions coach during the Dan Campbell era

It probably won’t be the last either

Mike Payton Detroit Lions Beat Writer
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On Saturday, LSU made a big-time move when it fired Brian Kelly before his deal was up. Now, the big question for the Tigers is who they will look to hire. They’re not expected to make any in-season hires and will continue with interim head coach Frank Wilson.

Some names have already been floated to replace Kelly, and they’re some of the ones you already know. Ole Miss’ Lane Kiffin, Tulane coach Jim Sumrall, Former Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher, Detroit Lions defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard, and more.

When we talked about the expectation that Sheppard will get a call from his Alma Mater, that definitely freaked some Lions fans out. The thing is, this isn’t the first time a college has tried to hire a Lions coach away from Detroit.

Texas A&M tried to hire Dan Campbell away from the Lions in 2023

Everyone seems to have forgotten this one. After the Aggies fired Fisher, they informally reached out to Campbell about taking the job. Campbell declined the opportunity and also kind of shied away from altogether confirming that a call was made.

“Maybe. But that’s all good. Certainly, I know some people there, and I love my school,” Campbell said when asked about the call. “That’s my alma mater, and I want to do anything I can to help them, but coach for them. So, and I’ll do that.”

That was that, and everyone just moved on. I know the idea freaked out some Lions fans, but it’s simple in the end. Sheppard can take the same route as Campbell and just say no. He could go as far as just saying he’s not interested in this week’s presser.

That’ll be that, and we’ll all move on until the season is over and teams come calling to interview him. It’s bound to happen, but as we’ve seen here in the past, that doesn’t mean he gets an offer, and that doesn’t mean he accepts an offer if he gets one. This is the price of being good.