Over the weekend, the LSU Tigers opted to fire Brian Kelly after a 49-25 loss to Texas A&M dropped them to 5-3 on the season. The LSU opening is now considered one of the biggest head coach vacancies in college football, and many are speculating on the best candidates to fill the job.
Given the Detroit Lions’ hot defensive start, some have wondered if defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard—an LSU alum—could be interested in the job. On Thursday, Sheppard was asked about the opportunity, and basically said he can’t speak on an opportunity that hasn’t been floated to him.
“I can’t be interested in something I have no idea about,” Sheppard said. “I’m interested in beating the Minnesota Vikings.”
Sheppard didn’t shy away from his love for his alma mater, noting that he keeps up with LSU every week. Not only did he spend his playing days there, but that’s where his coaching career started. In 2020, he was LSU’s director of player development for a season before joining the Lions’ staff under Dan Campbell.
“That place molded me into the man that I am today and still becoming,” Sheppard said. “You cut me open and I’m a Liger. That’s what they call it: half Lion, half Tiger.”
Ultimately, it’s tough to know whether Sheppard would be interested in the job, if offered. But he made one thing clear: no one has called yet.
“There’s a lot of things you can get into and speculate about, but the truth of the matter is nobody has contacted me about anything dealing with a job outside of anything I’m doing right now,” Sheppard said. “And that’s the honest truth.”
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