Tennessee vs Georgia: 5 Vols to Watch for vs Bulldogs by Caleb Calhoun

Could Tennessee Volunteers defensive coordinator Bob Shoop replace Les Miles as the new head coach for the LSU Tigers beginning next year?

Of all the hot coaching assistants in college football, Bob Shoop is near the top of the list. And with Les Miles’s firing, he’s got one opportunity to leave the Tennessee Vols already after this year.

Conventional wisdom suggests that the Tigers want to go for a more offensive-minded coach given how bad they’ve looked on that side of the ball. That’s why you hear names like Lane Kiffin, Tom Herman, and Jimbo Fisher.

However, there’s another issue that the administration had with Miles. His mad-hatter tactics simply began to work against him.

Shoop is the opposite of the mad-hatter. Everything he does in analytical.

That’s one huge plus for the Tigers.

On top of that, Shoop is as touted of a coordinator as those offensive minds are. Butch Jones made a controversial firing and shelled out a ton of money to bring Shoop to Knoxville.

Through four games, he hasn’t disappointed. Despite some first-half struggles, Shoop has proven himself to be one of the best coaches ever at in-game adjustments.

Remember, Miles himself tried everything to lure Shoop away from Penn State and bring him to Baton Rouge the year before, after John Chavis had left for Texas A&M.

That didn’t work out.

But that provides enough of a reason to believe that LSU would consider targeting him. After all, Shoop made his move to Tennessee partially because he enjoyed living in the state but also because it would best position him to eventually be a head coach.

If the Tigers come calling, that would be the perfect job for him to take.

Sure, he doesn’t bring the offensive mind they are looking for. But with his analytical approach, Shoop could find that a lot more easily than Miles was able to.

So while he is a wildcard candidate to replace Les Miles, don’t be surprised if Bob Shoop gets a look.

Vols fans everywhere will be fine with that if he delivers a championship before leaving.