Saints assistant Ryan Nielsen linked to open LSU coordinator job
An offseason of big changes is brewing for the New Orleans Saints. It’s not enough for Drew Brees to inch closer towards retirement; personnel vice president Terry Fontenot is expected to accept the Atlanta Falcons general manager position, while the Detroit Lions plan to hire tight ends coach Dan Campbell as their head coach. And now Saints defensive line coach Ryan Nielsen has been connected to the LSU Tigers.
Glenn Guilbeau of the Lafayette Daily Advertiser reported that Nielsen is LSU’s preference to join Ed Orgeron’s staff as defensive coordinator, though the Tigers have been diligent in interviewing other candidates until he is available (he can’t sign anything until the Saints’ season is over). LSU swung and missed on Cincinnati Bearcats coordinator Marcus Freeman, who took the same post with Notre Dame instead, and they’ve also met with Mississippi State’s Zach Arnett.
Nielsen makes sense as a target to replace the fired Bo Pelini. He’s done great work in New Orleans in developing talent, ranging from draft picks like David Onyemata to undrafted signees including Shy Tuttle and Malcolm Roach.
But before he made the jump to the NFL, Nielsen was a prolific assistant at North Carolina State, where he wore two hats as defensive line coach and recruiting coordinator. He was twice nominated for the Broyles Award (given to the nation’s best assistant coach) and in 2018 saw four of his former Wolfpack linemen (Bradley Chubb, B.J. Hill, Justin Jones, and Kentavius Street) drafted into the NFL.
On top of that, there’s some history here. Orgeron coached Nielsen when he played for the USC Trojans, and one of Nielsen’s first coaching jobs was on Orgeron’s staff with Ole Miss. They clearly know each other well. So he’d be a welcome addition in Baton Rouge.
And he’d be a big loss to the Saints in an offseason full of them. The defense won’t flounder just because one assistant took on a more prominent role somewhere else, but you have to think the Saints would like to keep Nielsen in the fold. It’s just one more subplot to keep track of in the weeks ahead.
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