Matt Canada is reportedly leaving LSU. The offensive coordinator has been under scrutiny with the Tigers fan base all season long for not going through with his words. Canada promised the fan base a new look on offense in 2017, but hardly any of that new look was showcased.

Matt Canada Reportedly Leaving LSU

The first year coordinator for the Tigers came over from the University of Pittsburgh after one season there. Canada did impress at times with his play calling, but the Tiger faithful are beginning to think that he isn’t worth it in the long run. Canada will reportedly leave LSU following Monday’s Citrus Bowl against Notre Dame.

Enough is Enough

When Canada was hired by head coach Ed Orgeron following the 2016 season, LSU fans rejoiced at the thought of a new and improved offense. But that quickly diminished with the opening game against BYU in New Orleans. Orgeron hired Canada to improve upon former offensive coordinator Cam Cameron’s offense.

That offense under Cameron failed to showcase anything intriguingly new. The one thing about all of this is that Orgeron and his staff promised to hire elite coordinators that could improve LSU and make them National Championship contenders. Well, they did that with the hire of Dave Aranda as defensive coordinator. The Tigers’ defense has been stout through the past few seasons, just as it always has been. Aranda is doing a tremendous job coaching the defense and making them one of the top units in the country. But for Canada, his offense at LSU was average at best.

LSU’s Offense Could Have Been Better

With an good quarterback in Danny Etling and a star running back in Derrius Guice leading the way, Canada should have had no problem making this offense thrive.  The offense that Tiger fans were promised ran the Jet Sweep numerous times during games. Often times it worked for positive yardage. But there came a point in the season where fans began to get tired of seeing the same look offense. Not only are the fans fed up with Canada, but so is Orgeron. The Tigers’ offense ranked 54th in 2017, according to NCAA.com compared to 69th in 2016, according to sports reference.com. So LSU did see an improvement on offense from 2016 to 2017 under Canada opposed to 2016 under Cameron interim OC Steve Ensminger.

Despair in Death Valley

There have been rumors of a feud with Orgeron and Canada for a while now. This stems from Canada not improving the offense, but rather running the same exact things that former offensive coordinators did. The critiques aren’t bashing Matt Canada; he’s clearly a tremendous coach that many hold in high regard. It’s just the fact of the matter that he couldn’t win over the fan base or the corner office.

Better Days Are Coming

The Tigers wanted to use a two-quarterback system in 2017. But with Myles Brennan being fresh out of high school and enrolling in the summer, he really didn’t have a ton of time to learn the offense. Keep in mind that this is a freshman that saw playing time, and he did perform exceptionally well. At times he was shaky, but he still looked poised to lead the team beginning next season. Canada wanted to incorporate him into the backup role behind Etling, which he did. But they didn’t use Brennan enough to make the two-system thrive the way it could have. 2018 could be different with Brennan and Lowell Narcisse likely being the top two on the depth chart.

For LSU to improve their offensive scheme in 2018, they will have to bring in someone that can thrive as an assistant to Orgeron and let the players work their magic. The Tigers will have either Brennan or Narcisse likely starting behind center next season. But would Brennan have been able to become the mature player he needs to be under Canada? If the Tigers want success on offense next season, they have to hire the right coach. Steve Ensminger could possibly be that person.

Familiar Face

Ensminger filled in as OC last season and was a big reason Orgeron receive the head coaching job. That dominant offensive performance against Texas A&M to end the 2016 regular season was a noticeable example of his work during that time.

Ensminger is a veteran coach that could lead the way. He has done a great job with his current position. If the Tigers aren’t able to obtain Ensminger as offensive coordinator, there are plenty of coaches out there that could become intriguing hires.

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