Bruce Feldman: LSU defensive coordinator Matt House name to watch for Cincinnati head coach

The Cincinnati Bearcats just hopped on the college football coaching carousel and are in search of a new head coach after Luke Fickell left the program to take the Wisconsin job. Now, the Cincy job may not be one that turns a ton of heads, despite the fact that they made the College Football Playoff last winter. It’s long been a top job among the non-power-five conferences, but still not on the level of most power-five programs.

However, the UC job has routinely been a stepping stone to bigger and better positions — whether that’s running for a U.S. senate seat or becoming the next coach at Notre Dame. Yes, the Bearcats have had both occupy their head coaching spot. Throw in the fact that Cincinnati will also transition to the Big 12 within the next year after being pigeonholed in the ACC, which has long been the annex for programs left in the dust during the last major round of conference realignment nearly a decade ago.

So you have a solid two-sport program in a major city that just made a CFP and is joining a power five league soon. And also, the last four or five people to own the title of Cincinnati football coach have all gone on to even greater achievements. It’s a good job with a bright future that will attract some really strong candidates. Such as new LSU defensive coordinator Matt House, according to college football insider Bruce Feldman.

During a long, sprawling article covering the major head coaching candidates for the Bearcats, Feldman threw House’s name out there, noting his past in the NFL and SEC as reasons Cincy may want to give him a look. Here was Feldman’s take:

“House has spent considerable time in the NFL as a coach. He played a strong part in getting LSU to the SEC title game this season, Brian Kelly’s first in Baton Rouge. House, a Michigan State graduate, also has extensive experience in that region from his time as a Kentucky defensive coordinator.”

House masterminded the great 2018 Kentucky defense, a top-10 unit in the country which featured NCAA Defensive Player of the Year Josh Allen setting all sorts of school records in sacks. After that, House jumped to the NFL, where he served as special teams coordinator for the Kansas City Chiefs and even won a Super Bowl while in that role.

Eventually, though, House inked a massive deal to return to the college ranks and link up with Kelly to oversee the LSU defense. You don’t have to tell Tiger fans, the evidence is clear: House’s impact on the defense was immediate and the turnaround by the unit from last year to this year is remarkable. He’s a heck of a coach and certainly brings the defensive mindset that the Bearcats built their national title contender with.

Keep an eye on Matt House, folks. With the way he’s coached so far in Baton Rouge, don’t expect him to stick around long. The head coaching offers are coming.