LOOK: LSU honoring Mike Leach with helmet decal in Cheez-It Citrus Bowl

LSU is honoring late Mississippi State coach Mike Leach with a classy gesture, rocking a helmet decal for the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl on Monday.

Check it out below, as the Tigers took to Twitter to share the decal with the masses.

Honoring a man who changed college football forever 🏴‍☠️ pic.twitter.com/0mN8jyeUet

— LSU Football (@LSUfootball) January 2, 2023

“Honoring a man who changed college football forever,” LSU tweeted, accompanying the photo.

Earlier this season, LSU defeated Leach’s Bulldogs 31-16 in Baton Rouge, and both Leach and LSU leader Brian Kelly had nothing but immensely positive comments regarding the other. It’s evident there was a mutual respect between them, and it’s going to be special for Kelly to be able to honor Leach in someway.

The Cheez-It Citrus Bowl kicks off at 1:00 ET on ABC, and the Tigers will look to defeat the Purdue Boilermakers in the contest.

Mississippi State honors Mike Leach aboard pirate ship before ReliaQuest Bowl

Mississippi State has decided to honor late head coach Mike Leach in one of the most fitting ways possible, on a pirate ship. 

Ahead of the ReliaQuest Bowl, which is played at Raymond James Stadium, the Bulldogs showed off their tribute to Mike Leach. A portrait of the coach, along with a flower arrangement was placed on the landmark pirate ship within the stadium. The captain is on deck.

You can look at the memorial, here:

A fitting captain on deck 🏴‍☠️ pic.twitter.com/VUMMCMjEF7

— Mississippi State Football (@HailStateFB) January 2, 2023

“A fitting captain on deck,” Mississippi State tweeted with a Jolly Roger emoji.

Mike Leach was nicknamed the Pirate. His mantra, “Swing your sword,” became his calling card, telling people to do things their own way. Once you do things your own way, success will follow. That success clearly came for Leach, who revolutionized offenses and has one of the biggest coaching trees in the sport.

This is just the latest in a long line of tributes to Mike Leach that have sprung up since his death on December 12, 2022. 

Mississippi State plays Illinois in the ReliaQuest Bowl.