Report: LSU to hire former Tulane OC Slade Nagle as TE coach

Brian Kelly is continuing to add to LSU’s coaching staff, particularly on the offensive side of the football.

On Wednesday, it was reported by Matt Zenitz that the Tigers are set to hire former Tulane Green Wave offensive coordinator Slade Nagle to the LSU staff, as the program’s next tight ends coach.

“LSU is expected to hire former Tulane offensive coordinator Slade Nagle as tight ends coach, sources tell @247Sports,” Zenitz posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. “Nagle helped Tulane win 23 games the last two seasons. (@zach_barnett 1st.)”

As Zenitz mentioned, Nagle has been a big piece of Tulane’s success over the last couple of seasons. Now, he’ll be looking to bring that level of play to the Tigers, as LSU adds a coach with a tremendous offensive mind to their program.

The news comes after Joe Sloan and Cortez Hankton were promoted to co-offensive coordinators on Wednesday.

Mike Denbrock’s departure created opportunity for Sloan and Hankton, and they came through in spades during LSU’s bowl victory. It was enough for Kelly to commit to the duo moving forward, where they can continue to make a name for themselves with the Tigers. 

Moreover, Kelly’s decision should come as no surprise, as he was more than complimentary of the duo following the ReliaQuest Bowl, when the coach broke down the job Sloan did as LSU’s play-caller in the game.

“Yeah, I think it’s Joe and Cortez [Hankton] and really the whole staff,” Kelly said. “Today was really about a cohesive group. Brad [Davis] had great suggestions on adjustments on the offensive line. Frank [Wilson] is doing a great job, you saw his rotation of backs in there. That all feeds into what you’re doing offensively. It doesn’t fall on one shoulder or shoulders if you will.”

LSU put up 35 points in the win over Wisconsin. It was the first game for Garrett Nussmeieras the starting quarterback and he put up 395 yards passing and three touchdowns in the game. So, clearly, something was going right for the offense, even with Jayden Danielsopting out of the game.

“The plays came down from the box. There was an input and I thought Joe and Cortez managed that end of it really well,” Kelly said. “And then we had great adjustments from our entire staff to be an efficient offense in this transition.”

Now, as their staff fills out, the offensive side of the football looks like it’ll once again be promising for the Tigers and Brian Kelly.