2023 Kelly Adds To The Staff

[LSUDad]

LSU is bringing back a familiar face.

According to On3's Matt Zenitz, the Tigers are hiring Gerald Chatman as a defensive analyst. Chatman held the same role on Ed Orgeron's staff in 2021.

Brian Kelly attempted to retain Chatman, who took a new job as Tulane's defensive lines coach. He then jumped to Colorado to serve the same role last season, later becoming the interim defensive coordinator after the school fired Chris Wilson -- along with head coach Karl Dorrell -- in early October.

Chatman spent two years at Tennessee State before jumping to the NFL as a defensive assistant for the Cincinnati Bengals in 2019 and 2020.

LSU went 10-4 in Kelly's first season as head coach. The Tigers, who won the SEC West behind an overtime win over Alabama, allowed 22.5 points per game. 

Colorado surrendered 44.5 points per game in 2022, the highest average of all 131 FBS programs. New head coach Deion Sanders named former Alabama associate defensive coordinator and safeties coach Charles Kelly his new defensive coordinator.

[LSUDad]

BREAKING: LSU Hiring John Jancek As Special Teams Coordinator

Tigers fill role before spring practices begin on March 9, Jancek will also take over outside linebacker duties.

• ZACK NAGY
• 2 HOURS AGO

LSU TIGERS

Brian Kelly has found his next special teams coordinator. On Tuesday, LSUpromoted senior defensive analyst John Jancek to be the Tigers’ next coordinator after Brian Polian moved to an off-field role last week. 

Jancek will also serve as the outside linebackers coach for the Tigers. Despite having no coaching history on special teams, Kelly and his current staff clearly feel Jancek can take that next step and handle on-field duties in that role.

[LSUDad]

Sources: Brian Kelly adding extremely well regarded, veteran SEC coach Jancek to LSU staff

Kelly reunites with Jancek, who's run defenses at Georgia, Tennessee and Cincy among other stops

 

 

JOHN BRICE

 

•  

If the measure is that of who a coach surrounds himself, Brian Kelly at LSU keeps making major moves.

Now Kelly’s adding a former two-time Southeastern Conference defensive coordinator to his staff – and a blast from Kelly’s own past as well.

 

Multiple sources with direct knowledge tell FootballScoop that Kelly has brought in John Jancek, the former University of Georgia and University of Tennessee defensive coordinator, for a key senior defensive analyst role on Matt House’s LSU Tigers’ defensive staff.

Most recently an analyst on Georgia’s national-title winning squad, Jancek has a history with Kelly that stretches to their days together at Grand Valley State – where Kelly first rose to coaching prominence and to the highest levels in NCAA Division II football. It’s also where Jancek first began to cultivate his own reputation as a keen defensive assistant.

[LSUDad]

Bob Diaco was also added to the staff. 

 

Robert Albert Diaco (born February 19, 1973) is an American football coach and a former linebacker who is the defensive line coach for the New Jersey Generalsof the United States Football League(USFL). He played college football at the University of Iowa for coach Hayden Fry from 1992 to 1995. He then served as the head coach of the UConn Huskies (2014–2016).

1996–1997	Iowa (GA)
1999–2000	Western Illinois(RB/ST)
2001	Eastern Michigan(RB/ST)
2002	Eastern Michigan (LB/ST)
2003	Eastern Michigan (OLB/ST)
2004	Western Michigan(LB/ST)
2005	Central Michigan(co-DC/LB)
2006–2008	Virginia (LB/ST)
2009	Cincinnati (DC/ILB)
2010–2011	Notre Dame(DC/ILB)
2012–2013	Notre Dame (AHC/DC/LB)
2014–2016	UConn
2017	Nebraska (DC)
2018	Oklahoma (OLB)
2019	Louisiana Tech(DC/LB)
2020	Purdue (DC/LB)
2022–present	New Jersey Generals (DL)