Detroit Lions defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard has become one of the hottest assistants in the NFL this season after taking over for Aaron Glenn. Leading a defense that ranks 11th with 21.6 points per game allowed and eighth with 5.0 yards per play allowed, Sheppard could be considered for head coach openings soon, especially if the Lions take care of business against a reeling Minnesota Vikings squad on Sunday.
But the most surprising development in Sheppard’s rise came over the weekend when LSU fired head coach Brian Kelly. An LSU alum, Sheppard’s name has been thrown into the ring as a candidate for the job, and some have even begun monitoring Instagram likes (h/t @ShotByTD) to gather clues if Sheppard would be interested in the position.
While Sheppard is a strong candidate to provide the culture shock they need, the speculation has gone over the top, and the Tigers’ vacancy is unlikely to be the reason that the 37-year-old would leave Detroit.
Kelvin Sheppard’s LSU Ties Make Sense, But Abandoning the Lions Doesn’t
There are several reasons why the LSU job would be a fit for Sheppard. Bringing in an alum would restore a sense of pride for the program that won a national title under Ed Orgeron in 2019. After learning how to build a winning culture under head coach Dan Campbell, it would be a strong start to rebuild from the ground up. But several things aren’t considered with Sheppard’s candidacy.
First of all, Sheppard has no head coaching experience on his resume. College programs have bucked this trend with DeSean Jackson (Delaware State), Michael Vick (Norfolk State), and Eddie George (Tennessee State) getting jobs under similar circumstances. But all three are either at the FCS level or a Historically Black Colleges and Universities school.
Meanwhile, Sheppard would be taking over a “Power 4” program in the SEC that just canned its coach despite a 34-14 record. While there were other factors involved in Kelly’s firing, he still won roughly 71% of his games, making it a high bar to clear for a first-time head coach.
Another concern is the timeline in which LSU would have to make a decision. With the early signing period for football taking place from Dec. 3-5, the Tigers would likely want to have a coach in place by then and hit the recruiting trail to either keep their commitments or find new ones to fill next year’s team.
This would require Sheppard to abandon ship on Campbell to take the LSU job. According to a 2022 article by The Athletic’s Colton Pouncy, Campbell was the man who convinced Sheppard to pursue a coaching career when his playing days were over and the first person he reached out to for advice when his coaching journey officially began in 2020. After one year as the director of player development at LSU, Sheppard joined Campbell’s staff when the latter was hired in 2021 and spent the last four years being groomed as the team’s next defensive coordinator.
Coaches leave all the time for bigger jobs. The Lions experienced that when Ben Johnson (Chicago Bears) and Glenn (New York Jets) left last season. But few coaches leave in the middle of a season to take a job in the collegiate ranks.
Bobby Petrino is the most notable example, when he resigned as head coach of the Atlanta Falcons to take the same position with the Arkansas Razorbacks in 2007, and his defensive coordinator, Mike Zimmer, referred to him as a “gutless bastard” and “a coward” in a 2010 interview.
Even if Sheppard were interested in the job, it wouldn’t make sense to leave the Lions in the middle of a season where they could win the Super Bowl. It also would torpedo his chances of getting back into the NFL if the LSU job didn’t pan out, as teams may think he’d jump ship as soon as the next opportunity presented itself.
LSU Director of Athletics Scott Woodward didn’t put a timeline on when he’d like to hire a new coach, but it’s unlikely they would be willing to wait until January or February to finalize a deal with Sheppard. While it would be a cool story, Sheppard’s candidacy with the Tigers is probably best reserved for an EA Sports College Football 26 dynasty and one departure scenario the Lions can cross off their list.