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Report: Seminoles’ Fisher leading candidate for LSU

The Sports Xchange

November 21, 2016 at 12:36 pm.

Is Jimbo Fisher headed to LSU?  Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports

Is Jimbo Fisher headed to LSU? Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports

LSU’s final play loss to Florida on Saturday under interim head coach Ed Orgeron apparently has intensified the push for Florida State’s Jimbo Fisher as the leading candidate for the job opening.

According to The Advocate, the 16-10 loss at home to the Gators — on a do-or-die run from the 1-yard line in the final seconds — opens the door to a pool of candidates, led by Fisher, and ends a potential plan to quickly name Orgeron the Tigers’ new head coach.

The a 55-year-old Orgeron, who is 10-4 in interim roles at Southern Cal and LSU, remains a viable candidate for the full-time position, a source confirmed to the newspaper.

Fisher has been mentioned multiple times as a top candidate for the LSU head coaching opening since Les Miles went on the hot seat more than a year ago. Miles was fired just four games into the 2016 season after a last-second 18-13 loss to Auburn on Sept. 24.

LSU athletic director Joe Alleva and Fisher’s representatives have been in constant contact this season, according to a report last week from Nola.com.

Fisher was the offensive coordinator for LSU from 2000-2006 under Nick Saban and Miles. He left LSU to become the head coach in waiting and offensive coordinator at FSU.

The 51-yer-old Fisher has led the Seminoles to a national championship and three conference titles during his six years as head coach, with a 76-17 record, after following Bobby Bowden in 2010. This year’s team is 8-3 and FSU ends the regular season on Saturday night when the Seminoles play rival Florida.

LSU school leaders have kept “the lines of communication open with Jimbo Fisher’s people,” and they feel strongly that he’s “very interested” in returning to Baton Rouge, according to The Advocate.

Fisher currently makes $5.25 million at Florida State and has a buyout of $5 million. His contract, signed in January 2015, runs through the 2022 season.

Fisher was asked about the LSU job opening last week.

“Here’s the thing, I’m not going to talk about any jobs,” Fisher said. “I love being at Florida State, I plan on being here and I’m just getting ready for Syracuse. That’s the last thing I’m going to say on that.”

Orgeron, who is 4-2 after replacing Miles, is expected to meet with Alleva on Friday after the Tigers’ regular-season finale on Thanksgiving night at Texas A&M.

The Tigers athletic director was asked about the school’s search during a halftime interview with the LSU Sports Radio Network on Saturday.

“I want to get it right,” Alleva said. “Getting it right may be sooner rather than later to make sure we get it right. Because of the timetable we’ve had, we’ve had a lot of time to do due diligence, do a lot of research and look into all the character and demeanor and all the integrity issues that go into looking at a new head coach.

“It’s a critical position as far as leadership. Our whole athletic department revolves a lot around football, and it’s critical that we get the right man in place. I’m very confident that we will. We have a lot of great people interested in it, so we’ll see where it goes.”

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