When Baylor's Dave Aranda became the most revered coach of the Big 12 by violating Oklahoma's Lincoln Riley's precious code, he immediately should have been bumped up to Candidate No. 1 at LSU. Or USC.
If Baylor retains Aranda after the Great Coaching Migration of 2021 concludes it will know its relationship with the Almighty is in a good place.
LSU would be stupid not to offer Aranda its head coaching job yesterday. That's if USC doesn't do it first.
He is the ideal candidate for LSU, and LSU System president and chancellor William F. Tate.
Earlier this year, Tate became the first Black person to be named to that position at LSU. It's 2021, and Tate is the first Black person to be named to that position in any SEC school.
A few months after Tate was hired, LSU and football coach Ed Orgeron "agreed" that he needs to go. Coach O is coaching the rest of the season, and then LSU will replace him.
According to a few LSU types familiar with the job search, Tate would like to find minority candidate to fill the vacancy. LSU football has never had a Black head coach.
It's a reason, but not the reason, why Michigan State's Mel Tucker has become a favorite to land this job; he also coached defensive backs at LSU in 2000 as a part of Nick Saban's staff in his first season in Baton Rouge.
The continued lack of Black head football coaches is not just an embarrassment to the NFL, where only two are currently in that role. This disparity extends to NCAA FBS level.
To start the 2021 season, there were 13 Black coaches out of the 130 FBS jobs, or 10 percent. There are currently no Black coaches in the SEC. That's 0.0 percent.
According to the latest U.S. census, the Black population in the U.S. is 12.4 percent.
According to the NCAA, about half of the players are Black.
However you want to cut it, this is ugly math.
Aranda does not check that box. He does, however, check the minority box.
Aranda is Mexican American. Both of his parents emigrated from Mexico.
Regardless of his heritage, he's a top candidate because of his resume.
He worked his way up, including coaching as an assistant at LSU from 2016 to 2019. In his second season in Waco, the Bears are 9-2, ranked 11th in the country, and just beat previously undefeated Oklahoma, 27-14, which featured Coach Dave "running up" the score on the now the Sensitive Sooners.
Decry and bemoan of what should-be-needless birth qualifications, but we live in world where the director of human resources can be as powerful as the CEO, and often just as valuable as the manager of tech support.
We live in a world of diversity training, and social awareness.
Critics call it "woke."
Reasonable people look at some statistics — 13 out of 130 — and conclude that percentage needs to improve.
The last three coaches at LSU won national titles, and yet two of them were eventually fired. Whomever takes this job knows LSU football is a boiling pot of gumbo.
If hiring a minority candidate is a priority at LSU, there are quality candidates beyond just Mel Tucker and Dave Aranda.
LSU just needs to look.
If the Tigahz don't want to look beyond Tucker or Aranda, setting high standards is commendable.
Either way, Baylor should prepare to lose Dave Aranda.
If it does not, LSU or USC is stupid, and Baylor's relationship with the good man upstairs is fine.
