Lane Kiffin’s move from Ole Miss to LSU may have been one of the most high-profile coaching changes in college sports history, but it certainly wasn’t the first time the Tigers have landed a big name in Baton Rouge.

From hall of fame legends like Skip Bertman, Sue Gunter and Dale Brown to household names like Nick Saban and Ed Orgeron, LSU has consistently put itself in the national spotlight with top-tier coaches across several sports.

But never in its history has LSU boasted quite this number of decorated coaches across its athletic programs. Just about anywhere you look you’ll find national title winners, Coach of the Year honorees or longtime mainstays of their respective sports.

It’s one of the many reasons Kiffin says it’s “just different” at LSU.

Kim Mulkey, Women’s Basketball

It was national headline news when LSU managed to lure Mulkey away from Baylor, where she had spent the past 20 years of her career. Before she ever arrived in Baton Rouge, Mulkey was already a three-time NCAA Tournament winner, a two-time AP College Basketball Coach of the Year honoree, and a Basketball Hall of Fame inductee.

She’s brought those winning ways—and eccentric gameday outfits—with her to LSU, winning her fourth and the school’s first national championship in 2023. She added another Coach of the Year award to her resume as well while compiling an incredible 151-26 record in her five years with the Tigers.

Jay Johnson, Baseball

While Mulkey came with a pedigree of winning national championships, Johnson had been right on the cusp multiple times before joining LSU. He brought Arizona to the College World Series twice in his six years in charge and was the Pac-12 Coach of the Year in 2021.

Johnson has since managed to get over the hump twice, winning the College World Series in both 2023 and 2025 with the Tigers. He was named the National Coach of the Year in both seasons and has put together a 220-105 record in five years with LSU.

Dennis Shaver, Track and Field

It may not steal as many headlines as the football or baseball teams, but Shaver has helped LSU’s track and field program maintain a dominant presence in his 21 years in charge.

He first joined the Tigers as an assistant in 1995 before taking over both track and field and cross country in 2004. Since then, he’s compiled a lengthy list of accomplishments, producing 34 Olympians (12 medalists), 69 NCAA champion athletes winning 80 NCAA event titles, and 26 NCAA champion relay teams, among many more.

Will Wade, Men’s Basketball

Wade may not have a national title under his belt yet, but his track record speaks for itself. Tiger fans embraced Wade during his first stint in Baton Rouge, when he posted a 266-119 record and brought LSU to the NCAA Tournament three times in four seasons.

He returned to coaching in 2023 and brought McNeese State to the tournament in his two seasons there. He spent one year at NC State, going 20-14 and again making the NCAA Tournament before rejoining the Tigers this offseason.

Jay Clark, gymnastics

It was always going to be tough following in the footsteps of legendary gymnastics coach D-D Breaux, but Clark has found a way to do it. She was a 33-year veteran of the sport who had accumulated 800 wins in her career.

But Clark managed to do the one thing Breaux never could at LSU—win a national championship. Since taking over for Breaux in 2020, the team has been SEC regular season champion five times, SEC championship champion five times, and won the program’s first national title in 2024.

Hardwood heroes

It’s not just LSU’s head coaches who come with lengthy resumes. New men’s basketball coach Will Wade brings with him a formidable lineup of experienced assistants as well:

Rick Stansbury, associate head coach

It’s not often that a team’s assistant coach has the amount of experience that Stansbury brings to LSU. The 66-year-old has been coaching since 1981, including a 14-year stint as Mississippi State’s head coach from 1998-2012. He was also named SEC Coach of the Year in 2004 and most recently served as Western Kentucky’s head coach for seven seasons before becoming an assistant at Memphis the previous two years.

Johnny Jones, assistant coach

Jones will be a familiar face to many LSU fans. He was the Tigers’ head coach from 2012-17, compiling a 90-72 record and most notably helping to land Ben Simmons in Baton Rouge in 2015. This will be his second stint as an LSU assistant after beginning his coaching under legendary coach Dale Brown from 1984-97.

Damon Stoudamire, assistant coach

While Stansbury and Jones bring decades of coaching experience to Wade’s staff, Stoudamire adds a 13-year playing career into the mix. The former first-round pick out of Arizona spent more than a decade in the NBA before joining the coaching ranks in 2008. He was an assistant for the Celtics for two years before most recently serving as the head coach at Georgia Tech, earning a bid to the NIT in one of his three seasons in charge.

Jay Smith, director of player development

Like Jones, Smith began his coaching career back in 1984. He’s been in the college game ever since, serving as a head coach three times and an assistant coach at four different schools. Smith was also Eastern Michigan’s director of player development—the same title he’ll hold at LSU—the past two seasons after a five-year run as an assistant at Michigan.