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Jacob Hester watched the second half of No. 20 LSU's blowout loss to Texas A&M like the rest of us.
But it's almost impossible to measure how Hester felt compared to the rest of us as the Aggies piled up 35 second-half points in a 49-25 victory at Tiger Stadium on Oct. 25. The former LSU running back who led the 2007 national champions in rushing once had to be carried off the field after a game-winning TD against No. 9 Florida on Oct. 6, 2007.
As Tiger Stadium emptied Saturday, Hester felt something different.
"I've never really had this feeling before, but in that second half it had a feeling of, 'There's no returning from this,'" Hester told The Sporting News. "There is no point where you feel like it is going to get better. It's not awful. It's not completely without hope, but it's never going to be to the level that you want, that it needs and that it deserves to be at. It was wild."
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If that was wild, then how would you describe this week? LSU coach Brian Kelly was fired on Sunday night. On Wednesday, Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry declared that LSU athletic director Scott Woodward would not select the next coach for the Tigers. Instead, a Board of Supervisors will select a committee to appoint a coach.
Can we nominate Hester to be on the committee? The Sirius XM college football analyst has the right perspective on why LSU is in this predicament, who fits the description as the next head coach and what the expectations should be for the program moving into 2026 and beyond.
It is difficult to find someone who loves LSU as much as Hester does – which was reflected in the tweet he sent Sunday night after Kelly was fired.
Outside of my family, there's nothing I love more than LSU. Every opportunity I've had in life is b/c of LSU. The next coach needs to share that same passion. Our DNA was always mean, nasty, and tough. When you played the Tigers, you felt it — it was non-negotiable. #ForeverLSU
— Jacob Hester (@JacobHester18) October 27, 2025MORE: Picks against the spread for Week 10's Top 25 games
Jacob Hester on 'fit' and the next LSU coach
Brian Kelly compiled a 34-14 record at LSU, but one of the leading narratives about his troubles at LSU had to do with "fit." Kelly's cringy fake Southern accent at a basketball game and post-game behavior made for social-media fodder, and there was always the question whether the former Notre Dame coach truly fit in Baton Rouge, La, in the SEC grinder.
Hester – a Shreveport, La., native – says that is a misconception. That idea of "LSU DNA" is less about where you come from and more about how you play the game. LSU national championship coaches Nick Saban, Les Miles and Ed Orgeron had three different personas on the sideline – but it felt like LSU football most of the time.
"I don't think where you're from matters," Hester said. "Coach Saban is from West Virginia. He fit here. Coach Miles is from Ohio. He fit here. He loved this place. Coach O, for sure, he's from the Bayou and he fit. I understand all that, but I don't think it matters where you are from."
Hester points to LSU baseball, where Oroville, Calif., native Jay Johnson led the Tigers to College World Series championships in 2023 and 2025.
"It's because Jay Johnson is the closest thing to Nick Saban as far as his work ethic and what he does day in and day out," Hester said. "You can't beat that guy into the building. He cares about family and baseball. That's what it is.
"LSU football is the same way," Hester said. "LSU football, just like Ohio State. That's the expectation. It seems harsh. It sounds harsh, and I understand that, but it has to be the main thing in your life. It's family and football tied there."
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The most-glaring part of that loss to Texas A&M was not the scoreboard to Hester. It was that the Aggies were the more physical team, and it showed. Miles once called Tiger Stadium, "The place where opponents' dreams come to die" after a 10-7 victory against No. 3 Ole Miss on Oct. 25, 2014.
Who knew that 11 years later the Rebels' coaches would be among the sought-after candidates for LSU? Wild times, indeed.
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Jacob Hester talks Lane Kiffin, Dan Lanning and more
Lane Kiffin might be the most sought-after FBS coach in this year's coaching carousel – especially in the SEC. Ole Miss is 7-1 and on track to make the College Football Playoff for the first time. The Rebels are 28-6 since 2023 – the fourth-best record among Power 4 schools behind Oregon (32-4), Ohio State (32-4) and Georgia (30-5).
Kiffin has been linked to LSU and Florida – which fired Billy Napier on Oct. 19 – as a result. Kiffin has a salary in the $9 million range, and his contract runs through 2031.
All that makes leaving Ole Miss questionable – especially for another opening in the SEC.
"He probably feels like he can get done everything he wants to get done at Ole Miss and he's making a salary that is comparable to all the other top coaches in the country," Hester said. "If Lane Kiffin went to Florida or LSU, do I think he would be successful? Absolutely. I just don't know if he is right now looking to leave his current situation.
"If he's the top guy that's fine, but if he says 'no' then you have to have a list ready to go," Hester said. "You've got to vet some guys that are maybe outside of your SEC footprint. That's OK. That's what LSU and Florida both have to do."
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Hester has a few candidates in mind, starting with the home-run swing.
"Dan Lanning is probably not leaving Oregon, but if you ask me who is the one guy that from Day 1 would make LSU work? I think it is Dan Lanning," Hester said. "I think you have to (make that call). What are you looking for? You're looking for someone who is young, energetic, motivator, and he covers every single aspect of his team. … You know from Day 1 it's physical, and if it's not physical you are not going to play here."
Hester also said four coaches who are currently at their alma maters – Arizona State's Kenny Dillingham, Georgia Tech's Brent Key, Louisville's Jeff Brohm and Vanderbilt's Clark Lea – would make sense.
"I don't have a pecking order because I believe very strongly those guys would be successful at LSU," Hester said.
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Jacob Hester on LSU expectations for next coach
Hester also had another realization while watching the Texas A&M loss. In this new world of college football – there has to be an acceptance that some seasons might not go according to plan.
LSU opened the season at No. 9 in the preseason poll and beat No. 4 Clemson 17-10 the opener. Those teams have a combined .500 winning percentage heading into November. It's not about the wins and losses. It's about the way LSU lost that still bothers the former Tigers' star.
"When seasons aren't going your way, it's 9-3 but you beat some really good teams but the three losses you had you fought like hell and came up just short," Hester said. "You don't get blown out at LSU, and that's a handful of times in the last two years – three – that you got run out of the stadium."
That will be the challenge for the next coach – especially with the political involvement in the LSU coaching search. This is why Hester – or someone with his perspective – needs to be in that room. Hester knows what he watched Saturday.
He does want to hit the “point of no return" again.
"That's not a distant fourth cousin to the LSU football that I know that all my former teammates know," Hester said. "A national championship is great for sure, but I think it's truly to make the playoff more times than not. If you put a number on it – make it six out of 10 years – and one of those years you go make a run and win a national championship. It's something like that, and make it look like LSU football."
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