Reports late Thursday have LSU focusing on Tom Herman as its next coach, but it was not until deciding to move on from Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher that the Tigers chose to set their sights on Herman, according to ESPN's Brett McMurphy and USA Today's Glenn Guibeau.
LSU was reportedly set to meet with Fisher on Saturday following Florida State's rivalry game against Florida. At one point Thursday, ESPN reported that a massive contract request made by Fisher led in part to LSU changing directions, but that information was subsequently removed from a published story.
USA Today reports that LSU and Fisher's agent, Jimmy Sexton, were negotiating a contract that would have paid Fisher approximately $7 million annually, "but discussions ended Wednesday night with Fisher not accepting the job."
Fisher currently makes $5.25 million at Florida State, per the USA Today salary database. He has gone 76-17 since taking over as Florida State's coach for Bobby Bowden in 2010. He led the Seminoles to a national championship in 2013. Fisher is under contract through the 2022 season at Florida State after signing a $44 million extension in 2015.
As for Herman, the Houston coach is the highest-paid Group of Five coach in the country at $3 million. With a perceived bidding war coming between LSU and Texas, Herman could join the $5 million club that currently includes seven coaches.
The Cougars have also reportedly upped their offer in hopes of retaining Herman, but Power Five conference prestige and a larger contract pool for assistants at schools like LSU and Texas likely make that Houston offer nothing more than a nice gesture for Herman.
Editor's note: The information noting Fisher's specific contract request was removed from the original source material and therefore also removed from this story.
