Austin Thomas making a return to LSU after two seasons away

Yet again, coach Brian Kelly and LSU football have gone ahead and taken a staff member from a fellow SEC program. Today, it was reported that former Ole Miss Chief of Staff Austin Thomas will make his return to Baton Rouge in 2024 after two seasons away.

Ole Miss Chief of Staff Austin Thomas making a return to LSU after two seasons away

Coach Brian Kelly has made some serious changes as we look ahead to the 2024 season. While a majority have come on the defensive side of the ball, it’s becoming more and more clear that the Tiger head coach is looking to build a championship caliber staff.

Earlier this week, LSU Director of Player Personnel Will Redmond left the program for a General Manager-type position at Auburn. Now, just days later, Wilson Alexander of The Advocate first reported that the purple and gold will be bringing Austin Thomas back to Baton Rouge.

Sources: Austin Thomas is returning to #LSU for the third time. He spent the last two years as Ole Miss’ chief of staff and will have a key role in personnel. https://t.co/srXNtkpkNV

— Wilson Alexander (@whalexander_) January 26, 2024

Entering 2024, this will be Thomas’s third time as a part of the Tiger program. His first stop in Baton Rouge was from 2013-17 under at the time head coaches Les Miles and Ed Orgeron. Notably, with his promotion to a General Manager position under coach Ed Orgeron, he became the first to do so in SEC history.

Then, after a four-year stint away, he made his return in 2021, until coach Brian Kelly completely overhauled his staff ahead of the 2022 season.

With Austin Thomas coming back to work under coach Kelly, he’ll join defensive coordinator Blake Baker as 2024 hires who will be making their way back since their time with the 2021 edition of LSU football.

Outside of his time with the Tigers, Thomas has served as a part of several other top college football programs including Baylor, Ole Miss and Texas A&M.

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