Brian Kelly has taken another move toward finishing his 2025 coaching staff, allegedly adding Aman Anand to assist with special teams coaching.
Zach Barnett of FootballScoop was the first to break the news. It is not yet clear whether Anand’s formal function will be an on-field special teams coordinator or an analyst who happens to head the special teams.
Anand joins LSU after spending the 2024 season as Grambling’s special teams coordinator under former LSU receivers coach Mickey Joseph. Prior to his year at Grambling, Anand was the running backs coach and special teams coordinator at Texas Southern. He has also coached special teams at Penn State and Baylor. Under Anand, Penn State led the Big 10 in blocked kicks and was ranked in the top ten nationally in kickoff coverage.
Grambling had one of the top special teams in the FCS last season. The Tigers finished first or second in the SWAC in several special teams categories, and they were placed in the top 50 nationally.
Special teams hasn’t been the worst unit in three years under Brian Kelly, but it also hasn’t been as good as it was under Greg McMahon. The special teams unit that Anand is inheriting is fairly solid, though.
Damian Ramos returns for another season as the place kicker, Aeron Burrell was an all-SEC kickoff specialist, Zavion Thomas finally solidified the punt returner position, and incoming transfer Barion Brown is the SEC’s greatest kickoff returner in league history, having returned five for touchdowns in his career. The two positions that have not been defined are long snapper, now that Slade Roy is out of eligibility and punter, however, LSU has signed Grant Chadwick from the portal to take over the punting job.
Last season, the unit was led by Bob Diaco, who was a Tigers analyst before accepting a position as Bill Belichick’s linebackers coach at North Carolina.
Slade Nagle, LSU’s tight ends coach/special teams coordinator, was technically in charge of the special teams unit, but Diaco led the group. Nagle is departing LSU as he is following Willie Fritz to be the offensive coordinator at Houston, therefore, the Tigers will need to find a tight ends coach as well.
This is significant since colleges are only authorized ten on-the-field assistants, and LSU currently has nine. Is Anand given an on-field coaching role with the special teams? If that’s the case, LSU will have 10 meaning they would not have an on-the-field tight ends coach. What most likely will happen is Anand is formally given a role of analyst but will manage the special teams while Brian Kelly attempts to fill that 10th on the field coaching spot to whatever the new tight ends coach ends up being.
Whatever Kelly decides to do, we’ll be prepared.
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