LSU Offensive Coordinator Gary Crowton Offered Same Position at Maryland?

That's what the Crowton is going about and telling reporters.

Crowton said Wednesday night that Maryland offered him a three-year contract at $500,000 a year during an interview Wednesday. Crowton made $475,000 in 2010 at LSU and has one year remaining on his contract at $500,000.

Asked why he was seeking another job, Crowton said, "When I went up there, they offered me a lot of money. And when I agreed to be interviewed (a few days ago), I wasn't quite sure what Miles was going to do."

First off, no telling if this is true. Crowton's job security is shaky down in Baton Rouge, so he might be fishing for a "See, these guys want me," type of appeal. He's certainly being cavalier about talking about it, and that's kind of strange for this type of thing.

Secondly, paying more for an offensive coordinator than LSU is big-time. Really, really big-time. In fact, it's so big-time that it makes me doubt it. This just feeds back into #1. Either this is a complete crock, he's massively exaggerating, or Kevin Anderson is making a serious commitment to Randy Edsall, one bigger than anyone imagined.

Either way, there's been chatter elsewhere that Crowton will be under consideration for the gig, probably amongst others. If this goes at all like the head coach search, there'll be a decent amount of misdirection floating around. But it's safe to assume that Crowton is in the conversation, quite possibly as a leader.

Crowton runs a pass-heavy spread variant that's a little tough to grasp, almost like Friedgen's early offenses (in the hard-to-grasp sense). (Think BYU and pre-Chip Kelly Oregon, both of which he coached). That's been a problem at LSU, which has had some terrible QB play since his arrival. As a result, he's been forced to adapt to a run-heavy system, which has led to some low scoring and yardage totals.

On the bad side, Crowton's departure would be welcomed at LSU. His offenses, for every year except his first (the national championship year), have been mediocre at best. He's had similar arcs at every stop: initial success followed by surprising, disappointing struggles. His playcalling is routinely questioned, as is his player development. Also, he's not a recruiter at all. Maryland needs to have at least one recruiting ace, and right now it doesn't look like they have any. There are still plenty of open staff positions for that spot, but someone who doesn't get out on the trail is a bit of a liability.

On the good side, LSU's fans have unrealistic expectations year-in and year-out, so maybe we shouldn't take that too seriously. And he's playing in the SEC, so the defenses he'll be facing won't be quite as imposing. And as mentioned above, LSU had some bad fits for him. Danny O'Brien is a better fit and could hopefully adapt rather quickly. And if nothing else, he's a big name with a lot of experience.

If there's any kind of official announcement, we'll have it. I imagine we'd hear something pretty soon. Crowton, if he isn't bluffing, says a decision should be coming tomorrow on his end.