A disastrous season has put LSU's coach on notice. Can a revamped roster ignite hope, or is his time in Baton Rouge already numbered?
The LSU Tigers are entering their fourth year since the Will Wade controversy led to them switching gears to former Murray State Racers head coach Matt McMahon.
Everyone knew it would take time for McMahon to build the program back to prominence. They were on the verge of the death penalty, and recruiting was a near-impossible task. Especially for a school that has had sparing success in basketball in recent years.
The coach was given a seven-year contract out of the gate, reinforcing the fact that he had time to build his program.
All McMahon had to do was show steady improvements and build some momentum. Year two was better than year one, but year three was a massive step backward. The Tigers are still one of the bottom teams in the SEC and the clock is ticking faster in Baton Rouge.
ESPN's Jeff Borzello recently released a guide to coaching hot seats for the 2025/2026 season. McMahon's seat was listed as the hottest in the SEC. LSU would owe the coach $6.5 million if they move on after this season.
It wouldn't be a shock to see a change made, but there is still plenty of time for McMahon to prove that he deserves more time at the helm.
The biggest goal should be to get the Tigers back to at least .500 in conference play. They went 9-9 against SEC teams two seasons back, which was a great thing to hang his hat on in year two. The problem is that they went just 3-15 in their last campaign.
McMahon put his LSU assets to good use this year by securing the best transfer portal class since his first year, which was headlined by his former Racers players. 247Sports ranked them as just the No. 67 class a year ago, which is a major reason they regressed. This year, they were back up to No. 16.
They brought in four different four-star players, each at a different position. They then filled out the roster with a couple of other intriguing three-stars.
The portal class was headlined by former UNLV Rebels guard Dedan Thomas Jr., who was the No. 15-ranked player in the entire portal.
Thomas will lead this Tigers program at the point guard spot. McMahon will hope to unlock some of what Ja Morant brought to his Murray State team a few years ago as a driving force that creates open looks for his teammates, rather than a lights-out shooter.
This is the most talented team that McMahon brought to the court in Baton Rouge, despite low expectations. It will be up to the coach to have his players ready if he wants another year in purple and gold.