Bo Pelini was named the head football coach at the University of Nebraska at a press conference at 4 p.m. today, but he will still coach LSU in the National Championship.
Les Miles, LSU coach, said Pelini would stay with the Tigers’ defense in New Orleans in January. Miles made the announcement in a Sunday evening press conference.
Pelini has been the defensive coordinator at LSU for the past three seasons. Pelini nor LSU representatives have said if he will coach at LSU for the remainder of the post-season that could include a trip to the National Championship or the Sugar Bowl.
In a statement released by the Nebraska Athletic Department Interim Athletic Director Tom Osborne said the search was based on assessing the needs of the team and finding someone with strong defensive experience.
“We were also looking for someone who can inspire confidence and get players to play with great effort,” Osborne said in the statement. “And, of course, we also wanted our new head coach to understand our traditions, including the importance of our walk-on program and the importance of football in this state.”
Before coming to LSU, Pelini served as the co-defensive coordinator at Oklahoma in 2004 and was defensive coordinator then interim head coach at Nebraska.
“We wanted to get this done as quickly as possible, so Bo can put together his new staff and concentrate on recruiting,” Osborne said. “These next two weeks are really critical to the recruiting process.”