Offensive coordinator Matt Canada and LSU have split in a ‘mutual separation’

LSU offensive coordinator Matt Canada won’t return to return to the Tigers in 2018, according to a school releases.

The terms, per The Baton Rouge Advocate, are as follows:

Canada agreed to part ways with the program for about half of the $3.3 million he was owed. He’ll receive roughly $1.7 million in buyout money, a resolution reached by the two sides Friday night after day-long negotiations Thursday.

Canada’s willingness to settle is evidence of a bitter situation on both sides and is a sign that the school was reluctant to pay the full buyout. Each party wished for a quick divorce after just a year together.

This comes a week after The Advocate reported that Canada was in the “final stages” of a settlement with the Tigers:

LSU officials are in deep settlement talks with outgoing offensive coordinator Matt Canada’s representatives, weighing options on the split with the embattled assistant, multiple sources confirmed to The Advocate.

The Advocate also reported that longtime assistant coach Steve Ensminger is a favorite to replace Canada.

Canada joined LSU before the 2017 season. He spent the season before that as the offensive coordinator at Pitt, where he guided one of the most improved offenses in the country. Canada’s smart scheming was a huge reason that the Panthers were the only team in 2016 to beat eventual national champion Clemson.

Liking what he saw, LSU coach Ed Orgeron hired Canada in Baton Rouge. The Tigers paid Canada $1.5 million this year, making him the fourth-highest-paid assistant in the country and the highest-paid offensive coordinator, per USA Today. He’s on a three-year contract, which reportedly includes salary offsets if he takes another job.

The reports of Canada’s imminent departure all note that the coordinator was at odds with Orgeron at points throughout the season — notably during a late-September home loss to the Sun Belt’s Troy. NOLA.com:

They appeared most at odds after the embarrassing home loss Sept. 30 against Troy, after which Orgeron said he asked Canada to scale back on the pre-snap motions and shifts for which the coordinator was known.

LSU’s offense didn’t improve under Canada. The Tigers finished 68th in scoring offense (28.3 points per game) in 2016, when they fired OC Cam Cameron (along with head coach Les Miles) after a 2-2 start. (It was reportedly Orgeron who fired Cameron.) In 2017, Canada’s LSU offense was 70th in scoring, at 28.1 points per game.

When Canada arrived at LSU, it seemed like an excellent fit. Canada had developed a reputation for being adaptable and getting the most out of his talent. He’d just helped to improve Pitt’s offense from 68th in scoring the year before his arrival to 10th. For whatever reason, nothing like that kind of improvement materialized at LSU.

Canada, 45, has coached at five schools since becoming NIU’s offensive coordinator in 2011. He made a one-year stop at Wisconsin in 2012, then reunited with his NIU head coach, Dave Doeren, for three years at NC State. He then spent the last two years in Pittsburgh and Baton Rouge, and he’ll reportedly be elsewhere again in 2018.