Joe Sloan, a proven recruiter with strong ties to Louisiana, has been named LSU’s quarterbacks coach, head coach Brian Kelly announced on Monday.
Sloan recently completed his ninth season at Louisiana Tech where he helped produce some of the top offenses in college football.. In his nine seasons with Tech, the Bulldogs appeared in seven bowl games, won at least nine games four times and claimed the Conference USA West title twice.
“Joe is an outstanding coach with a proven record of developing players on the offensive side of the ball,” Kelly said. “His ability to teach and develop quarterbacks was instrumental in the explosive offenses at Louisiana Tech for nearly a decade and I know he will do a great job of utilizing the skill players we have at LSU.”
“He’s also an outstanding recruiter and having spent nine years at Louisiana Tech, he knows the talent our state produces each year. He’s built great relationships with high school coaches around the state which will help us keep the best players in Louisiana at home.”
In addition to his coaching duties at Louisiana Tech, Sloan spearheaded the recruiting efforts for the Bulldogs. Tech’s 2020 signing class ranked No. 1 in Conference USA and was listed as the No. 4 class nationally among the Group of 5 programs. Among his top recruits were a pair of Louisiana natives who went on to earn All-America honors in Jaylon Ferguson and Amik Robertson.
“I am thankful to Coach Kelly for providing me the opportunity to coach at the best program in the country,” Sloan said. “LSU football is the gold standard, and I can’t wait to get to work helping win a championship. Louisiana is where we call home, and we’re so excited for our family to join the LSU and Baton Rouge community.”
During his time in Ruston, Sloan oversaw the development of some of the program’s top offensive threats. Since his arrival in 2013, 31 Bulldogs on the offensive side of the ball earned all-conference honors, a group that includes quarterback Luke Anthony (2020 C-USA Newcomer of the Year), quarterback J’Mar Smith (2019 C-USA Offensive Player of the Year), wide receiver Teddy Veal (2017 C-USA Newcomer of the Year) and wide receiver Carlos Henderson (2016 C-USA Offensive Player of the Year).
He also coached wide receiver Trent Taylor who from 2013-16 racked up the second-most receiving yards in program history (4,179) and under Sloan’s guidance, finished his career ranked first in school history in receptions with 327. Taylor led the nation in receiving yards in 2016 with 1,803, while Henderson led the country in receiving TDs with 19 that year.
Sloan joined Louisiana Tech in 2013 as inside receivers coach and was elevated to recruiting coordinator in 2014. In 2015 he was named the assistant head coach and prior to the 2019 season, was promoted to co-offensive coordinator. He was named offensive coordinator for the Bulldogs in January of 2020.
In 2019, Sloan helped guide an offense that among C-USA programs, ranked second in scoring (32.5), second in total offense (436.8), fourth in both passing (268.5) and rushing (168.4), first in third-down conversion percentage (41.4) and second in first downs (304).
In 2016, the Bulldogs led their league in several offensive categories, including passing offense (363.4), completion percentage (.667) and first downs (358). Individually, Tech had two players rank among the top five in Conference USA in receiving yards.
In his second season on staff, Sloan played an integral part in LA Tech’s nationally ranked offensive numbers, with the Bulldogs ranking 13th in scoring offense, 15th in fourth down conversion percentage and 22nd in red zone offense.
Sloan got his start in coaching at South Florida, where he served as offensive quality control assistant for two years (2010-11) followed by a season as a graduate assistant. He spent the spring of 2010 as an administrative assistant with an emphasis on recruiting for East Carolina.
As a player, Sloan appeared in 41 games at East Carolina, serving as the holder on placekicks and backup quarterback.
Sloan earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration, managerial finance from ECU in December 2008, graduating Summa Cum Laude, before earning his MBA in May 2010. Sloan was selected to the ECU Athletic Director’s Honor Roll each semester at ECU.
A Chester, Va., native, Sloan starred at Thomas Dale High School prior to arriving at ECU. He is married to the former Taylor Thomas. The couple have one daughter, Whitley.
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