LSU is preparing to announce JR Belton as the new director of football operations
LSU is set to name JR Belton its new director of football operations, per CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz. Belton has been the program’s director of recruiting since 2022. He first joined LSU in 2021 as its director of scouting.
In his new position, Belton will oversee the day-to-day operations for the LSU football team and staff and work closely with LSU general manager Austin Thomas on various projects as it relates to building a championship program, according to the school’s website.
Belton found serious success while overseeing the program’s recruiting. LSU had the No. 5 high school recruiting class in 2023, No. 7 in 2024 and No. 8 in 2025. Now, Belton will have the opportunity to be involved in even more of the Tigers’ operations.
Before Belton came to LSU, he served as a regional scout at Virginia for one year. Additionally, he worked as a recruiting intern for the Louisiana Tech football program.
Before stepping into the coaching ranks, Belton was a star quarterback at West Monroe High School in north Louisiana. He led West Monroe to an 11-1 mark as a senior. He went on to play college football at Louisiana Tech. He graduated from Tech in 2019 with a business degree.
LSU targeting former FSU offensive coordinator for staff role
The LSU Tigers are reportedly targeting former Florida State Seminoles offensive coordinator Alex Atkins for a role on their staff.
For the last three seasons, Atkins has been on the staff at Florida State as an offensive line coach and the offensive coordinator. That run came to an end in November 2024, amid the Seminoles’ disappointing season, when it was announced the team would be making changes at both offensive and defensive coordinator.
Under Atkins, the Florida State offense thrived in 2022 and 2023. The 2023 Seminoles, in particular, who went unbeaten in the regular season and won the ACC were known for having an excellent offense.
In 2023, the Seminoles were 54th nationally in total offense, averaging 401.6 yards per game. Then, Florida State was 18th in scoring offense, averaging 34.6 points per game.
2024 was a much more difficult season for both Florida State and Alex Atkins. In a year where the Seminoles went just 2-10 with the offense taking a major step backward. They would fall to 132nd in total offense, averaging 270.3 yards per game.
Then, the team’s scoring offense was 131st nationally, scoring 15.4 points per game. Beyond that statistical drop-off, Atkins was also suspended for the first three games of the 2024 season for recruiting violations.
