LSU Gold

John McDonell Season 2024

LSU
John McDonell
Title
Sr. Offensive Analyst
Email
johnmcdonell@lsu.edu
Phone
(225) 578-1151
Hometown
Spokane, Wash.
Alma Mater
Carroll (1981)

A veteran with over 35 years of experience in college football, John McDonell serves as a senior offensive analyst for the Tigers.

McDonell joined the LSU staff in 2022 after four years in the Canadian Football League where he served as offensive line coach for Edmonton (2020-21) and Ottawa (2018-19). He has 29 years of experience coaching the offensive line at the NCAA Division I level.

McDonnell’s coaching career includes 12 bowl appearances.

Prior to his move to the CFL, McDonell served as senior analyst and tight ends coach at Georgia State from 2016-17. He coached the offensive line at Tulane from 2012-15.

In 2011, he was the offensive line coach at Idaho. Prior to Idaho, McDonell spent the 2010 season in the same capacity at the University of Memphis and he also served for one season in the same role at Bowling Green State University (2009), where he helped the Falcons to the Humanitarian Bowl.

Before Bowling Green, McDonell’s previous coaching stops included Purdue (2006-08), Stanford (2001, 2005), Notre Dame (2002-04), Washington State (1989-2000) and Weber State (1984-88).

He helped Purdue to the Champs Bowl in 2006 and the Motor City Bowl in 2007 and also played an instrumental role in Dustin Keller’s first-round selection (30th overall) in the 2008 NFL Draft.

Before that, he was on the coaching staff for Notre Dame’s appearances in the Gator Bowl (2002) and Insight Bowl (2004). Under his tutelage with the Irish, center Jeff Faine was a finalist for the Rimington Trophy and was a first-round draft pick (21st overall) by the Cleveland Browns in the 2003 draft.

McDonell was a member of Stanford’s Seattle Bowl appearance in 2001 and coached Eric Heitmann to first team All-America honors that same season.

During his 12-year tenure on head coach Mike Price’s staff at Washington State, he was a part of the coaching staff that led the Cougars to three bowl appearances, including the 1992 Copper Bowl, the 1994 Alamo Bowl and the 1997 Rose Bowl.

At Weber State, he helped the program to a banner season in 1987 with a Big Sky Conference championship and a No. 10 national ranking in the final Division I-AA poll.

McDonell attended Carroll College in Montana, where he was an NAIA All-American his senior year after having been an all-Frontier Conference choice three times. He was inducted into the Carroll College Athletic Hall of Fame in 1994.

A native of Spokane, Wash., McDonell earned his bachelor’s degree in social science from Carroll College in 1981. He and his wife, Mindy have a son (Michael) and a daughter (Megan).