An LSU Branded Plane Causes Panic In Morgantown

A private jet emblazoned with the Louisiana State University logo has created a bit of a panic among West Virginia social media and message boards. The Learjet 45 landed at Morgantown Municipal Airport around 11:30 AM on Monday, and it didn’t take long before the hand-wringing and rumors that the Tigers had arrived to poach Mountaineer head coach Dana Holgorsen started to fly.

The twin engine jet with the tail number N599TA is registered to Air Med Services, LLC, a medical transport company out of Lafayette, LA, according to the Federal Aviation Administration registry. Flight records over the last 180 days show no previous trips to Morgantown. Recent flights include a quick trip from Lafayette to New Orleans and then to Miami, FL and back to Lafayette on Sunday, taking about 6 hours total. That lines up with what would be expected for a medical transport. It’s much more likely that the plane made its way to Morgantown for something related to WVU Medicine and Ruby Memorial Hospital than it did to steal our head coach.

I’ll go ahead and say that even after a 3-0 start to the season for the Mountaineers, and the widely public issues surrounding Dana’s contract extension (or lack thereof), it’s highly unlikely that LSU would have Holgorsen on their list of possible replacements. Smart money has the Tigers targeting University of Houston head coach Tom Herman or Florida State head coach Jimbo Fisher.

Fisher is a West Virginia native. Perhaps we’re all looking at this from the wrong angle, and Jimbo made his way home for a super-secret meeting with a previous employer. I mean, you can’t just land an LSU plane in Tallahassee, can you?

So rest easy, Mountaineers. Our coach isn’t going anywhere. For now.