Amid a high-turnover coaching cycle, Ed Orgeron keeps popping up as a serious name whenever a blue-blood job opens. Earlier this fall, he was floated as a “name to monitor” in broader coaching chatter, but the real intrigue now centers on LSU’s vacancy and whether the 2019 national-title coach could be part of the Tigers’ search.
Former LSU head coach Ed Orgeron said he would “love” to be the head coach of the Tigers again. ESPN’s Evan Cohen asked him straight up on Wednesday. “I’d love to,” Orgeron said on ESPN’s Unsportsmanlike. “Are you kidding me? I just gotta get in my truck, I’ll be there today!”
Orgeron hasn’t coached since he led the Tigers from 2016-21 before Brian Kelly, who was fired this week following a loss to Texas A&M in the middle of his fourth season. During his time as LSU’s head coach, Orgeron went 51-20, including a 15-0 mark in 2019 as LSU won the College Football Playoff National Championship with one of the greatest teams ever assembled.
Previously, Orgeron said he was open to returning as an assistant. The bottom line for him is being back on a sideline, coaching, recruiting, and winning. “I want a fit. I’m not going to take just anything, and not everybody’s going to take me,” Orgeron told On3’s Andy Staples.
“It may be a head coach job. It may be a defensive line job with someone that I believe can win a championship… If I interview, I want them to want me as much as I want them. I’m a championship coach, and I’m going to bring a winning program to their university.”
There’s no doubting Orgeron’s championship credentials. Across his first four LSU seasons, he went 40-9, riding a Heisman year from Joe Burrow in 2019, then finished 11-11 over his final two seasons before parting ways in 2021. Culture fit is no small factor in Baton Rouge, and Orgeron’s roots and résumé ensure he’ll be discussed as LSU begins a high-profile search.
One complicating subplot: the process that ended Kelly’s tenure. Urban Meyer recently questioned Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry’s reported role in the decision and asked how accountability would work if the next hire misses, even as LSU reportedly used a contract “morals clause” to reduce Kelly’s buyout. Those dynamics underscore how charged this hire will be.
For now, LSU is arguably the sport’s top opening. Whether the Tigers turn to a familiar face like Orgeron or chart a new course, the decision will define the program’s next era.
