LSU coach Lane Kiffin has courted controversy in the last week due to his comments about his stint as the Ole Miss Rebels coach and his messy departure from Oxford in the coaching carousel that gripped college football last year. Since he arrived in Baton Rouge, Kiffin has steadily grabbed the headlines with his comments and actions.
David Ubben Hypes Lane Kiffin Hiring Ed Orgeron at LSU
On Thursday, Kiffin made waves in college football once again when he hired former Tigers coach Ed Orgeron to his revamped LSU staff as the special assistant to recruiting and defense.
During Thursday’s segment of the “Bunch Formation” podcast, analyst David Ubben hyped Kiffin’s move for Orgeron and the return of the charismatic coach to Baton Rouge.
“Lane Kiffin hired Ed Orgeron back at LSU,” Ubben said. “There’s not much to say about that, other than it’s extremely entertaining and I’m glad that Ed will be back on the sidelines just being Coach O. Lane Kiffin and Ed Orgeron, they go way back, very tight and obviously, Coach O knows Louisiana.”
Orgeron and Kiffin were both assistants on coach Pete Carroll’s staff at USC between 2001 and 2004. Orgeron attempted to hire Kiffin as the Ole Miss offensive coordinator when he took the Rebels’ head coaching job in 2004, but the latter opted to stay at USC under Carroll.
Kiffin hired Orgeron to his staff as the assistant head coach, recruiting coordinator, and defensive line coach when he took the Tennessee Volunteers job in 2008, before the duo suddenly departed Knoxville for USC in controversial circumstances.
Orgeron served as the Trojans’ defensive coordinator and recruiting coordinator when Kiffin took the head coaching job in 2010, also serving as USC’s interim coach when Kiffin was fired in 2013.
In a statement released after Orgeron’s shock return to Baton Rouge was confirmed, Kiffin praised the former Tigers coach’s recruitment chops and ability to impact LSU’s defense.
“I’m excited to bring Coach Orgeron back to LSU,” Kiffin said in the statement. “He brings us tremendous value with his ability to recruit elite players nationally, but especially the impact he can have for us recruiting the great state of Louisiana.
“Coach O understands my expectations and commitment to being a championship program. I look forward to seeing him with recruits and his intensity working with our defensive players.”
After serving as LSU’s defensive line coach in 2015, Orgeron was named the head coach and he presided over one of the most dominant offenses in college football, headlined by quarterback Joe Burrow, leading the Tigers to the 2019 national championship, before leaving the program by mutual agreement in 2021.
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