Lane Kiffin is bringing Ed Orgeron back to Baton Rouge to serve as a special assistant to recruiting and defense. This is a full circle moment for the Tigers, as Orgeron had a quite meaningful stint with the program once.
Why Did Lane Kiffin’s Ed Orgeron Hire Spark Criticism of Brian Kelly’s LSU?
According to On3’s JD Pickell, LSU completely lost its “physical” identity last season under Brian Kelly, and that identity is now expected to return with Orgeron’s arrival at Kiffin’s staff.
“LSU is one of those unique jobs where I think fit is overrated,” Pickell said. “The personality last year for LSU under Brian Kelly was unfreaking recognizable. If you don’t believe me, go back to Brian Kelly’s last game. They were emptying Tiger Stadium for a home game at night against Texas A&M in the fourth quarter. That place was barren and overrun by A&M fans. It’s not LSU’s personality.
“They were talented. They’re always going to be talented. LSU has had a bunch of draft picks since the most recent NFL draft, but it’s not about having talent and having draft picks and those things. It’s about how you play a certain style of ball? Are you physical enough at a place like LSU to win the games that you’re supposed to win? So Ed Orgeron is going to be grabbing the recruiting trail obviously, but I get more excited about the personality he brings that LSU is missing a season ago.”
Kelly was fired midway through last season during the fourth year of his tenure. Before him, Orgeron spent six seasons leading LSU and led the Tigers to an undefeated national championship run in 2019 behind Joe Burrow.
Orgeron finished his LSU coaching tenure with a 51-20 overall record before departing after the 2021 season. The program declined after the championship run, but few coaches have matched the standard set by that Burrow-led squad.
As for Orgeron’s current tenure, he reportedly signed a one-year deal to return to LSU, which runs through January 2027 and will pay him $100,000. That figure is far below the roughly $9 million he earned in his final season as head coach, as he will get paid one-fourth of that amount in monthly increments over the next 12 months. However, the man loves the Tigers, and that only matters.
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As an elite defensive line coach and recruiter, Orgeron is expected to play a big role on the recruiting trail as one of LSU’s approved assistant recruiters. His addition has also boosted optimism around the program, which currently has a 39.2% chance to reach the College Football Playoff in 2026, according to the PFSN CFB Playoff Meter.
