By DOUG IRELAND, Journal Sports
BATON ROUGE – Ed Orgeron was told to vacate the premises, but as he left, he never slammed the door.
Fired as head coach in midseason in 2021, just two years after steering LSU to the 2019 national championship in an unbeaten 15-0 season, Orgeron is rejoining the Tigers’ football program as a special assistant to his longtime coaching associate, first-year LSU head coach Lane Kiffin.
The news began to trickle out not long after the first pitch of LSU’s 8 o’clock SEC Tournament baseball game Wednesday night and became official with a brief press release issued at 9:18 p.m. by LSU Athletics.
It said Orgeron, 64, has been hired by Kiffin “as the special assistant to recruiting and defense.” The fiery south Louisiana native has long been regarded among the best recruiters in college football, and an excellent defensive line coach, a reputation earned while he was an assistant coach for national championship teams at Miami and USC, and later, as interim head coach at Southern Cal and then in six seasons as head coach at LSU after a year-plus on Les Miles’ staff.
Orgeron and Kiffin worked together previously three times during nine seasons – from 2001-04 on Pete Carroll’s Southern Cal staff, then during Kiffin’s one season as head coach at Tennessee (2009), with Orgeron as assistant head coach, and at USC when he was Kiffin’s defensive coordinator from 2010-13.
When Kiffin was fired early in the season at Southern Cal, Orgeron took over as interim coach and led the Trojans to a 6-2 mark, but was bypassed for the head coaching post when USC hired Steve Sarkisian.
Orgeron was head coach at Ole Miss from 2005-07. Kiffin led the Rebels to unprecedented success over the last six seasons before taking the LSU job at the end of the regular season last fall.
Orgeron encouraged Kiffin to take the LSU job, and reportedly called him shortly after the plane bringing Kiffin to Baton Rouge touched down, and regaled him with the aura of the Tigers’ program. Kiffin related that conversation at his introductory press conference.
Although many expected Orgeron to join Kiffin’s staff, when Blaine Baker was retained as defensive coordinator along with much of the staff on that side, there didn’t appear to be a position available.
Six months later, Kiffin found another path to onboard the coach whose signature “Geaux Tigers” tagline routinely wrapped up media interviews and speaking engagements.
“I’m excited to bring Coach Orgeron back to LSU,” Kiffin said. “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.”
A standout player at Northwestern State who got his coaching career started there in 1984, Orgeron was out of coaching in 2014 after departing USC, then landed at LSU as Miles’ defensive line coach for the 2015 season. When Miles was dismissed in September 2015 after a loss to Auburn, Orgeron was named interim head coach and the Tigers flourished with a 6-2 finish.
LSU went 9-4 in each of his first two seasons, but had many recruiting victories, notably getting quarterback Joe Burrow to transfer from Ohio State. Burrow started in 2018 and spearheaded a talent-laden team to a dominant perfect season in 2019 culminating in overwhelming Clemson in the Superdome for the national title.
But LSU went 8-8 over the next two seasons before LSU fired Orgeron Oct, 17, 2021, giving him a $17 million buyout. He repeatedly expressed gratitude, as he departed and ever since at many public appearances and interviews.
He has not coached since, but has remained an avid observer of the college and Louisiana high school scene. As last season wound down, he said he was interested in returning to coaching, not necessarily as a head coach.
Earlier this week, he was on the scene as officials with the Louisiana High School Athletic Association and the Allstate Sugar Bowl announced a multi-year partnership for sponsorship of state championship sports events. Orgeron was on the sidelines throughout the three-day 2025 LHSAA Prep Classic series of football title games in the Superdome.
Contact Doug at sbjdoug@gmail.com