LSU There’s a high-profile coaching vacancy in football, and a familiar face has thrown its hat in the ring.
Ed Orgeron, who was fired by LSU after less than two years of coaching the Tigers to a national championship, said he would “love” to return to the school as Brian Kelly’s replacement.
LSU fired Kelly in surprising fashion on Sunday, citing the “high expectations” that the program had failed to reach under his leadership and announcing that a “national search” was underway for the Tigers’ new coach.
Three days later, during an interview with ESPN’s “Unsportsmanlike” on Wednesday, Orgeron was asked if he wanted his old job back.
“I’d love to,” Orgeron responded. “Are you kidding me? Hey, I’m a phone call away. All I have to do is get in my truck; I can get there today.”
One of the top coaches currently hiring at LSU ole miss‘ Lane Kiffin, who also worked with Orgeron USC,
Orgeron, who has been out of coaching since leaving LSU in 2021, was asked Wednesday if he would consider returning to the program as an assistant under Kiffin.
“Yes, I’ll consider it,” he said. “I love LSU. I’ve still got my home in Baton Rouge. I loved it when I was coaching as the defensive line coach for Coach Miles. I love the Tigers, and if I was getting back into coaching, I would definitely consider it. No doubt.”
Orgeron’s tenure as LSU head coach ended after the 2021 season in what he described as a mutual decision between himself and the school. He went 51–20 in his six years at LSU, highlighted by the Tigers’ 15–0 run in the 2019 season punctuated by the NCAA championship.
Orgeron, who grew up rooting for the Tigers in nearby LaRose, Louisiana, said LSU’s next head coach must become part of the state’s culture – something he says Kelly never did.
“I think it’s one of those things that – whether it’s true or not – from the outside looking in, Brian Kelly never embraced the state of Louisiana,” he said. “When you get those guys on your side, it’s very powerful. I think pulling everybody in the same direction, like Pete Carroll did, like we did, one team, one heartbeat, will be important for the next coach.”
