Lane Kiffin didn’t just bring Ed Orgeron back to LSU because they’ve been friends for 26 years. He brought him back because Orgeron will do the grunt work nobody else wants to touch.
The LSU head coach explained his decision during an appearance on “In the Bayou with Tyrann Mathieu,” and he didn’t sugarcoat it. Orgeron is now a special assistant for recruiting and defense, which basically means he’s doing what he does best: pounding the pavement in Louisiana and helping defensive coordinator Blake Baker with scheme stuff.
“I got to learn from him to see how he recruited, the passion and the drive, and that no job is too small,” Kiffin said. “Now that I’m here, I realize that’s the Louisiana in him, there’s no job too small… To have him back is even better than I thought.”
The Orgeron Effect on Recruiting
This isn’t just a nostalgia hire. Orgeron won a national title at LSU in 2019 with Joe Burrow under center, and he spent years building relationships across the state. For a program that needs to keep elite Louisiana talent home, having a 64-year-old coach who still outworks everyone in the room is a legit advantage.
Kiffin pointed out that Orgeron’s willingness to handle any assignment is what makes him valuable. The guy has been coaching since 1984, starting as a grad assistant at Northwestern State. He took over at Ole Miss in 2005, then ended up at LSU in 2016 as interim head coach before eventually winning it all. He’s not above stuffing envelopes or sitting in a high school coach’s office for three hours waiting for a handshake. That’s the stuff that matters in recruiting, and Kiffin knows it.
Orgeron’s role on defense is a bonus. Blake Baker runs the unit, but having a guy with Orgeron’s experience in the room — someone who’s called plays, managed egos, and seen every offensive scheme imaginable — gives that staff extra eyes without ego getting in the way.
A Relationship That Runs Deep
The friendship between Kiffin and Orgeron goes back to the early 2000s, when both were climbing the coaching ladder. They’ve stayed close through stints at different schools, and Orgeron was reportedly one of the first calls Kiffin made after getting the LSU job. Bringing him back to Baton Rouge wasn’t just smart. It felt inevitable.
Training camp starts soon, and Orgeron is already in the building. The Tigers are looking to build on last season’s momentum, and having a national championship-winning coach roaming the facility — even if he’s not the guy in charge anymore — doesn’t hurt. It might even remind some of the younger players what a championship culture actually looks like.
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