Ed Orgeron is back with LSU football as a member of Lane Kiffin's staff, news that added fuel to what's already been an offseason ablaze with headlines and excitement around the program.
But the mistake that many seem to be making as they look at the hire, as Mike Detillier explains, is thinking Orgeron will be taking a backseat and simply serve as a recruiting specialist -- an area where he admittedly does excel.
Hear more from Mike D on the hire of Ed Orgeron in the player above. Can't see the embed? Click here.
“My biggest laugh today is in doing shows with other places, is they’re like well, they really brought him back more for recruiting than anything else," Detillier said on SportsTalk this week. "I’m like, you done lost your damn mind if you think he’s gonna be on a football field and he’s not going to be out there working with the defensive linemen, you have lost your mind. You don’t know anything about Ed Orgeron, if you think that he’s just going to be there and be an observer, that don’t happen with him.”
It's a sentiment that was echoed by Blake Ruffino, the founder of the Are You Serious Sports Network.
“Ed can’t sit down. You can’t just put him in a cubicle and think he’s gonna be OK. He’ll drive himself crazy," Ruffino said. "With analysts being able to coach and we’ve seen this around college football … and Ed can do that.”
But even with that said, Mike adds, Orgeron's elite recruiting skills will be a boon to Kiffin and his staff as they adjust to life in Baton Rouge.
“Hey, coach O is connected. … He’s like being around a rock star," Mike D continued. "I remember him going to Tulane when they had the open day and recruits could visit there and his son Tyler is the tight ends coach for Tulane. I must’ve saw about 30 guys post pictures with him and coach O. So, you know, he’s become that type of guy, even away from coaching for a few years, he is a unique personality.”
Orgeron's official title will be special assistant to recruiting and defense. He's spent time working with some other college programs, but it's his first official coaching title since he was fired from LSU midway through the 2021 season. A reunion always felt likely, with Orgeron previously indicating he was open to returning to coaching and his longstanding relationship with Kiffin.
The hire followed a recent theme at LSU, with the Tigers recently hiring a pair of previously fired coaches to help lead the men's basketball program in Will Wade and Johnny Jones. The news of Orgeron's return was met with similar excitement.
“People are fired up, and that should tell you," Ruffino continued. "Look, it didn't end well with Coach O, but they love him and he will always be one of us, and you know what you’re getting with Ed. … There’s nobody on planet Earth that could’ve come to LSU and rehired Ed Orgeron not named Lane Kiffin.”
