Former LSU Tigers head coach Ed Orgeron wants to return to college football, but the available jobs may not make much sense for the 64-year-old. Sports Illustrated’s Dan Lyons condemned Orgeron’s scandalous exit from Baton Rouge and his uneven coaching record against him, while disqualifying him from the schools that are “looking to hire a big-name coach.”
Lyons listed the Arkansas Razorbacks, Oklahoma State Cowboys, UCLA Bruins, and Virginia Tech Hokies as schools with a recently vacated seat in which Orgeron would be a “tough sell.” The Stanford Cardinal and Kent State Golden Flashes were also mentioned, but they both have ample time to hire Orgeron and haven’t. Stanford might be the last place on earth where Orgeron would be a fit.
“Orgeron emerged as a popular college football figure, especially during his successful stint as USC interim coach and his early LSU tenure. However, his failures both on the field and off may make him a challenging sell for one of the schools looking to hire a big-name coach,” Lyons wrote.
“Six FBS programs are currently open. Arkansas, Oklahoma State, UCLA and Virignia Tech have all fired their coaches during the first month of the season while Kent State and Stanford entered the year with interim coaches after letting go of their head coaches late in the offseason.”
Orgeron’s coaching legacy is clouded by a worst-case scenario coaching the Ole Miss Rebels to a 10-25 overall, 3-21 conference record in the aughts, and a best-case scenario 2019/2020 College Football Playoff National Championship run with Joe Burrow and a generational LSU offense.
The defensive-minded coach’s point-prevention unit didn’t stand out as much as it mitigated damage enough for Joe Brady’s historic offense, led by Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase, Justin Jefferson, Clyde Edwards-Helaire, and Co., to score nearly 50 points per game and carry the team to a 15-0 record. If not for this title run, Oregeron’s name wouldn’t be coming up at all.
Likely, Arkansas, Oklahoma State, UCLA, and Virginia Tech’s brain trusts know that.
Orgeron’s best-case scenario would be aiming for a Group of 5 program to rebuild his reputation for a year. The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns, Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks, and Louisiana Tech Bulldogs all make the most sense for the Larose native. The Tulane Green Wave becomes an interesting option if Jon Sumrall takes a step up to the SEC.