Ed Orgeron: LSU hires Orgeron as permanent head coach

Alleva says LSU knows Orgeron’s heart is with LSU and “his strengths are going to be tremendous” at the school.

Then this morning, it was reported that Herman was hired at Texas to replace the recently departed Charlie Strong.

LSU athletic director Joe Alleva named him LSU’s football coach after promoting him to interim coach from defensive line coach/recruiting coordinator when Les Miles was sacked as head coach.

What was in Orgeron’s binder?

Oregeron – whose only FBS head coaching experience was at Ole Miss from 2005-2007, and interim coach at USC in 2013 – has his work cut out for him.

“In my heart, I knew he always wanted to be the LSU coach ever since he decided he wanted to be a coach”, she said. “I put all those things down and it became our program here at LSU”. Orgeron had apparently “blown LSU officials away” during the interview process, and ultimately, Coach O would stand tall because of it.

The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Saturday because LSU does not plan to make the decision public until an announcement scheduled for the afternoon. That was my goal the whole time – to go out and go to Miami, go to Syracuse, go to USC and prepare to get better. In addition, the source indicated there is a “strong level of confidence” that Alabama offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin will join Orgeron’s staff.

LSU will officially name its next head football coach Saturday. If Orgeron hires Kiffin, it’ll be Coach O’s biggest head coaching victory to date.

“It’s night and day from what I was at Ole Miss”, Orgeron told ESPN.com back in October. We have one of the best backs in the country coming back next year in (sophomore) Derrius Guice. And he has no problem with being judged by if they beat Alabama.

As a player, Orgeron was a four-year starter on the defensive line for Northwestern State, captaining the Demons as a senior.

Just days after LSU football players were chanting “Keep Coach O”, it appears that the school has listened after all.

Before that, he served as the defensive line coach and recruiting coordinator. Overall, LSU’s defense, under Dave Aranda, ranks in the top three in the SEC in three major categories – scoring, total defense and rushing defense. LSU is known for having a cooky personality like Les Miles on the sidelines (just as the Saints have Sean Payton), and LSU fits that bill. We won two national championships together.

“Oh, you think I’m a happy camper or something?” He has switched the Crimson Tide from a run-heavy, pro-style attack to a spread offense spearheaded by dual-threat quarterbacks like freshman Jalen Hurts.

“We have a blueprint”. “We had our man all along”.

It’s all speculation now, but LSU hiring Orgeron may not be as positive for Alabama, Auburn and the rest of the SEC West as it seems on the surface.