Ed Orgeron returns to LSU coaching staff as special assistant under Lane Kiffin

Lane Kiffin is bring back a familiar face.

LSU has hired former head coach Ed Orgeron as an assistant on Kiffin’s staff, the program announced Wednesday. The deal brings Orgeron back to his home state and reunites him with Kiffin after working under him at USC and Tennessee.

Orgeron’s title will apparently be special assistant to recruiting and defense, though he officially won’t be allowed to go on the road and recruit for the program due to recruiting rules.

Orgeron has not officially held a coaching position since agreeing to part ways with the Tigers during the 2021 season. He coached LSU for six years, winning a national championship in 2019 with one of the most dominant and NFL talent-laden teams in the history of college football.

Very little went well for LSU after that season, with an 11-11 record under Orgeron for the rest of his tenure. More troubling was a Title IX lawsuit alleging he didn’t report a rape allegation involving former player Derrius Guice, though he was later dropped as a defendant.

Orgeron first worked with Kiffin when they were assistants under Pete Carroll at USC. They joined forces again when Kiffin hired him to be associate head coach, recruiting coordinator and defensive line coach at Tennessee, with Orgeron following him to become defensive coordinator at USC. He worked as the interim head coach at USC after Kiffin was fired in 2013.

Kiffin praised Orgeron’s recruiting abilities in LSU’s announcement:

"I'm excited to bring Coach Orgeron back to LSU," Kiffin said. "He brings us tremendous value with his ability to recruit elite players nationally, but especially the impact he can have for us recruiting the great state of Louisiana. Coach O understands my expectations and commitment to being a championship program. I look forward to seeing him with recruits and his intensity working with our defensive players."

Orgeron’s hire continues a curious trend for LSU, which has now hired three different coaches it’s fired in the past decade. Former men’s basketball coaches Will Wade and Johnny Jones were both brought back this spring, with Wade as the head coach and Jones an assistant.