Ed Orgeron Should Remain Head Coach at LSU
The LSU Tigers have had another up and down season in 2016. Three key losses to Auburn, Alabama, and Florida have sealed the Tigers’ fate of making a quality bowl game. After the loss to Auburn on Sept. 24, LSU was sitting at 2-2 and fired Les Miles. That’s when Ed Orgeron took the reigns of the team. Coach O served as the defensive coordinator until being named interim head coach for the remainder of the season. In that time, he has taken LSU to a 4-2 record under his leadership, but it may not be good enough to keep him. LSU athletic director Joe Alleva has begun the coaching search, and it could potentially end with a new coach as soon as the weekend.
The Short List
A few big names have surfaced as top candidates for the job. Jimbo Fisher of Florida State is emerging as the top candidate, according to multiple reports. Tom Herman of Houston has also surfaced, although it is likely that Herman will leave Houston to take the opening at Texas after Charlie Strong was fired on Sunday. Obviously, Orgeron is a candidate for the job as well. Considering how well Coach O has done in Baton Rouge, he should be offered the head coach position, or at least stay on the staff at another position.
LSU has said that they will “aggressively target” Fisher, who has had enormous success at FSU. A 2013 National Championship and a trip to the College Football Playoff, just to name a few of Fisher’s accomplishments while in charge of the Seminoles. Herman has also had his share of achievements at Houston. The once offensive coordinator at Ohio State gained him recognition, and he ended up as the head coach at Houston. In 2014, his Cougars defeated Florida State in the Chick-Fil-A Bowl in Atlanta, which really set his national recognition into full force. While Herman’s name will likely disappear, Fisher will be a coach that LSU will target with everything they have to pursue him to Baton Rouge.
Even with those names surfacing, many in Tiger nation believe that Orgeron should keep the job. His accomplishments at LSU have the tiger faithful believing he can bring a title back to where it belongs.
Why Orgeron Should Receive the Head Coach Job:
1. Coach O has brought LSU back to national title worthiness. Since becoming the interim coach on Sept. 25, Orgeron has coached his tail off in Baton Rouge and won quality games that Les Miles may have lost as head coach. The Tigers enjoy being around Orgeron and believe he is the best fit to be their coach.
2. Bringing in another coach would completely shift the system. If Alleva decided to hire a new coach, the system that LSU runs would be completely shaken up and shifted into a new style that the players may not be used to. For example, if Fisher was named the new coach, his system that he runs in Tallahassee is totally different than what LSU is used to. The players could have trouble adjusting, ultimately resulting in the Tigers not having a winning season in 2017. Keeping Orgeron and his system of play is the best option for LSU to be set up for success.
3. The entire coaching staff could be let go if Orgeron was to be let go. Firing the entire coaching staff just to bring in a new coach? That doesn’t seem suitable for LSU in any way. If they were to get a new head man, a new staff would likely be brought in to revamp that coach’s system. The Tigers have some of the top coaches in college football including defensive coordinator Dave Aranda, one of the best in the business. Tiger nation would be in for a rude awakening if he left. LSU’s coaching staff definitely doesn’t want to have to be put on leave, so keeping Orgeron and the current staff is the best choice.
Retaining Orgeron is the Best Option
Put it this way, if Joe Alleva decides to hire a new coach and staff, the boosters and fans would call for his buyout and would want him gone immediately. Alleva has done a fairly good job as the AD, but not retaining a coach that led your team to a bow game after becoming the interim coach the fifth week of the season just isn’t fair.
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