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Ed Orgeron returning to LSU as special assistant to recruiting and defense under Lane Kiffin

ns_headshot_2024-clearby: Nick Schultz05/21/26NickSchultz_7

Ed Orgeron is returning to LSU. He will serve as a special assistant to recruiting and defense under Lane Kiffin, the program announced.

Orgeron last coached in 2021 when he was LSU’s head coach. All told, he spent six seasons at the helm after previously serving as defensive line coach. He went 51-20 overall and 31-17 in SEC play while, of course, delivering the historic 2019 national championship.

In his new role, Orgeron is expected to be on the road recruiting for LSU, a source told On3’s Pete Nakos. He is widely regarded as one of the top recruiters in college football.

“I’m excited to bring Coach Orgeron back to LSU,” Kiffin said in a statement. “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.”

Oregeron and LSU parted ways after the 2021 season as the school paid him a nearly $17 million buyout. Now, he’s back in Baton Rouge and reuniting with Kiffin. The two worked together at Tennessee and USC, as well.

Ed Orgeron previously said he would ‘consider’ LSU return

After Lane Kiffin’s hire, CBS Sports reported LSU would be “open” to the idea of Ed Orgeron joining the staff. He had expressed an interest in a return to coaching and, after the Tigers fired Brian Kelly last season, said he would be open to coming back to Baton Rouge under Kiffin.

“I’d consider it,” Orgeron said in October on ESPN Radio’s Unsportsmanlike. “I love LSU. I’ve still got my home in Baton Rouge. When I coached with Coach [Les] Miles, [I was] the defensive line coach. I love the Tigers and I’m getting back to coaching, for sure, I’d consider it. No doubt.”

Orgeron and Kiffin worked together at USC from 2001-04 before Orgeron left to become the head coach at Ole Miss. In 2009, he then joined Kiffin’s staff at Tennessee and followed him to USC in 2010. Following Kiffin’s infamous departure in 2013, Orgeron became the interim head coach.

Following his departure from LSU in 2021, Orgeron spent time away from coaching, though he expressed an interest in getting back in the game Now, he’s getting that opportunity – and it will, once again, be in Baton Rouge.