Ed Orgeron shares trash talk he nearly delivered to Dabo Swinney prior to national championship game

Following a four-year absence,  Ed Orgeron is back with the LSU Football program as the special assistant to recruiting and defense.

Orgeron has not coached since he was fired by LSU following the 2021 season. Across his six-year stint in Baton Rouge, ‘Coach O’ led the Tigers to a 51-20 (31-17) record and a National Championship in 2019.

The 2019 team, LSU’s last to win a National Championship, is widely considered one of the best in college football history. Led by future NFL stars Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase, and Justin Jefferson, LSU posted an undefeated 15-0 season and outscored Oklahoma and Clemson 105-53 across two College Football Playoff games to win the title.

Just two days after Orgeron’s return to the program was announced, he joined Pardon My Take for its ‘Grit Week’ finale. There, ‘Coach O’ revealed some hilarious trash talk that he nearly delivered to Clemson‘s Dabo Swinney ahead of the National Championship Game.

“I had to meet with Dabo Swinney for one of those fireside chats they have, you know?” Orgeron said. “Dabo got to asking me a question and I asked Dabo a question about how you tackle someone or something like that. And he goes, ‘well, could you do me a favor and not play Joe [Burrow]?’ And I almost said, ‘I didn’t plan on playing him in the fourth quarter anyway’. But I didn’t.”

In that game, Burrow passed for 463 yards, five touchdowns, and no interceptions. LSU came out on top with the 42-25 win, and engrained itself in college football lore forever.

Ed Orgeron reveals advice for Lane Kiffin to succeed as LSU head coach

While talking with Big Cat and PFT, Orgeron offered some words of advice to new LSU head coach Lane Kiffin.

“Embrace the state of Louisiana and its people. Use it as an advantage,” Orgeron said. “Recruit them. Love them. Keep them involved. When you walk down that Tiger Walk and there’s 30,000 people, your feet are going to be that high.

“But, when you walk out of that little tunnel in that little square that’s so small, and you walk out and there’s 100,000 people screaming at the top of the lungs, it’s an energy level that you’ve never felt before. Use it as your advantage for your team. Recruit them every day.”

With Kiffin at the helm and Orgeron back in the saddle, LSU is seeking a return to the College Football Playoff for the first time since its dominant run in 2019.