LSU's new interim coach Frank Wilson has strong ties to Ed Orgeron

History is said to repeat itself and Frank Wilson's selection as interim head coach at LSU proves that point on several levels. Wilson has coaching ties to a previous LSU interim head coach, one who became the Tigers' full time coach and won a national championship at the school. Yes, WIlson coached at three different stops with Ed Orgeron. And one of those stops was with yet another highly regarded SEC head coach.

Wilson and Orgeron at Ole Miss, then at LSU

Ed Orgeron was hired as a head coach at Ole Miss before the 2005 season. He coached for three seasons in Oxford before being fired after the 2007 season. His running backs and special teams coach for that entire duration? New LSU interim coach Frank Wilson held the role.

After Oregon and Wilson were let go from those roles, they joined forces twice more. The more obvious one is that in 2015, Orgeron began coaching the defensive line at LSU. He held that job into the 2016 season, when Les Miles was fired early in the season and Oregon drew the interim head coach assignment. The Tigers gelled so well that Orgeron went on to become the full-time head coach at LSU. The assistant head coach/running back coach/recruiting coordinator on that 2015 LSU team was once again Frank Wilson, who had held that role since 2010.

Wilson left after 2015 because he was hired as the head coach at Texas-San Antonio. He spent four seasons at UTSA, going 19-29 before being fired. He also coached two seasons at FCS McNeese State, where he was 7-11. Wilson returned to LSU after the 2021 season, working as assistant head coach and running backs coach under new coach Brian Kelly.

Wilson and Orgeron... and Kiffin

Ah, but the rest of the story is even more intriguing. Wilson coached with Orgeron on one other occasion. After Orgeron's firing at Ole Miss after 2007, Wilson coached at Southern Miss in 2008. But then in 2009 he and Orgeron were both assistant coaches under Lane Kiffin at Tennessee.

Kiffin's sole season in Knoxville featured a staff that included Orgeron as assistant head coach/defensive line coach/recruiting coordinator. Wilson was Kiffin's wide receivers coach. When Kiffin fled Knoxville after the 2009 season to go to USC, he took Orgeron with him, with Wilson then began his first stint of coaching at LSU.

So while Wilson might be a fresh face, he's got ties to LSU past... and to one of the most in-demand coaches of the 2025 coaching carousel. History may repeat itself, but sometimes the threads are so thick, it's hard to know what exactly will be repeated.