Report: Ed Orgeron nixes rumors that he's in the running for UNLV job

Orgeron’s coaching career has the highest of highs (winning a national title at LSU) and lowest of lows (the last time he led a band of Rebels). 

He was unceremoniously dumped by Ole Miss after an ugly tenure where he went 10-25 as head coach. He served as interim coach at USC before the team jettisoned him for Steve Sarkisian. Then, at LSU, reports suggested the Tigers wanted Tom Herman as its coach before settling on Orgeron. 

That last move paid dividends, with LSU fielding arguably the best offense in college football history during the 2019 championship season. 

The fun stopped after that title run. The Tigers went 11-11 the next two seasons under Orgeron's guidance, prompting the program’s odd choice to fire Orgeron midseason but allow him to coach the entire regular season. 

Orgeron has always been an exceptional recruiter and would have given UNLV a jolt of energy after producing one winning season since 2001. 

Still, a move to hire Orgeron would cause more distractions than anything else. The program needs stability, and hiring a coach with such wild swings in production would have led to more of the same.

ESPN released a report by Alex Scarborough and Mark Schlabach in October 2021 detailing the dissolution of his relationship with LSU's administration. As the losses mounted during his final two seasons in Baton Rouge, "Orgeron became prone to tantrums, throwing chairs and cursing out players. He lost the respect of the team, sources said."

Orgeron received a nice buyout from LSU worth over $17 million, so it's not like he needs to get back in the college game. With Feldman shutting down the idea of Orgeron in Las Vegas, it appears the feeling is mutual.