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Urban Meyer Issues Strong Response to LSU’s Ed Orgeron Decision
Former head coach Urban Meyer watches from the sideline during the NCAA football game between the Michigan Wolverines and the Ohio State Buckeyes at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Mich. on Nov. 29, 2025. Ohio State won 27-9. Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Urban Meyer Issues Strong Response to LSU’s Ed Orgeron Decision

Originally posted on CFB-HQ on SI
By Rowan Fisher Shotton  |  Last updated May 29, 2026 5:27 PM ET
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Coach O is back in Baton Rouge, and one of college football's greatest coaches just made it clear why that's the perfect fit.

Former LSU head coach Ed Orgeron had previously expressed interest in taking over as head coach after the program fired Brian Kelly on October 26, 2025.

He didn't get it. Lane Kiffin walked into Death Valley instead.

However, just a few months after the Kiffin hire, Orgeron was also brought back into the building, but this time to join Kiffin's staff as a special assistant to the head coach for recruiting and defense. 

On a recent episode of "The Triple Option" podcast, former Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer, a three-time national champion, gave the most honest, unfiltered take on the Orgeron hire.

"I've known Coach O forever," Meyer said. "And I use the term often — certified nut job is what he is. I mean, he rips his shirt off. But I'll tell you what, he was arguably the best defensive line coach in the game. And then he was one of the great recruiters for many, many years. I recruited against him, coached against him. So, this is a no-brainer."

And then, when asked whether he can actually understand Orgeron's now-legendary Cajun drawl, he said: "Yeah, you have to lock in. It's one of those things. He's talking, now what did he just say? But he fits in, man, he's where he needs to be. He is, as they say, home."

Orgeron led the Tigers from 2016 to 2021, going 51-20 over that span and leading LSU to a perfect 15-0 season and national title in 2019.

The team was led by Heisman Trophy winner Joe Burrow, who many argue was one of the best college football teams ever assembled.

Then, of course, came the fall, back-to-back .500 seasons, the 2021 firing, the $17 million buyout, and years on the outside looking in.

Now, at a reported $100,000 salary, Coach O is back where he belongs, 

SAUL YOUNG/Knoxville News Sentinel

Orgeron and Kiffin have worked together previously during their time together at Tennessee and USC from 2009 to 2013. When USC fired Kiffin in 2013, it was Orgeron who stepped in as interim head coach. 

Kiffin called Orgeron's return "tremendous value," citing his ability to recruit elite players nationally and especially throughout the state of Louisiana. 

That 2019 championship roster was loaded with elite Louisiana talent, including Ja'Marr Chase, Justin Jefferson, Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Damone Clark, Patrick Queen, and Derek Stingley Jr.

Orgeron built that. And he's already getting to work, helping Kiffin pursue Louisiana's No. 1 running back in the 2027 class, Trey Martin.

LSU is looking to secure its first College Football Playoff appearance since that 2019 season, and Kiffin has wasted zero time building toward it, landing the nation's No. 1 transfer portal class shortly after taking over. 

Now add Orgeron, his recruiting relationships, and his pure gravitational pull in Louisiana, and suddenly, LSU looks like a program ready to get back to the mountaintop. 


This article first appeared on CFB-HQ on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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