Former Heisman Trophy QB pitches reunion at LSU as Tigers look to replace Brian Kelly

Matt Leinart believes Ed Orgeron should once again coach the LSU Tigers

Championships are the standard at LSU. It's very much like Alabama, Ohio State or even Florida in that regard. Heck, Ryan Day led the Buckeyes to a championship win last season, and he's still under pressure to win one in 2025. As mentioned, Orgeron led the Tigers to a perfect 15-0 season and a championship win in 2019, and he was fired 21 months later.

That's the way the cookie crumbles in college football. It's always been big business, but now the secret is out in the open, with the way NIL, conference expansion, the transfer portal and television deals have completely changed the landscape.

Simply put, Kelly couldn't hang at LSU. He couldn't win the big game, and that's why he's no longer the coach. The issue with Leinart's idea about Orgeron is that while he did prove to be a championship-worthy head coach, he didn't leave Baton Rouge on the greatest of terms. He went just 11-11 in the two seasons after that Joe Burrow-led championship run, and he was also involved in public outbursts and had a questionable social justice record within his locker room.

Those issues will likely put the kibosh on a reunion tour for Orgeron and LSU, but it's an interesting idea, nonetheless. Keep in mind that "Coach O" was born and raised in Louisiana, and he's always been known as an excellent recruiter. A big knock on Kelly is that he didn't connect with the region, despite his inauthentic attempts.

A lack of authenticity would not be a problem for Orgeron. In fact, the problem with him is that sometimes he doesn't know how to turn his authentic self off.