For three months, Ed Orgeron spent time as LSU’s interim coach with his main objective to win football games.
While Orgeron worked as interim coach he kept contact with recruits and didn’t recruit do any serious recruiting until he became the full-time coach. Fast forward to Feb. 1 and Orgeron has hauled a top-10 recruiting class as the official head coach of LSU.
“It’s the power of LSU,” Orgeron said. “Our whole of objective when I became interim coach was to win enough games to get the job, we didn’t start recruiting until we got the full time job.”
Orgeron’s role as recruiting coordinator last season helped him develop and build relationships with recruits, which he said helped keep the Tigers’ recruiting class intact.
“We had good relationships with these guys,” Orgeron said. “Our guys did a tremendous job. We had Monday night powwows each week. I think most of the recruits were looking for the staffs to be the same and for me to be the head football coach. It more or less a celebration when I went into most of these homes.”
LSU ended National Signing Day with 23 total signees, headlined by five-star safety JaCoby Stevens, who is ranked as the top safety in the country by 247sports.
Stevens is one six early enrollees for LSU, which includes four-star safety Grant Delpit, four-star offensive tackle Austin Deculus, four-star quarterback Lowell Narcisse, four-star wide receiver Mannie Netherly and three-star defensive end Justin Thomas.
Orgeron said he expects Stevens and Delpit to bid for early playing time to replace former safety Jamal Adams and Rickey Jefferson. Four-star cornerback Kary Vincent and three-star Jontre Kirklin were also mentioned as defensive backs who could see early playing time.
“The good thing is JaCoby Stevens and Grant Delpit are they’re mid-year graduates,” Orgeron said. “They’ll get 15 great days of spring ball. Kary Vincent is a very good player, Jontre is also a very good player, they’ll be here in June. Corey Raymond is going to do a tremendous job of developing those young men. He’s going to do a good job.”
However, Orgeron and LSU did miss out on its biggest target when five-star defensive tackle Marvin Wilson picked Florida State. Wilson was rated as the best defensive tackle in the country according to 247sports.
Offensively, the Tigers are bringing in two quarterbacks who have different playing styles.
Four-star Myles Brennan is considered a pocket passer and Narcisse is a dual-threat quarterback. Regardless, Orgeron said offensive coordinator Matt Canada will be able to adapt to the playing style of either quarterback.
“Matt Canada is going to do tremendous job,” Orgeron said. “That’s why we hired him he can adapt the specific skills of each players on offense.”
Senior quarterback Danny Etling started 10 games for LSU season and threw for 2,123 yards and 11 touchdowns, but the Tigers’ quarterback competition is wide open.
“Matt is going to do a tremendous job of opening up the quarterback competition like he said he was going to do,” Orgeron said. “Everybody is starting on a clean slate. Obviously Danny has done a tremendous job for us. We have some very talented quarterbacks on our roster. We’re going to see what type of offense we need to run with the quarterback. And obviously we know that Myles is a pro-style quarterback and Lowell is a dual-threat quarterback and we feel that both of them will have success here at LSU.”