When Les Miles was fired in late September, the state of LSU’s football program had more questions than answers.
Many fans were worried that the midseason firing would negatively affect LSU’s 2017 recruiting class, especially since prospects aren’t too keen about committing to a program without a head coach.
Shortly after LSU permanently promoted Ed Orgeron to head coach, four-star quarterback and most talked about recruit Myles Brennan reopened his recruiting.
Panic set in, and fans began to doubt the Orgeron hire.
As Tiger fans prepped for the impending apocalypse, LSU’s new head coach went to work.
Orgeron hit the recruiting trail and received commitments from the country’s No. 1 safety JaCoby Stevens, and No. 1 linebacker Jacob Phillips.
Shortly after his “decommitment,” Brennan reaffirmed his loyalty to LSU.
Orgeron was also able to keep Brennan’s quarterback counterpart and future teammate Lowell Narcisse on the tiger train.
That means LSU will receive National Letters of Intent from two four-star quarterbacks in the same class.
Considering the fact that Tiger Stadium is where quarterback prospects go to die, Orgeron keeping Brennan and Narcisse in the class is nothing short of a miracle.
LSU ended signing day with more than 20 future Tigers and one of the top-10 classes in the country.
I don’t know much about football recruiting, but that sounds like a job well done on Orgeron’s part.
After all, 19 weeks ago, he was the defensive line coach at LSU, and now he’s running the whole enchilada.
This year’s recruiting class is not without its holes though, and, unfortunately for Orgeron, a lot of these holes are in his backyard.
LSU missed out on four-star running back Travis Etienne and four-star defensive tackle Phidarian Mathis, two big Louisiana prospects.
Both chose to leave their home state for the greener pastures and championship prowess of Clemson and Alabama, respectively.
Although Orgeron still has work to do when it comes to keeping Louisiana’s best football talent in state, he’s on the right track. Orgeron has certainly earned the respect of his players who love him and the high school recruits who gravitate to him.
He’s also earned the respect of the LSU faithful who love his boisterous personality and Cajun demeanor.
However, it should be noted that keeping such a fickle fanbase happy will only come with championships.
After looking at the 2017 recruiting class, I’d say Orgeron’s “championships fast” promise is a real possibility.