HOOVER, Ala. — In 1971, a 10-year-old Ed Orgeron watched LSU defeat Notre Dame 28-3, and from that moment on he wanted to be a part of the purple and gold.
On Monday Orgeron stepped up to the podium at the 2017 SEC Media Days to talk about his LSU football team.
The last time Orgeron was on that same podium was in 2007 when he was the head coach at Ole Miss.
Ten years later, Orgeron has a new outlook on coaching.
“I feel like I am experienced,” he said. “I’m grateful for the chance that I had at Ole Miss. They put me in position to have this opportunity today; and obviously I made a lot of mistakes, but I’ve learned what to do and what not to do as a head football coach. I think I corrected those mistakes being an interim coach, and now I am ready to take on the big job of being a head coach at LSU.”
Orgeron opened up his speech at the SEC Media Days going through the depth chart and potential starters for the upcoming 2017 season.
As expected, Orgeron said that the quarterback competition is still open, but if the season began today, senior quarterback Danny Etling would be the starter.
“Danny loves the competition,” Orgeron said. “Actually he thrives in it. There’s still a competition there, but right now Danny is the leader.”
The defense has been a question surrounding Orgeron and his coaching staff, but Orgeron spoke highly of coaches Dave Aranda and Pete Jenkins and their abilities to fill the open spots.
The biggest question, though, was the middle linebacker position.
“Dave Aranda and I were on a recruiting trip,” Orgeron said. “He said, ‘Hey, coach, do you know we have more kickers on scholarship than middle linebackers?’ I said, ‘Dave, I know that, but don’t tell anybody. Okay?’ We needed to go out and recruit three of the best middle linebackers in the country. And I do believe we did that.”
Those three linebackers are freshmen Jacob Phillips, Tyler Taylor and Patrick Queen. Phillips was the No. 1 linebacker in the country coming out of high school.
Another open spot for the Tigers defense is the cornerback position after losing Tre’Davious White, but Orgeron is confident in juniors Donte Jackson and Kevin Toliver.
“He’s the fastest guy in football right now, Donte Jackson,” he said. “I know with a little maturity and a little more playing time, he’s going to be a tremendous corner. One of the top corners in the country two years ago in Kevin Toliver. He is now starting; [he] had a tremendous spring.”
The difference between this team and the team he had at Ole Miss: Orgeron is left with depth at almost every position despite losing many players.
As for his days at Ole Miss, Orgeron said he wasn’t ready for the position.
“Although I recruited well,” Orgeron said, “The day I left Ole Miss, I looked at myself, and I called my mentor and said, hey, there’s some things I have to change. I’m going to be a head coach again.”
“Here’s two things I came up with; number one, I was going to treat the team exactly how I treat my sons — no different. And I was going to treat every coach on the coach’s staff with respect and let him coach his position as he knew it. Ever since those two minor changes, we’ve been 12-4, so that’s the difference.”
Taking over for LSU’s winningest coach comes with a lot of expectations, but it’s something Orgeron is aware of.
“I understand the expectations of LSU,” Orgeron said. “I was born in Louisiana, and they’re very high. But we have the same expectation of our staff and [ourselves]. I don’t feel the pressure, but I do acknowledge that it’s out there.”
Being a successful coach at LSU can sometimes be measured by a win against rival Alabama, and Orgeron says that it starts with recruiting on their level.
The last time LSU beat Alabama was on Nov. 5, 2011.
“Last year was a tight game,” he said. “It was 0-0 going into the third quarter. Their quarterback made two plays. We didn’t. I don’t know if it’s that big of a gap.”
46 years after Orgeron watched his favorite football team defeat Notre Dame 28-3, he thanks God for putting him in the position he is in today.
“I do believe He had a big hand in this,” Orgeron said. “I’m very, very honored to be the head coach here.”
Coach Ed Orgeron speaks to the media at the 2017 SEC Media Days on July 10 in Hoover, Alabama.
