After LSU suffered embarrassing losses to Mississippi State and Troy at the beginning of the 2017 football campaign, some fans were ready to part ways with coach Ed Orgeron.
Although I wasn’t impressed with the team’s early performance, I defended Orgeron on the grounds of basic fairness.
New hires deserve time to adjust to the job, integrate their philosophies into the program and recruit players that fit their scheme.
This patient approach paid off, and the Tigers finished with their best SEC record since the 2012 season.
However, it appears as though Orgeron is not as patient as the athletic department that employs him.
Orgeron is parting ways with his highly touted offensive coordinator Matt Canada after one year on the job, and it appears that Steve Ensminger, LSU’s current tight ends coach, will be Canada’s replacement.
There are a few theories floating around for why Orgeron’s relationship with Canada deteriorated so quickly, but I think the rift began and ended with differences in offensive philosophy.
When Orgeron was officially announced as LSU’s head coach in 2016, he promised Tiger fans a revitalized scheme that would feature a spread-style offense.
Canada did spread the offense out more than LSU had done in years past, but it wasn’t necessarily the wide-open, home-run offense that fans were hoping to see.
Instead, the Tigers’ offense was predicated on pre-snap motions, jet sweeps and misdirection.
The wrinkle between expectations and reality opened Canada’s offense to criticism, and I believe this ultimately led to his premature departure regardless of the fact that Canada moved the Tigers’ offense forward.
LSU’s passing offense cracked the top 100 for the first time since 2013, and the Tigers out gained the Crimson Tide, a program seen as the benchmark of college football, in total yards for the first time since 2012.
Despite this progress, LSU has decided to go back to the drawing board, and if the Ensminger speculation is true, Orgeron is walking a dangerous line.
On one hand, Orgeron promised Tiger fans that he would “assemble the best coaching staff in America,” and Ensminger isn’t exactly a name that people associate with that description.
On the other hand, this could end up being a great hire for LSU. In fact, the Tigers averaged 32 points in Ensminger’s stint as interim offensive coordinator last year, and his offensive style may be more similar to what Orgeron has in mind for LSU’s future.
A potential negative of an Ensminger hire would mean that Orgeron is placing a lot of faith in a man who hasn’t held a permanent offensive coordinator position in 20 years, and he’ll have no time to get reacclimated to the job given LSU’s a tough road ahead.
LSU’s 2018 football schedule includes games against the national champion and national runner-up as well as an opening game against the Miami Hurricanes.
If the Tigers have a rough year, the blame will fall squarely on the shoulders of Orgeron and LSU athletic director Joe Alleva, and patience in the Tigers’ fan base will continue to wear thin.