LSU coach Ed Orgeron was officially promoted as LSU’s next head coach Saturday, the University announced in a news conference.
Seven games ago, Orgeron was promoted from LSU defensive line coach to interim head coach after LSU’s 13-18 loss at Auburn prompted the firing of former coach Les Miles.
Seven games later, after Orgeron led the Tigers to five wins and two losses, Orgeron’s “audition” to become LSU’s next head coach was complete as the University extended the job offer to one candidate: a raspy-voiced, energy-drinking Cajun coach from Larose, Louisiana.
“Today is a great day, we’ve got our man, he’s been here all along,” LSU athletic director Joe Alleva said Saturday.
At the time of promotion, Orgeron said it was his dream to be the head coach of Louisiana’s flagship university football team when he was officially promoted from LSU’s defensive line coach to interim head coach.
Saturday, with his family watching, his dream came true.
“His passion is unbelievable,” Alleva said.
“I want to thank F. King Alexander and the Board of Supervisors for trusting me to the greatest job in the country,” Orgeron said.
Added Orgeron: “Proud to be a part of Louisiana … My goal is to build a championship program fast. Very fast.”
Orgeron met with, and later swooned, LSU officials Friday in a meeting regarding his future — less than 24 hours after LSU posted a record-setting night offensively in a 54-39 spanking of Texas A&M on Thanksgiving night.
Orgeron is a culture changer, Alleva said.
“I’ve seen how he’s changed the culture of this football program,” he said. “You can’t imagine how he’s changed the culture. The attitude of the players. The attitudes of the people in building. It’s phenomenal. I just know it’s going to continue.”
“He’s the best situation for us at LSU,” Alleva added.
The Tigers, though, finished the regular season with four losses — enough for the school to court arguably college football’s hottest name in coaching: Houston coach Tom Herman.
Then, Texas was blasted by TCU, 31-9, Friday night and LSU believed Herman to be leaning toward bringing his services to Austin at the University of Texas, multiple reports said Friday evening.
The Longhorns, which have been deprived of winning and have the money to thrust itself in a tug-o-war-like chase for a pricey name like Herman, fired coach Charlie Strong after another multi-loss regular season (5-7). Herman has reportedly accepted the job at Texas, multiple reports said Saturday morning.
“This thing was never going to come down to a bidding war,” Alleva said. “At the end of the day, only one candidate got an official offer from us and it was accepted this morning.
“There was no choice, absolutely no choice, but to hire Coach O.”
