LSU’s coaching staff has a new look, starting with a new head coach.
Interim head coach Ed Orgeron, a Larose native, held his introductory press conference on Monday after taking over for former coach Les Miles on Sunday.
“Whatcha say guys?” he said as he walked up to the podium.
Orgeron’s press conference was filled with promises of improvements to the offense, a focus on fixing clock management issues and a staff-wide shakeup.
Orgeron said defensive coordinator Dave Aranda, who is in his first season with LSU, will be associate head coach to Orgeron to kick off a list of coaching-staff changes.
“He’s one of the best defensive coordinators of all of college football,” Orgeron said. “We’re going to lean on him, and we have ideas that we’ve shared from successful programs.”
To get rid of late game clock management issues, Orgeron plans to have someone in the press box at all times to monitor the game clock.
Including Aranda, Steve Ensminger, Dameyune Craig, Eric Mateos and Austin Thomas all have new roles within the coaching staff.
Ensminger, who played quarterback for LSU in 1979, will assume play calling duties from offensive coordinator Cam Cameron after he was fired on Sunday.
Under Ensminger, expect to look for a more “creative offense,” Orgeron said.
“A change in the way we do things [is what they need],” Orgeron said. “Some freshness. Some energy. When things don’t work, you have to change them. We’re going to flip the script.”
Offensive play calling isn’t new for Ensminger, who has experience acting as offensive coordinator at McNeese State,
Louisiana Tech, Clemson University and Texas A&M.
Quarterbacks coach Steve Kragthorpe will assist Ensminger in play calling but will not be on the field, Orgeron said.
Craig will now also assume Orgeron’s previous role as LSU’s recruiting coordinator.
From 2010-12, Craig was the recruiting coordinator at Florida State where he helped bring in three straight top 10 recruiting classes, according to 247sports.
Austin Thomas will assume the responsibilities from former assistant director of operations Dean Dingman, who was also fired on Sunday.
Thomas decided to leave LSU in February for the player personnel position, but returned to LSU in May and was made the associate athletic director on Sunday.
LSU’s new defensive line coach Pete Jenkins coached under Orgeron at USC as the defensive line coach.
Jenkins, at 75 years old, is now entering his third stint with the Tigers.
Jenkins coached at LSU from 1980-90, and again from 2000-01.
“When I introduced that Pete Jenkins was going to coach our defensive line, our team went crazy,” Orgeron said. “He won’t only be our defensive line coach. He’s going to be my mentor and my right-hand man.”
Two graduate assistants also earned new promotions, Orgeron said.
Assistant Eric Mateos, who was the graduate assistant at Arkansas for three seasons, was elevated to tight ends coach and Dennis Johnson was assigned the role of linebackers coach instead of Bradley Dale Peveto, who will direct special teams only.
Since joining LSU in 2005, Peveto worked with the linebackers and the special teams unit, but Orgeron hopes intensified focus on special teams will further team-wide improvements.
“We’ve got to get better there,” Orgeron said. “We’ve got some ideas he’s been working on all day. You’re going to see a new and improved defense.”
All the changes Orgeron made are intended to bring new life to an unranked LSU team that lost two games in September for the first time since 2000.
“We’re going to do things I’ve done in the past to re-energize the team,” Orgeron said. “This is all about our players. It’s about our players feeling good about themselves. They chose to come to LSU to be their very best, and they deserve it.”