Former LSU star Booger McFarland weighs in on LSU coaching job

ESPN’s Booger McFarland thinks that LSU is one of the best jobs in all of college football. With news breaking last week of LSU and Ed Orgeron parting ways at the conclusion of the season, the job will soon be open. McFarland talked about the position earlier in the week. LSU is the biggest football school in the state, giving the job that much more intrigue.

“What is the lifeblood of any college program? It’s recruiting,” McFarland said. “So, any job you name, let’s look at the recruiting competitors that you have. USC is open, but you got to recruit against UCLA, you got to recruit against Cal, you got to recruit against other schools in that state. You name a program, look around the state and name the other power five division one schools in that state.

“Well, you go to LSU and you look around the state of Louisiana. There’s only one big boy in the state and that’s LSU. Not only is there only one big boy in the state, you are amongst the most fertile recruiting grounds in the United States of America. So, you couple those two things together then you couple the fact that the last three coaches have won a national championship there for the reasons I listed before this.”

McFarland: The expectations are only downside to LSU job

As McFarland mentioned, each of LSU’s last three head coaches have won a national championship. Ed Orgeron won in 2019. Les Miles won in 2007. Nick Saban won in 2003. As you look at Orgeron, he is now being let go just two seasons after he led LSU to an undefeated, championship winning season. But McFarland says that expectations and politics are something to expect at any big program.

“Then you look at the job and say, what is the downside of this job? What is the downside of being the LSU head coach? It’s the expectations,” McFarland said. “Because the job is that good, the resources are that plentiful, now you got to deal with a few politics. But guess what, when you are at a major institution around the country, you’re going to deal with political things everywhere you go.”

McFarland was a four-year starter as a defensive tackle for LSU. His 17 sacks ranked No. 6 in school history. He also played fullback at times for the Tigers. He went on to play eight years in the NFL.