Kirk Herbstreit weighs in on Ed Orgeron, LSU head coach search

ESPN CollegeGameday host Kirk Herbstreit weighed in on LSU’s decision to split with Ed Orgeron after 2021 on the ESPN college football podcast. The Tigers confirmed reports of the shocking news on Sunday night.

“There must be much, much more to this story behind the scenes than you, or I or anyone’s privy to,” Herbstreit said. “Reality is, they made a decision to move on and Scott Woodward’s going to have to go out and find a guy. It’s one of the elite jobs in the country, it will not be hard to find a great coach.”

The 3-3 LSU Tigers defeated No. 20 Florida on Saturday but a deal was already in the works with Ed Orgeron after their Week 6 loss to Kentucky.

Orgeron boasts a 46-17 record in six seasons at the helm of LSU and one national title. In 2019, the Tigers finished 15-0 and put together arguably the greatest season in college football history.

Herbstreit: LSU needs to return to Tiger football

“First, I love Coach O and hope that he’ll always be welcome there and fans will always love him, but I just hope LSU can get back to playing with a sense of pride for that state, those colors, that stadium, for each other,” Herbstreit said. “You’re not going to win every game but if you just play that way, the way they have for decades, you just have to get back to playing LSU Tiger football.”

Top football coaches around the nation will all be interested in filling Orgeron’s shoes. The Louisiana native is the second-highest paid head coach and Woodward will likely continue the trend. The culture of support around LSU football is also second to none.

Whoever the new head coach is for the Tigers, they will have to overcome a shift in the team’s mentality since 2019, Kirk Herbstreit says.

“Not worrying about NIL, what round am I going to be drafted or am I going to opt-out or what’s in it for me,” Herbstreit said. “I feel like this program got sideways after the 2019 season. I think it became a little more about themselves individually. Coach O’s in charge, so it does ultimately fall on him.”

LSU job tops the nation

LSU is now the No. 1 coaching opening, surpassing USC. There are few, if any, better recruiting situations than LSU’s. The sheer number of top-flight players isn’t nearly as high in Louisiana as in Texas or California or Florida. However, unlike those three states, there is no in-state competition in Louisiana for the Tigers. The state produces a good amount of elite talent, as well.

Penn State head coach James Franklin, Ole Miss’s Lane Kiffin and Michigan State head coach Mel Tucker are three candidates considered at the top of the search. A&M head coach Jimbo Fisher also has ties to LSU and Scott Woodward. However, he dispelled any notion of taking the job on Monday.