Coach O is having a big ol’ reunion.
The LSU Tigers announced on Wednesday that they are reuniting with veteran coach Ed Orgeron. The 64-year-old coach is returning to LSU as the special assistant to recruiting and defense.
LSU also posted a photo of Orgeron shaking hands with Tigers head coach Lane Kiffin inside a team facility.
Ed Orgeron is returning to LSU and will serve as the special assistant to recruiting and defense for the Tigers pic.twitter.com/dfmnEeWpsW
— LSU Football (@LSUfootball) May 21, 2026
Orgeron is, of course, a very well-known figure to the university. He served as head coach of LSU from 2016-21 (after beginning his tenure at the school in 2015 as their defensive line coach).
During Orgeron’s six seasons in charge, he led the Tigers to a stellar record of 51-20 (.718). Orgeron also guided the team to four bowl wins and presided over a magical 2019 season in which LSU went a perfect 15-0 and won the CFP national championship.
But Orgeron ended up getting fired by the Tigers amid going 6-6 in his final season at the helm in 2021. Orgeron would get a $17 million buyout from the university, but a number of unflattering claims about his supposed behavior as LSU head coach later emerged.
That said, rumors over the last several months had suggested that an Orgeron reunion with LSU could be on the table (largely due to Orgeron’s longstanding relationship with Kiffin). Now the Tigers are officially making it happen and bringing back Coach O as a special assistant who will presumably work very closely with Kiffin.
