The 2019 Natty could not help Coach O retain his head coaching job at LSU. Off-field issues and a steep decline in performance led to his dismissal. But not even his biggest critic would say that Ed Orgeron was inauthentic. The man lived and breathed Louisiana. When Brian Kelly was named as his successor, the old Cajun knew he would not last long after that infamous speech.

On December 1, 2021, during halftime of an LSU men’s basketball game against Ohio, the newly hired Kelly gave his very first public address to the Tiger fanbase. Born and raised in Massachusetts and having spent his entire coaching career in the Midwest, Kelly shocked the crowd by suddenly speaking with a bizarre, forced Southern drawl. He even dragged out the pronunciation of the word “family” as “fah-muly.”

Orgeron opened up on his immediate reaction to that infamous clip during his appearance on Barstool Sports’ Pardon My Take podcast for its ‘Grit Week’ on Friday.

“It’s over. You ain’t got a chance. You ain’t got a chance, man,” said Orgeron. “Not only did the fans see it, the players saw that. And they’re like.. hmm. One of the things is that players have to trust you. You have to be who you are. If you try to be somebody that you ain’t, they’re going to smell it right away.”

“Well, this is a great way to get started,” said Kelly in a fake Southern accent. “I haven’t even won all my games yet. It’s a great night to be a Tiger. I’m here with my family, and we are so excited to be in the great state of Louisiana. But more importantly, to be with you, great fans, and to be part of an incredible ride here at Louisiana State University.”

In 2021, LSU shocked the CFB world by convincing Brian Kelly, the winningest coach in Notre Dame history, to leave the Irish and join LSU, signing a historic 10-year, $95 million contract. The SEC powerhouse’s sheer resources and the LSU AD’s clear championship vision made the job impossible for Kelly to pass up.

The Tigers were coming off two disappointing seasons, finishing 5-5 in 2020 and 6-6 in 2021. In what was supposed to be a rallying cry for the fanbase and the alumni, Kelly’s introduction to the program instead became a joke. In hindsight, that stunt encapsulated his tenure in Baton Rouge.

While the program saw some successes on the field, Kelly could never understand what it took to run a program like LSU’s. He undervalued former players, dismissed key staff who had served the Tigers for decades, and did not fully engage in the high school recruiting that a state like Louisiana offers. Eventually, everything came crashing down during an embarrassing home loss to Texas A&M last season. The next day, Kelly was fired.

But in an ironic twist, a native Louisianan, Orgeron, has now returned to LSU in 2026.

Ed Orgeron’s LSU return

Unlike Kelly, Lane Kiffin is smart enough to know he can’t pretend to be from the area. He has brought Ed Orgeron back to help him return the program to the mountaintop of college football. Orgeron’s new role is that of a special assistant for recruiting and defense because Kiffin wanted to weaponize his elite local recruiting prowess.

A major reason for the hire was the NCAA recruiting rules that allow support staff and analysts to go out on the road to recruit. Kiffin pointed to this, noting that Orgeron brings “tremendous value with his ability to recruit elite players nationally, but especially with the impact he can have recruiting the great state of Louisiana.”

However, Kiffin’s and Orgeron’s connections go way back. In 2001, they worked together for the first time under Pete Carroll at USC. Then Orgeron served as Lane Kiffin’s assistant head coach and recruiting coordinator at Tennessee in 2009. From 2010 to 2013, Orgeron followed the new LSU head coach back to USC, serving as his DC.