After winning the College Football Playoff title in 2019 with star quarterback Joe Burrow and receivers Justin Jefferson and Ja’Marr Chase, Ed Orgeron’s stint at LSU went downhill rather quickly. The former Tigers head coach went just 5-5 in 2020 and 6-6 the following season before he was fired and replaced by current LSU head coach Brian Kelly.
But even though he was fired, Orgeron revealed during an appearance at the Little Rock Touchdown Club that he has no hard feelings toward LSU, and totally understood their decision.
“I’m so grateful of my time for LSU,” Orgeron said in a video shared by Steve Sullivan. “That was my opportunity. Coaches gotta shelf [life]. Some coaches got 50 years, some coaches got 12. Mine was six. Good.”
Coach O on his time and exit from LSU . He was at the Little Rock Touchdown Club today. pic.twitter.com/n87SmTnXqW
— Steve Sullivan (@sully7777) September 6, 2022
Orgeron then told the story of when he found out he was going to be fired.
“I gotta tell ya, we had a meeting,” Orgeron recalled. “Said, ‘Coach, things are not going well.’ ‘No s—, Ray Charles could see that, brother.’ And they were good. Scott Woodward is a friend of mine, today. Really, really have a lot of respect for the way they handled me.”
But Orgeron did not leave that meeting disappointed. Instead, he left a very, very wealthy man.
“They said, ‘Coach, you’ve got $17.1 million on your contract. We’re gonna give it to you.’ I said, ‘What time do you want me to leave and what door do you want me out of, brother?'” Orgeron said with a laugh.
It’s good to see Orgeron and parted ways amicably.
