Orgeron a Tiger again after three decades

People tend to notice Ed Orgeron when he enters a room. Sometimes he doesn’t give them much choice.

Orgeron navigates a crowd like a Cajun Incredible Hulk in a purple LSU golf shirt; shaking hands, slapping backs and surprising the unsuspecting with the occasional bear hug.

And there’s the voice.

That gravely South Lafourche drawl. Unmistakable for one of the biggest of college football’s eclectic cast of characters.

Orgeron made one of his first public appearances this week in Monroe since becoming LSU’s defensive line coach. He spent Tuesday morning at West Monroe High School with Jerry Arledge, head coach of the Rebels and one of his old college coaches at Northwestern State.

When Orgeron ran into Ruston head coach Brad Laird, they started swapping stories on the early 80s exploits of Billy Laird, Brad’s father and another former NSU assistant coach.

Most in attendance at Bayou Landing had something to say about ‘Bebe,’ Orgeron’s childhood nickname.

“There’s a lot of things I remember about Coach O but I’m not going to embarrass him or myself by telling the bad stuff,” Arledge said. “He was maybe the most tenacious football player I ever coached, just like a bulldog. He wouldn’t let go.”

LSU head coach Les Miles hired Orgeron in January, part of the fallout from then-defensive coordinator John Chavis’ departure for the same gig at Texas A&M. Brick Haley left in the shuffle for the University of Texas, hoping up the defensive line spot for Orgeron.

Orgeron is regarded as one of the top d-line tacticians and recruiters in football. His resume from stints at places like the University of Miami and USC includes Russell Maryland, Cortez Kennedy, Warren Sapp, Shaun Cody and Sedrick Ellis.

Let Orgeron tell it, now he’s right where he’s supposed to be.

“I’ve always wanted to be an LSU Tiger. I love it and love it every day,” Orgeron said. “When I was at USC I always wanted to come to Louisiana and recruit. I’d get asked if I was going to recruit in California and I’d say no I’m leaving for Louisiana.”

Orgeron was an LSU Tiger at one point though.

He came to Baton Rouge as a defensive lineman following a prep career that saw Orgeron lead South Lafourche to the 1977 Class 4A state championship along with future New Orleans Saints quarterback Bobby Hebert, his childhood best friend.

Orgeron only stayed for his freshman season before moving on to Natchitoches. It was enough time to make an impression on an outgoing senior quarterback who’s now his staff mate.

“I always joke he couldn’t stay at LSU or I was going to whip him — never to his face so I don’t make him mad,” said LSU tight ends coach Steve Ensminger, a Tiger quarterback from 1976-79.

“The beauty of it is I’ve known him since ‘79 and I’m excited about him getting back to LSU. I enjoy being around him we’re lucky to have him back.”

Reinvention is another one of Orgeron’s many talents. The wild nights and scrapes with the law that expedited his departure from Miami are a thing of the past. His one shot at being a head coach — from 2005-07 at Ole Miss — was known more for bizarre locker room behavior than winning and ended with Orgeron being fired.

Orgeron got another shot in the big chair in the 2013 season as the interim head coach at USC when Lane Kiffin was fired in an LAX terminal on the way back from a loss at Arizona State. The kinder, gentler ‘Coach O’ led the Trojans to a 6-2 record down the stretch.

Instead of ripping off his shirt and challenging his team to fights during meetings, Orgeron brought the Trojan players donuts and led field trips to In-N-Out Burger.

After the grass roots campaign in the USC locker room to get Orgeron installed as the permanent head coach failed, he left Los Angeles and spent a year away from the game at his home in Mandeville.

The task of keeping LSU’s defense up to its traditional standards fall on Orgeron and new defensive coordinator Kevin Steele — Chavis’ replacement who’s last stop calling defenses ended when West Virginia put 70 on Clemson in the 2012 Orange Bowl.

LSU returns eight starters on defense, including three at Orgeron’s disposal on the defensive line.

“Coach Steele does a great job and we’re working well together,” Orgeron said. “We’re making progress on a daily basis and we’ve got some guys that are performing well but we’ve got a big summer and fall camp ahead of us to get ready for the season.”

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