One of the most controversial—and successful—LSU football coaches is returning to Baton Rouge.
On Wednesday night, LSU announced it had re-hired former national championship head coach Ed Orgeron, who was fired in 2021. But unlike during his previous tenure, Orgeron won’t be leading the program—instead, he’ll join Lane Kiffin’s staff as “special assistant to recruiting and defense.”
“He brings us tremendous value with his ability to recruit elite players nationally, but especially the impact he can have for us recruiting the great state of Louisiana,” Kiffin said of Orgeron, who is a Louisiana native. Kiffin landed a seven-year, $91 million contract to coach LSU at the end of 2025—in the middle of a postseason run for his previous team, Ole Miss.
Orgeron’s contract runs only one football season, from May 21, 2026 to January 31, 2027 and pays just $100,000, according to a copy of the term sheet obtained by Front Office Sports. Orgeron has a buyout worth the amount of his salary unpaid at the time of his termination, along with a duty to mitigate clause. He will report to GM Billy Glasscock.
During Orgeron’s previous tenure at LSU, the football program was being investigated for widespread Title IX violations—though most of the violations were found to have taken place when Les Miles was head coach (his tenure was between 2005-2016). However, Oregon was named as a defendant in a lawsuit alleging the school did not properly handle a rape allegation against former player Derrius Guice (a subsequent investigation found Orgeron did not have knowledge of the allegation).
Orgeron himself was also facing personal problems. After divorcing his wife, Kelly Orgeron, he was said to have brought multiple women to LSU facilities; he reportedly propositioned a woman at a gas station who ended up being the wife of a “high-ranking LSU official.”
LSU paid Orgeron a $17 million buyout over four years, beginning after he was fired in 2021 (which the Louisiana Supreme Court recently ruled he had to share with his now ex-wife Kelly). Orgeron received his final installment just five months ago, in December.
Though he was ultimately fired “without cause,” meaning for the team’s on-field performance rather than off-field reasons—so he was able to retain his buyout. But his reputation suffered.
But now, he’ll join Kiffin, another one of college football’s most divisive figures, in leading the Tigers next season—an attempt at a comeback for the coaches and their program.
