LSU and head coach Ed Orgeron will go their separate ways after the 2021 NCAA season wraps up. The school confirmed the news via an official press release made by athletic director Scott Woodward.
In the statement, Woodward said that LSU is “forever grateful to Coach O” for the contributions he made during his six seasons as the coach of the Tigers. He explained the decision by saying that the school believes it is “time for a new direction” after underwhelming the past two seasons.
“The search for LSU Football’s next championship head coach begins now,” Woodward added.
Ed Orgeron joined LSU as the defensive line coach in 2015 before being hired as interim head coach a year later after the school fired Les Miles. After leading the Tigers to a 6-2 record in his eight games at the helm, Orgeron had the “interim” tag removed.
In 2019, Orgeron led LSU to a perfect season, going 15-0 and delivering the Tigers their fourth national championship. But it turned out that this success was unsustainable as the team went 5-5 the year after and are 4-3 so far in 2021.
Still, Orgeron hopes to finish his stint with the team on a high note and is committed to seeing out the end of the season.
“We’re going to finish,” Orgeron said in a statement. “We’re not going to blink. I’m going to be right there with them. That’s the reason, Scott and I mutually agreed, that I’m going to finish with this team.”
