© Stephen Lew/Imagn
Da Coach O is back!
Well, almost back.
Former national championship-winning head coach Ed Orgeron, who led LSU to the promised land in 2019, told local news reporter Jacques Doucet that he plans on returning to coaching college football in the near future.
“I’m ready to coach again.”
Former @LSUfootball head coach Ed Orgeron at @Patrickqueen_ stadium ceremony Wednesday evening.
“All depends what the best thing available is.” #LSU pic.twitter.com/GIGNlOxrZw
— Jacques Doucet (@JacquesDoucet) October 2, 2025
“(It) All depends what the best thing available is,” Orgeron said. “But I’m ready to coach again. I left a little bit of meat on the bone. I’m ready to go.”
Orgeron, 64, is a Louisiana native who coached across the country, including a brief stint in the NFL with the New Orleans Saints, before landing the LSU head coaching job after Les Miles was fired mid-way through the 2016 season.
The Tigers improved in each of the first four seasons under Orgeron, going 6-2, 9-4, and then 10-3 with a win in the Fiesta Bowl prior to an incredible 15-0 season in 2019. But things went downhill quickly after the national championship.
With superstars such as Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson gone to the NFL, LSU went just 5-5 in the COVID-affected 2020 season and then 6-6 in 2021. The Tigers then paid Orgeron a $17 million buyout before replacing him with Brian Kelly in 2022.
Kelly has not yet made the College Football Playoff with the Tigers.
Meanwhile, Orgeron hinted at a return to coaching during an appearance on Barstool Sports’ “Pardon My Take” podcast in August.
“I think it’s time,” he said during an appearance on the Pardon My Take podcast. “I haven’t made the decision totally… It’s been four years since I’ve been out. I’m getting the itch again…
“I really like college football. I would entertain the pros, but I think college football is where I’ve been, and I really like it.”
Whether or not Orgeron returns or not remains to be seen, as does the capacity in which he would return. But there aren’t exactly many coaches out there with a national championship on their resume, and we can think of at least a few programs that would benefit for putting Da Coach O in charge.