Ed Orgeron
Ed Orgeron went 67–47 as a head coach, 2005–2021, at Ole Miss, USC and LSU. His 2019 LSU team claims the national title. Share
- Record
- 67–47 career
- Seasons
- 10
- Schools
- 3
- National titles
- 1 claimed: 2019
- Born
- Jul 27, 1961
- Alma mater
- Northwestern State
- Best season
- 2019 15–0, No. 1
Season by season
| Season | School | Record | Conference finish | Bowl | AP final | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Ole Miss | 3–8 | T–5th | |||
| 2006 | Ole Miss | 4–8 | T–4th | |||
| 2007 | Ole Miss | 3–9 | 6th | |||
| 2008–12: not a college head coach | ||||||
| 2013 | USC coached eight of 14 games | 6–2 | T–2nd | Las Vegas Bowl W | ||
| 2014–15: not a college head coach | ||||||
| 2016 | LSU interim, final 8 games | 6–2 | T–2nd | Citrus Bowl W | ||
| 2017 | LSU | 9–4 | 3rd | Citrus Bowl L | 18 | |
| 2018 | LSU | 10–3 | T–2nd | Fiesta Bowl W | 7 | |
| 2019 | LSU | 15–0 | 1st | Peach Bowl, CFP Semifinal W; CFP National Championship W | 1 | |
| 2020 | LSU | 5–5 | 4th | |||
| 2021 | LSU | 6–6 | T–6th | Texas (not coached) | ||
Each season links to the team’s season page; bowls and playoff games link to the game. Conference finishes from the Wikipedia article’s record table.
Players he coached
Joe Burrow
Devin White
Grant Delpit
Ja’Marr Chase
Patrick Willis
Derek Stingley Jr.
Leonard Fournette
Tre’Davious White
Greedy Williams
Jamal Adams
K’Lavon Chaisson
Patrick Queen
- Clyde Edwards-HelaireNo. 32 pick, 2020
- Justin JeffersonNo. 22 pick, 2020
Every player from his seasons with a Heisman top-five finish, a national award, consensus All-America honors or a first-round pick. Photos: Wikimedia Commons, free licenses; credits on each player’s page.
How his teams did
| Kind of game | Games | Record | Won |
|---|---|---|---|
| Against ranked teams | 47 | 22–25 | 47% |
| Against top-10 teams | 28 | 14–14 | 50% |
| Against rivals | 65 | 32–33 | 49% |
| Conference games | 81 | 40–41 | 49% |
| Bowls and playoffs | 6 | 5–1 | 83% |
| Decided by 8 points or fewer | 44 | 24–20 | 55% |
| At home | 64 | 41–23 | 64% |
| On the road | 47 | 22–25 | 47% |
| At neutral sites | 9 | 8–1 | 89% |
| As our Elo’s favorite | 70 | 52–18 | 74% |
| As our Elo’s underdog | 50 | 19–31 | 38% |
His own 120 games on file, 2005–2021, as played (vacated wins counted, ties as half a win). Ranks are the AP poll going into the game; rivals are the ones either program’s Wikipedia article names; favorite and underdog by our own Elo rating, which reads only scores.
Against other head coaches
| Coach | Record | Their schools | Games | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nick Saban 2007–2021 | 1–6 | Alabama | 7 | |
| Dan Mullen 2017–2021 | 3–2 | Mississippi State, Florida | 5 | |
| Gus Malzahn 2017–2020 | 3–1 | Auburn | 4 | |
| Jimbo Fisher 2018–2021 | 2–2 | Texas A&M | 4 | |
| Tommy West 2005–2007 | 3–0 | Memphis | 3 | |
| Matt Luke 2017–2019 | 3–0 | Ole Miss | 3 | |
| Jim McElwain 2016–2021 | 2–1 | Florida, Central Michigan | 3 | |
| Bobby Johnson 2005–2007 | 1–2 | Vanderbilt | 3 | |
| Sylvester Croom 2005–2007 | 1–2 | Mississippi State | 3 | |
| Mark Richt 2006–2018 | 1–2 | Georgia, Miami | 3 |
Ed Orgeron’s record against the head coaches he met three or more times, from the games on file, as played.
Most-faced opponents
| Opponent | Games | Record |
|---|---|---|
| Arkansasseries | 9 | 5–4 |
| Alabamaseries | 9 | 1–8 |
| Mississippi Stateseries | 8 | 4–4 |
| Auburnseries | 8 | 3–5 |
| Floridaseries | 7 | 4–3 |
| Ole Missseries | 6 | 5–1 |
| Texas A&Mseries | 6 | 4–2 |
| Vanderbiltseries | 5 | 3–2 |
National coaching awards
The awards- 2019 LSU: Bear Bryant Award, Eddie Robinson and Walter Camp Coach
National title staffs
Every title staff- Won a national title on Miami’s 1991 staff (defensive line) · the staff · source
- Won a national title on USC’s 2003 staff (assistant head coach, defensive line, recruiting coordinator) · the staff · source
- Won a national title on USC’s 2004 staff (Ass. head coach, DL, recruiting Coord., part of the season) · the staff · source
- Won a national title on LSU’s 2019 staff (head coach) · the staff · source
The champions’ staffs from 1990 on, as the schools listed them that season: Staff lists: Drew Hoover’s how-many-rings (MIT), from the schools’ media guides and staff pages. Roles as the source words them.
How he was hired
- Hired by LSU for the 2016 season from LSU, where he was defensive line coach. He had a prior connection to the school.
Power-conference head-coaching hires since 2010, with each coach’s previous job and ties to the school as collected by hand from Wikipedia: Hiring facts: M. Schuckers, cfb_coach_analytics.
Career
| Years | Team | Job | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Northwestern State | Graduate assistant | |
| 1985 | McNeese State | Graduate assistant | |
| 1986–87 | Arkansas | Assistant strength | |
| 1988–92 | Miami (FL) | Defensive line coach | |
| 1994 | Nicholls State | Linebackers coach | |
| 1995–97 | Syracuse | Defensive line coach | |
| 1998–2004 | USC | Assistant head coach, defensive line coach and recruiting coordinator | |
| 2005–07 | Ole Miss | Head coach | |
| 2008 | New Orleans Saints NFL | Defensive line coach | |
| 2009 | Tennessee | Assistant head coach, defensive line coach and recruiting coordinator | |
| 2010–13 | USC | Defensive coordinator, defensive line coach and recruiting coordinator | |
| 2013 | USC | Interim head coach | |
| 2015–16 | LSU | Defensive line coach | |
| 2016–21 | LSU | Head coach | |
| 2026–present | LSU | Special assistant to recruiting and defense |
Every job as the infobox of his Wikipedia article lists it (CC BY-SA), assistant jobs included.
Coaching tree
Worked under
- Ken HatfieldArkansas
- Jimmy JohnsonMiami
- Dennis EricksonMiami
- Rick RhoadesNicholls
- Paul PasqualoniSyracuse
- Paul HackettUSC
- Pete CarrollUSC
- Lane KiffinTennessee, USC, LSU
- Clay HeltonUSC
- Les MilesLSU
Assistants who became head coaches
- Chris RipponWestern Connecticut
- Frank WilsonUTSA, LSU, McNeese
- George DeLeoneSouthern Connecticut State
- Matt LukeOle Miss
- Hugh FreezeArkansas State, Ole Miss, Liberty, Auburn, Lambuth
- John ThompsonEast Carolina, Arkansas State
- Clay HeltonUSC, Georgia Southern
- Bradley Dale PevetoNorthwestern State
- Cam CameronIndiana, Miami Dolphins
- Dave ArandaBaylor
- Matt CanadaMaryland
- Mickey JosephNebraska, Langston, Grambling
- and 4 more
Worked under (10)
| Head coach | Team | Years | His job | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ken Hatfield | Arkansas | 1986–87 | Assistant strength | |
| Jimmy Johnson | Miami | 1988 | Defensive line coach | |
| Dennis Erickson | Miami | 1989–92 | Defensive line coach | |
| Rick Rhoades | Nicholls | 1994 | Linebackers coach | |
| Paul Pasqualoni | Syracuse | 1995–97 | Defensive line coach | |
| Paul Hackett | USC | 1998–2000 | Assistant head coach, defensive line coach and recruiting coordinator | |
| Pete Carroll | USC | 2001–04 | Assistant head coach, defensive line coach and recruiting coordinator | |
| Lane Kiffin | Tennessee | 2009 | Assistant head coach, defensive line coach and recruiting coordinator | |
| Lane Kiffin | USC | 2010–13 | Defensive coordinator, defensive line coach and recruiting coordinator | |
| Clay Helton | USC | 2013 | Defensive coordinator, defensive line coach and recruiting coordinator | |
| Les Miles | LSU | 2015–16 | Defensive line coach | |
| Lane Kiffin | LSU | 2026 | Special assistant to recruiting and defense |
Coached under him, later head coaches (16)
| Coach | With him | Head coach at | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chris Rippon | Ole Miss, 2005–07: special teams and defensive backs coach | Western Connecticut | |
| Frank Wilson | Ole Miss, 2005–07: running backs and special teams coach | UTSA, LSU, McNeese | |
| George DeLeone | Ole Miss, 2005: running game coordinator and offensive line coach | Southern Connecticut State | |
| Matt Luke | Ole Miss, 2005: offensive line and tight ends coach | Ole Miss | |
| Hugh Freeze | Ole Miss, 2006–07: tight ends coach and recruiting coordinator | Arkansas State, Ole Miss, Liberty, Auburn, Lambuth | |
| John Thompson | Ole Miss, 2007: defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach | East Carolina, Arkansas State | |
| Clay Helton | USC, 2013: offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach | USC, Georgia Southern | |
| Bradley Dale Peveto | LSU, 2016: special teams coach and defensive assistant | Northwestern State | |
| Cam Cameron | LSU, 2016: offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach | Indiana, Miami Dolphins | |
| Dave Aranda | LSU, 2016–19: assistant head coach, defensive coordinator and linebackers coach | Baylor | |
| Matt Canada | LSU, 2017: offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach | Maryland | |
| Mickey Joseph | LSU, 2017–19: wide receivers coach; 2020–21: assistant head coach and wide receivers coach | Nebraska, Langston, Grambling | |
| Kevin Coyle | LSU, 2018: defensive analyst; 2019–21: senior defensive analyst | Atlanta Legends | |
| Mark Hutson | LSU, 2019–20: offensive analyst | Tulane | |
| Bo Pelini | LSU, 2020: defensive coordinator | Nebraska, Youngstown State | |
| Scott Linehan | LSU, 2020: passing game coordinator | St. Louis Rams |
Other assistants under him (25)
| Coach | With him | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant Heard | Ole Miss, 2005–06: graduate assistant | |
| Matt Lubick | Ole Miss, 2005–06: wide receivers coach | |
| Noel Mazzone | Ole Miss, 2005: offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach | |
| Ryan Nielsen | Ole Miss, 2005–07: defensive line coach | |
| Dan Werner | Ole Miss, 2006–07: offensive coordinator | |
| Chris Kiffin | Ole Miss, 2007: graduate assistant | |
| Clancy Pendergast | USC, 2013: defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach | |
| Jaron Fairman | USC, 2013: graduate assistant | |
| Mike Ekeler | USC, 2013: linebackers coach | |
| Pete Jenkins | USC, 2013: defensive line coach; LSU, 2016–17: defensive line coach | |
| Tee Martin | USC, 2013: wide receivers coach | |
| Dameyune Craig | LSU, 2016: wide receivers coach | |
| Jeff Grimes | LSU, 2016–17: offensive line coach and running game coordinator | |
| Steve Ensminger | LSU, 2016: interim offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach; 2016–17: tight ends coach; 2018–20: offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach | |
| Bill Busch | LSU, 2018–20: safeties coach | |
| Jorge Munoz | LSU, 2018–19, 2021: offensive analyst | |
| Mark Criner | LSU, 2018: defensive assistant | |
| DJ Mangas | LSU, 2019: offensive analyst; 2021: passing game coordinator | |
| Kevin Cosgrove | LSU, 2019: lead defensive analyst | |
| Donald D’Alesio | LSU, 2020: defensive analyst | |
| Manny Michel | LSU, 2020: assistant defensive line coach and defensive assistant | |
| Russ Callaway | LSU, 2020: senior offensive assistant and analyst | |
| Blake Baker | LSU, 2021: linebackers coach | |
| Daronte Jones | LSU, 2021: defensive coordinator | |
| Jake Peetz | LSU, 2021: offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach |
From coaches’ Wikipedia infoboxes (CC BY-SA) and each season’s article for its coordinators: an assistant’s seasons at a school count under its head coach in our records; jobs in the NFL and elsewhere, under the head coach whose own article lists the job that year. Names without a page here link to their Wikipedia articles.
Pay
| Year | School | Job | Contract pay | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | LSU | head coachbonuses up to $1,575,000; $25,000 in bonuses paid; buyout $8,791,667 | $3,500,000 USA Today | |
| 2007 | Ole Miss | head coach | $900,000 USA Today via Leeds | |
| 2006 | Ole Miss | head coach | $905,000 USA Today via Leeds |
USA Today’s coaches salary database (2014–17, from public-records requests to the schools; Rachel Ehlers’ copy): the season’s contract pay, school pay plus outside money, before bonuses.
The same USA Today database for 2006–16, from Michael Leeds’ replication data on Harvard Dataverse (CC0): the season’s contract pay.
Pay of public employees in their public job only: head coaches, and assistants in the seasons our records name them a coordinator, at public universities.
How he coached
Orgeron’s teams went for it on 18% of fourth downs and on 32% of those where the model said go for it, passed on 50% of plays and took 25.9 seconds a play, 2005–2021.
| Season | School | Went for it on fourth | When the model said go | Pass rate | Seconds a play | EPA a play | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 11 g | Ole Miss | 14 of 96 15% | 34% | 57% | 25.7 | −0.24 | |
| 2006 10 g | Ole Miss | 21 of 80 26% | 44% | 41% | 28.5 | −0.19 | |
| 2007 11 g | Ole Miss | 19 of 81 23% | 34% | 54% | 25.1 | −0.10 | |
| 2017 13 g | LSU | 10 of 94 11% | 16% | 39% | 28.6 | +0.07 | |
| 2018 13 g | LSU | 12 of 111 11% | 26% | 45% | 25.9 | +0.04 | |
| 2019 15 g | LSU | 10 of 83 12% | 26% | 57% | 24.8 | +0.31 | |
| 2020 10 g | LSU | 17 of 94 18% | 30% | 57% | 23.2 | +0.05 | |
| 2021 13 g | LSU | 29 of 110 26% | 43% | 53% | 25.7 | +0.04 | |
| All 96 g | 132 of 749 18% | 32% | 50% | 25.9 | +0.02 |
His seasons as a head coach from 2004 on, from ESPN’s play by play: fourth downs where he went for it out of every fourth-down decision; how often he went when SportsDataverse’s fourth-down model said going for it was the better call; the share of his offense’s plays that were passes; seconds of game clock per offensive play (lower is faster); and expected points added per offensive play (EPA, a measure of how much each play moved the offense toward points). The season in progress counts its games so far. SportsDataverse’s coach tendencies, from ESPN’s play by play; the EPA and the fourth-down model are SportsDataverse’s.