LSU, Ed Orgeron to part ways, less than two years after title

LSU and coach Ed Orgeron have agreed to part ways after this season, according to multiple media reports Sunday. The news comes 21 months after he led the Tigers to a national championship with what is considered one of the greatest teams in college football history.

Sports Illustrated was first to report that Orgeron would not return to LSU in 2022 but is expected to coach out the rest of the season for the Tigers.

The timing of the decision Sunday — the day after the Tigers (4-3) upset Florida — comes as a surprise, though the end for Coach O at LSU seemed to be approaching soon after a blowout loss to Kentucky last week.

The win over Florida at home on Saturday made LSU 9-8 since beating Clemson in New Orleans for the national championship on Jan. 13, 2020.

Orgeron is 49-17 with the Tigers in six seasons, including 15-0 in 2019 when Joe Burrow won a Heisman Trophy and LSU earned its third national championship in 17 seasons — coming with three different coaches.

Orgeron received a six-year contract extension after the 2019 season. According to USA Today, he is scheduled to make $9 million this season, the second-highest salary in major college football behind Alabama’s Nick Saban.

His buyout, according to USA Today, was more than $17 million if he was let go before Dec. 1.

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LSU slipped to 5-5 during the pandemic-altered 2020 season, but expectations were still high that the Tigers would be back among the top teams in the Southeastern Conference this year after Orgeron overhauled his coaching staff.

Instead, LSU suffered a high-profile loss at UCLA in September, and the season slid from there.

Orgeron becomes the second SEC coach to be let go two years removed from a national title, joining Gene Chizik of Auburn. The Auburn Tigers won the BCS championship with Cam Newton in 2010 but went winless in SEC play in 2012 and Chizik was out.

Orgeron, a Louisiana native, became LSU’s head coach after being named interim four games into the 2016 season following the midseason firing of Les Miles, who had also won a national title with the Tigers.

Orgeron went 6-2 as interim coach and was given a long-term contract by then-athletic director Joe Alleva.

Scott Woodward, previously the AD at Washington and LSU, replaced Alleva at LSU in 2019.

LSU won nine games in 2017 and 10 in 2018 before everything came together in 2019, with Burrow and a slew of players who went on to become first-round NFL draft picks. That team was quickly stripped down of many of its key parts, with players entering the draft and key coaches leaving for other jobs.

Co-offensive coordinator Joe Brady, credited with being the architect of a record-setting offense in 2019, left for an NFL gig with the Carolina Panthers and defensive coordinator Dave Aranda become the head coach at Baylor.