TMG Newsmaker of the Week: Ed Orgeron
On the surface it makes no sense.
The coach wins a national championship with a 14-0 record and a team for the ages.
He loses 16 starters from that team, the guts of his coaching staff and then-like everyone else--endures a COVID-19 dominated season, but still finishes with a 5-5 record.
This season starts poorly and has produced a (for the administration) not-acceptable 4-3 record.
Coach O, with your 49-17 record, your 6 year contract extension after the 2019 season still fairly fresh, it was time to say "Good bye'' at LSU.
Yes it was less than two seasons after Ed Orgeron and the Tigers fashioned a national championship season.
But it was also 9 wins and 8 wins during that stretch.
"We haven't won enough games in the last two years,'' said Coach O, in announcing an arrangement that would give him $16 million in buyout money over the next four years, as well as a gradual withdrawal (don't take that to the bank) as the Tigers coach--he will remain through the remainder of the season.
"Over the last two seasons we have simply not met our standards,'' said LSU athletic director Scott Woodward.
Welcome to the business world of college football.
There have been hints that there is more than W's and L's involved in this separation, but if so, why is he remaining as a lame duck coach for the remainder of the season?
It's just life in the fast lane and Coach O is out of it--for now, which means he will probably surface on someone's staff next season.
For all of that, Coach O is TMG's Newsmaker of The Week.