Rece Davis Breaks Silence on LSU's Decision to Hire Ed Orgeron

Rece discussed LSU's addition of former head coach Ed Orgeron to its 2026 coaching staff.

Nov 12, 2022; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; LSU Tigers former head coach Ed Orgeron watches a game between the Tulane Green Wave and the UCF Knights from the sidelines at Yulman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rebecca Warren-Imagn Images | Rebecca Warren-Imagn Images

LSU wasted no time inserting itself into the top headlines of the 2026 offseason when it hired Lane Kiffin away from Ole Miss as Brian Kelly's successor.

At the beginning of May, Kiffin detailed his decision to leave Ole Miss for LSU in a lengthy interview with Vanity Fair.

As if the meeting between the Rebels and Tigers on Sept. 19 was not already supposed to be intense, the comments Kiffin made about Ole Miss were akin to pouring gasoline on a raging fire.

Kiffin again turned heads in May when he hired former Tigers head coach Ed Orgeron as a special assistant earlier in the month. Orgeron was the head coach of the Tigers from mid-2016 up until the end of the 2021 season, posting a 51-20 record and a national championship victory in 2019.

Additionally, Orgeron's thick Cajun accent and personality have made him somewhat of a cultural icon at LSU. ESPN College GameDay host Rece Davis opined on the decision to rehire Orgeron on a recent edition of the "College GameDay Podcast," describing it as a good choice by the Tigers.

"It's easy because of the accent and some of the antics and because it fell sideways without (Joe) Burrow to dismiss his accomplishments. He did a really good job whenever he took over as an interim both when he took over at USC and at LSU," Davis said.

"He's a good coach, he's eccentric. There will be some soap opera aspects to it for sure when you start hearing behind-the-scenes stories, but it's a net positive for LSU to have him around and working for them."

ESPN personality Rece Davis interviews Indiana Hoosiers defensive lineman Mikail Kamara (6) after the College Football Playoff National Championship | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Orgeron is a native of Larose, Louisiana and played defensive line for the Tigers for one season before transferring to Northwestern State. LSU maintained stability after its transition from Les Miles to Orgeron, finishing 5-3 or better in SEC play every season from 2016-18.

As Davis alluded to, many college football fans believe Orgeron was propped up by the pieces that were at LSU. The 2019 national championship team was littered with future NFL stars like Joe Burrow, Ja'Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson.

Additionally, future Buffalo Bills head coach Joe Brady and future Baylor head coach Dave Aranda worked on the staff as coordinators.

On the flip side, Orgeron ultimately has to be given credit for his good business decisions. He was the one who sold Burrow, Jefferson, Chase and Brady on coming to LSU in the years leading up to the run. In the case of Aranda, he was responsible for keeping him on staff through the run.