Orgeron talks about team at Media Days

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There is a national pessimism about LSU football.

The Tigers are picked to finish fifth in the SEC Western Division standings (out of 7 teams) and Las Vegas projections barely net LSU above .500 in their prep bet totals.

But while national forecasts call for clouds and rain, local radar images are apparently showing sunshine ahead — with a high percentage of victory, championships and high-stakes games.


The LSU football team participated in SEC Media Days in Atlanta this past week and while there, coach Ed Orgeron touched on a variety of topics, including the team’s new role as underdog.

Orgeron said he pays no mind to those forecasts, saying that he believes LSU is positioned nicely — now and into the future — to thrive.

The coach also spoke at-length about the quarterback battle in Baton Rouge, while giving candid insight into his decision to fire Matt Canada and hire Steve Ensminger to run the team’s offense in the 2018 season.


“At LSU, we’re excited,” Orgeron said. “We’re anxious to start fall camp after having such a great summer with (strength coach) Tommy Moffitt. … We’re eager to take the field in Tiger Stadium.”

As always is the case for LSU, debate about the quarterback position dominated the talk of the day for the Tigers.

Orgeron talked brightly about the position, saying that LSU has depth and several capable signal callers on their roster — a pool which includes returnees Myles Brennan, Justin McMillan and Lowell Narcisse.


But the coach also spoke about the decision to bring in graduate transfer Joe Burrow — the guy many suspect will win the job after fall camp.

Burrow, who comes from Ohio State, has a big arm and has shown poise in the pocket during limited reps at Ohio State.

Orgeron said when he became available, LSU pounced quickly. Current Tigers’ safeties coach Bill Busch was also with the Buckeyes and gave the signal caller his stamp of approval, which helped expedite the process.


“As we researched, Joe was exactly the type of quarterback that we felt that could come in and compete at LSU,” Orgeron said. “Those things were very important to us in the recruitment of Joe Burrow.”

But Orgeron said the competition is still young.

He said Burrow was promised the opportunity to compete during his recruitment process, but he was never crowned as the eventual starter.


The coach said Brennan, McMillan and Narcisse are all getting better and have proven capable of taking the field against SEC defenses in the fall.

Orgeron said he hopes the quarterback competition will be over before the first game of the season, but added that it could, in theory, linger into the year with multiple quarterbacks playing in the season opener against Miami.

“We would like it to be settled in fall camp, but we don’t know if it’s going to be or not,” Orgeron said. “We’re going to have to name a starting quarterback and there’s a possibility, and we don’t want to do this, were we would play two quarterbacks if it’s not settled or if it’s even close. We don’t see that happening, but if we have to do it, we could.”


A lot of this will all be predicated on how the four guys handle Ensminger’s scheme.

Orgeron talked at-length about the decision to fire Canada and hire Ensminger — a move which generated a lot of attention this offseason.

The new coordinator, Orgeron said, will modernize LSU’s offense.


Orgeron said LSU will operate with three, four and five-receiver sets, while still maintaining their 50/50 balance of run and pass.

“Steve’s going to do a great job of that,” Orgeron said.

But perhaps more interesting is how candid Orgeron was when talking about Canada and his one year in Baton Rouge.


Orgeron said that hiring Canada was a “mistake,” adding that one of the most important things a head coach can do is to identify mistakes and eliminate them as soon as possible for the betterment of the team.

“It’s just not a good fit,” Orgeron said. “I had to do what I thought was the best for the LSU program and that’s why I (fired him).”

A lot of the problems between Orgeron and Canada centered on chemistry — or a lack thereof. From the beginning of Canada’s tenure, the two men seemed disconnected in their vision of how LSU’s offense should be.


With Ensminger, that is not expected to be an issue.

Orgeron has known the veteran coach for decades and the two enjoyed success together in 2016 when Orgeron was LSU’s interim head coach.

“I have complete confidence in the direction that he’s going to lead this offense,” Orgeron said. “He and I are on the same page.”


The same can be said for Orgeron and defensive coordinator Dave Aranda.

LSU enriched Aranda with a huge contract extension this past offseason and the coordinator hopes his third year at LSU will be his best.

The Tigers have worlds of talent returning, including linebacker Devin White and cornerback Greedy Williams — two of the best players in America.


Together, they should anchor the Tigers’ hopes.

“We feel we’ve got the best defensive coordinator in all of the land,” Orgeron said. “You’ll see more of Dave’s defense this year, more of a blitzing attacking style.”

Ed OrgeronLSU SPORTS INFORMATION


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