Lonn Phillips Sullivan
Jul 27, 20203 min
HEAD COACH
-4th Season
-2019 National Champions
-2019 Unanimous Coach of The Year
-40-9 Career Record at LSU
-30 Victories By 10+ Points
-25 Wins Over SEC Teams
-17 Wins Over Top 25 Teams
-11 Wins Over Top 10 Teams
OLE MISS
-Signed stars Mike Wallace, Dexter McCluster and Patrick Willis over a variety of top schools
USC
-Won National Championship vs Oklahoma in 2004
-"Shared" National Championship with LSU in 2003 (AP awarded title)
-Won National Recruiter of the Year in 2004
-Recruited two Heisman winners Matt Leinhart, Reggie Bush & a whole rash of future NFL freaks of nature
MIAMI
-Won National titles in 1989 and 1991
-Lost National title (1987 Fiesta Bowl) to Penn State, despite a fine performance by young Orgeron's D-line
-Coached 8 Different All-American
D-linemen during that time span
(Russell Maryland, Cortez Kennedy & first Ballot NFL Hall of Famer Warren Sapp)
-Also Recruited Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson as a D-lineman
The ultimate leader returns for a 2020 encore, impervious to the outside noise or the Tiger-sized target on his sun-crisped back, Coach Ed Orgeron eats pressure.
Now, on the cusp of a season which will define his LSU legacy, Coach O is ready for action...hell, he was itching to geaux again the day after the title game.
We trust our Coach...and while many still question or deride his every decision or hire, these same people never learn their lesson:
Don't bet against Coach O.
Orgeron is leading us down the right path, using the same blueprint he always has, just more efficient than ever before. This consistency, professional structure and unrelenting competitive fever creates a template of top tier development for the players, staff and everyone who belongs to the LSU organization....everyone has a role to play and they relish the autonomy Orgeron gives.
We will witness a bunch of criticism towards our Coach, no matter the results; many of the same voices who showered Coach O with praise and glory in 2019 will aim to destabilize what he's built in 2020....in fact, more than a few would love to see the man fall and wasted no time rushing out those divorce stories in March...a sad story we were never going to touch out of respect and decency.
No matter what he does for the outside world, he'll never match 2019 from their perspective...but for Tiger fans, having Coach Orgeron on staff feels like 2019 every day.
When I feel worried about the future of college football, let alone my ability to grow the site and work in this industry, I hear a customized speech from Orgeron bouncing within the walls of my head: a raging package of ultimate swagger, motivation, and Ray Baker authority flying to the forefront of my brain:
"We...will NOT let Covid beat us!"
I can still hear the voice booming, echoing, "KEEP IT GEAUXING, WE AREN'T DONE UNTIL WE'VE WON!" His voice cracking under the weight of his own intensity.
With Coach O, we all want that man in the foxhole next to us... there's an absolute rush of rock star invincibility, freight train infallibility and relentless, no-holds-barred persistence.
We will follow him into the dark, no matter what the season or the future holds....we want him as our Coach for life...and I will keep trying for an interview with you, Coach.