Max Johnson throws three touchdown passes, and Tyrion Davis Price rushes for three more to keep No. 20 Florida 49-42. (3:09).
Sources told ESPN that Ed Orgeron and LSU reached an agreement with the Tigers to retire after just 21 months of leading them to a perfect record, and a College Football Playoff national title.
Sources said that Orgeron, 60 years old, will be the coach for the rest of the season. After beating No. 20 Florida 49-42 at Home on Saturday.
Sports Illustrated reported Orgeron's decision to leave LSU in 2022.
With an average annual salary of $9 million, Orgeron is one of the highest-paid FBS coaches, just behind Alabama's Nick Saban, and Texas A&M’s Jimbo Fisher. The school owes Orgeron a buyout worth more than $17million under the terms of his six-year contract signed in January 2020. Over six seasons, he is now 49-17 with LSU.
The 2019 season was a stormy one for Orgeron, the Tigers. LSU's Heisman Trophy winner Joe Burrow (a transfer quarterback from Ohio State), led the way. LSU won 12 games by at least 10 points and defeated seven teams ranked in the top 10 according to the AP poll. Orgeron was nominated for nearly every national coach-of-the year award.
After that championship, Burrow, along with 13 other Tigers, left for the NFL. Five of them were first-rounders. Joe Brady, LSU's passing game coordinator, accepted a job with Carolina Panthers and Dave Aranda, Baylor's defensive coordinator, was hired to be his head coach.
After starting the season at No. 1, the Tigers went 5-5 in 2020 during the COVID-19 epidemic. The preseason AP poll ranked them 6th. Bo Pelini, a former coach at Nebraska, was hired by Orgeron to replace Aranda. Pelini was fired in 2020 after the Tigers were ranked 97th in scoring defense (34.9 point) and 124th overall defense (492 yards). LSU paid $4 million to Pelini as a settlement to purchase the rest of his contract.
Orgeron was also accused of failing to report sexual misconduct allegations by his players. This claim he denied. A woman who was working at the New Orleans Superdome as a security guard in December 2017 testified before a Louisiana Senate committee that Derrius Guice, former LSU running-back, approached her. According to Guice, the woman said that Guice had told her that she liked having sex "with older women like you" as well as "I want your body."
Gloria Scott, the woman, said that Orgeron called her asking for Guice to apologize. Scott stated that Orgeron had asked her to forgive Guice because he was a troubled child.
Orgeron, who was unable to testify in person, submitted a written statement to committee. Scott denied ever having spoken to Orgeron directly about the matter. Scott claimed that Orgeron told her she wanted Guice to be banned from the Citrus Bowl starting January 1, 2018. He was allowed to continue playing.
Orgeron stated in a letter to the committee that he did not speak to Scott directly, but that it does not alter the fact that Ms. Scott's 2017 events were unambiguously wrong.
Orgeron wrote, "As a leader and as a father and son and grandson, it is heartbreaking that Ms. Scott was subjected so crude remarks by Mr. Guiice. She should be respected for the bravery and determination to present her statements to Committee." She, like this Committee, has my promise that I will be vigilant in ensuring the LSU football team maintains an environment of integrity and compliance.
Orgeron was named as a defendant in a Title IX amended lawsuit against LSU. He was accused of failing to report a rape allegation against one of his players. According to the complaint, Ashlyn told her boyfriend who was recruited to LSU that Guice had raped them in the fall 2016.
According to the lawsuit Robertson's boyfriend told Orgeron about the rape. Orgeron allegedly replied by telling Robertson not to get upset that "everybody sleeps with another person".
According to Husch Blackwell's investigation of the university's handlings of sexual misconduct cases, Orgeron made a statement at the time and denied he had said it.
According to the amended lawsuit, Orgeron did not report the rape at LSU's Title IX or other offices.
The Tigers also added a bowl ban in December 2020 to their list of sanctions. This was due to improper benefits being given to players by boosters or others. LSU already had eight scholarships removed over two years. There was also a decrease in evaluations, communication and recruiting visits. The football facility banned Odell Beckham Jr. for two years.
The NCAA charged the Tigers for a Level III violation in which Beckham, a former Tigers star was involved in giving $2,000 to four Tigers football players after their 42-25 win over Clemson at the 2019 CFP National Championship.
John Paul Funes is the most serious accusation against LSU's football team. He was a former CEO at a hospital foundation and was accused of providing funds to families of student-athletes. The enforcement staff also claimed that Funes arranged for football staff members to use a private airplane and offered internships to student-athletes.
NCAA enforcement staff confirmed Funes had "arranged employment starting in 2012 for the parents a then-football student-athlete and paid him $180,000 during 2012-17 to a no-show position."
Orgeron was hired in November 2016 to replace Les Miles, who was fired as coach.
This report was contributed by Alex Scarborough and Heather Dinich, ESPN.
