Officially, the Ed Orgeron tenure will end at the close of the 2021 season.
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Two years after bringing the Bayou a national championship, the charismatic football coach will leave the school. Orgerons' relationship with the school has been marred by many things. The first is that many power five programs have set unrealistic expectations.
Second, Orgerons exit shows that not everyone in LSU was convinced that Orgeron was a good coach when he won the title in 2019. The magic season was made possible by Joe Burrow and Joe Brady. Butch Jones could have led that team to a championship. It was one the most talented college football teams ever assembled.
It also shows that the likeability and connection to a college community don't really matter in 2021. Orgeron was the best LSU that LSU could get. It wasn't enough for Orgeron to overcome a 9-8 record in a rebuilding environment.
There were also allegations of sexual misconduct against Orgerons Watch. This was compounded by reports that Orgerons watched as he made advances upon the wife of a high ranking LSU official. These should have been enough for him to be fired. These things did not help his situation. However, it does raise questions about the purpose of these institutions which are supposed be supporting young adults to become responsible adults.
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Although the Tigers have just won an impressive victory against a Florida team ranked in the top 10, Orgerons fate was established long before LSU took to the field.
As Orgeron leaves LSU, he will be financially sound. As it looks for a new coach, the school will likely pay Orgeron's $17 million purchase price.
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This is another example of how winning at these schools matters. LSU retained Orgeron, despite all the allegations against him. They believed he could win. They let him go halfway through the season, because they realized he couldn't.
The records are the only thing that matters at the end of it all.
