After the Brian Kelly era in Baton Rouge ended in disappointment, Tiger fans are hungry to compete for another National Championship. LSU has not been to the College Football Playoff since its historic 2019 season, but the hiring of Lane Kiffin has given fans plenty to be excited about for 2026 and beyond.
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As he continues navigating the transfer portal and building LSU's roster for the 2026 season, Kiffin has received a strong vote of confidence from former Tiger head coach Ed Orgeron.
Ed Orgeron believes Lane Kiffin can get the job done at LSU
Orgeron appeared on Yahoo Sports Daily to give praise to LSU's hiring of Kiffin. The 2019 National Champion has full confidence that Kiffin can put together a championship roster in Baton Rouge.
"I think they got the right guy in Lane Kiffin. Lane's a friend of mine and he's gonna do a great job. I think Verge Ausberry is gonna do a great job. They have the right idea...for this transfer portal and NIL, he's the right guy. I do believe that he's got some work to do. I think that the roster is not where it wants to be, but as he did at Ole Miss, he's going to put a championship team together. There's no doubt about it."Ed Orgeron
“I think they got the right guy in Lane Kiffin. … He’s going to put a championship team together.” 🐯
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) January 7, 2026
Former LSU head coach Ed Orgeron weighed in on Kiffin taking over for the Tigers.
(via Yahoo Sports Daily) pic.twitter.com/7JST2pPdTo
Kiffin and Orgeron have a strong relationship that goes back several years, and have coached together on multiple occasions. They worked together at USC from 2001-04 when Orgeron was the associate head coach and Kiffin was the tight ends coach (2001), wide receivers coach (2002-04), and passing game coordinator (2004). Orgeron joined Kiffin's staff at Tennessee in 2009 and went followed him to USC in 2010. When Kiffin was infamously fired in 2013, Orgeron took over the USC program on an interim basis.
Kiffin's hire at LSU draws major praise from Ed Orgeron
The college football coaching carousel reached historic levels this season, but Kiffin's hiring at LSU was arguably the biggest move of the carousel. LSU lured Kiffin away from Ole Miss in the midst of a National Championship run, and he has already inked an impressive recruiting class, signed over a dozen players through the transfer portal, and brought in a strong coaching staff during his early days at his new job.
Along with receiving praise from Orgeron, Kiffin's hiring at LSU has drawn praise from college football media members. When ranking all of the 30+ coaching hires this season, ESPN's Matt Connelly gave LSU the No. 1 spot with an A+ grade. He sites LSU being the best job on the market and Kiffin being the best available coach as the main reasoning for his ranking.
Orgeron hasn't coached since 2021, but has expressed interest in returning to coaching. He's been eyeing a return to the sidelines for several months now, but has yet to land a position for the 2026 season.