Ed Orgeron peels back the curtain on his hiring of Joe Brady in 2019

With Joe Brady getting the Buffalo Bills head coaching job earlier this week, Ed Orgeron reflects back on his decision to hire Brady as LSU's passing game coordinator in 2019.
College Football Playoff National Championship - Clemson v LSU
College Football Playoff National Championship - Clemson v LSU | Justin Tafoya/GettyImages

Joe Brady was in Baton Rouge for just one season, but it was a magical one. Brady served as the architect for arguably the best passing attack college football has ever seen. In 2019, Joe Burrow led the Tigers to an undefeated 15-0 season and a National Championship. Under Brady's leadership, Burrow set the NCAA single-season record with 60 passing touchdowns and 65 total touchdowns. On the season, he completed 402-of-527 passes (76.3%) for 5,671 yards with 60 touchdowns and just six interceptions.

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Earlier this week, the Buffalo Bills made the stunning move to name Brady as the franchise's next head coach. He has been in Buffalo since 2022, serving as the Bills' quarterbacks coach in 2023 and the offensive coordinator for the last two seasons.

With news of Brady's promotion, former Tiger head coach Ed Orgeron is taking a trip down memory lane and opening up about hiring Brady back in 2019.

Ed Orgeron tells all about hiring Joe Brady in 2019

Speaking with Mike Detillier on WWL Radio earlier this week, Orgeron detailed the process of hiring Brady over six years ago. Orgeron states that he initally wanted to speak with Brady about the RPO and spread offense. When the meeting took place, Orgeron knew Brady was the guy for the job almost immediately.

"It didn't take me two minutes. When I got in that room and I listened to that man talk, I didn't say a word, and when he left I said guys, get this guy back on our staff. He's very talented. Everybody knew it."
Ed Orgeron

Brady served as LSU's passing game coordinator & wide receivers coach on Orgeron's staff for that 2019 season. Along with Burrow, Brady also coached and developed future NFL superstars Ja'Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson.

Brady made the jump to the NFL ranks following LSU's record-setting championship season, serving as the offensive coordinator for the Carolina Panthers from 2020-21. He then moved to Buffalo and has helped lead one of the NFL's best offenses over the last three seasons.

This past season, the Bills led the NFL with 159.6 rushing yards per game and time of possession (33:08). They also ranked 4th in points per game (28.3), 4th in total yards per game (376.3), and 3rd in red zone efficiency (66.2%). Over his two seasons as Buffalo's OC, the Bills ranked 2nd in the NFL in points per game (29.6) and 3rd in total yards per game (367.6).

It's clear that Brady's offensive expertise and leadership worked out in Baton Rouge, and the Bills are hoping his head coaching career takes them to their first ever Super Bowl win. Tiger fans are sure to be cheering on Brady in his new role, that is of course unless the Bills are playing against the Saints.

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