By BJ Bennett
SouthernPigskin.com

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Saturday afternoon, with college football still spinning on its head, everything came full circle for Ed Orgeron.

Part of why we like college football is because of how it makes us feel. Simply put, the emotion of the sport is stirring. Every Saturday, people from all corners gather together to rally for a common cause: the team. Oftentimes with no other relation but a shared favorite, the power of 100,000 fans can be felt by one. Though history will remember Ed Orgeron’s tenure at LSU with its own evaluations, the start of his official tenure in Baton Rouge is one where the dreams of an individual can, and should, be shared by the masses.

Orgeron, of Cajun descent, was born in Larose, Louisiana, a southern strip of the state where the map starts to splotch into wetlands. The now-coach of the Tigers grew up on the Bayou Lafourche, ultimately attending South Lafourche High School and teaming with future NFL quarterback Bobby Hebert to take the Tarpons to the 1977 state championship. As a top defensive lineman, Oregon went to play football at LSU, later transferring to Northwestern State where he served as team captain as a senior.

For the first 24 years of Orgeron’s life, he evolved from child to player to coach across the Pelican State. From serving as a graduate assistant with the Demons to a stint at McNeese State, Orgeron cultivated his passions in the very same place where he found them. When he get an early call to meet with Tiger athletic director Joe Alleva on Saturday morning, Orgeron drove to the office “hollering half the way”. The moment was an poignant one for Orgeron, more than just a promotion, more than just LSU, wins and losses.

“Growing up in the state of Louisiana, watching the Tigers play, we get it,” he explained. “We understand what you gave to us, the accountability we have to the state of Louisiana, to LSU and everybody that’s played here before.”

Saturday afternoon, with college football still spinning on its head, everything came full circle for Orgeron, elevated from interim head coach of the Tigers to the full-lime leader of the program he has long followed and a prominent ambassador of the state he has long care so much about.

“I love the people of Louisiana. I’m from there,” Orgeron continued. “We stopped yesterday at a gas station. Everybody came up to us, ‘Coach, we want you to be the coach’. I know Louisiana is happy today. There’s a bunch of prayer groups, a bunch of churches have been on our side. North Louisiana, South Louisiana, Lake Charles, to Boutte, everybody is happy, and so am I.”

Head coach at Ole Miss from 2005-2007 and the interim head coach at USC in 2013, Orgeron went 5-2 in his part-time role, in for Les Miles, with LSU. During that stretch, many players voiced their support for Orgeron, with linebacker Duke Riley posting a video on social media of members of the team chanting “Keep Coach O” in the locker room after the Tigers’ victory at Texas A&M. Orgeron’s passion has largely galvanized the LSU community. That pride is very raw and very real.

Though the Tigers remain a strong program, there is considerable work to be done. Orgeron has laid out a vision for LSU, one based in conviction. The Tigers will look to become more productive offensively as struggles throwing the football often limited LSU during the Miles era; the Tigers scored just ten total points in Orgeron’s two losses as the interim, Alabama and Florida, but did score 54 and compile 623 total yards in a recent win over the Aggies. Perhaps more daunting is that college football’s current gold standard, Alabama, sits atop LSU’s division.

There are certainly those who wanted more of an offensive innovator in Baton Rouge. There are undoubtedly others who wanted a more proven head coach. That said, there was a special sentiment on display when Orgeron was introduced and the momentum from the weekend is expected to manifest itself both around the state on the recruiting trail. Many in Louisiana, and beyond, are both excited about Orgeron’s opportunity and appreciative of his roots. The chance is one he cherishes.

“Everybody in the state of Louisiana will have a hope and a dream. It just goes to show that when you work hard, you have integrity, you have a great background of leadership, you’re around people that love sports, love football,” Orgeron stated.

The 33rd head coach of the Tigers is one who, in some ways, has always been one.

“I’m just happy to be at LSU. All my life, whatever it took to get there, it took. I believe everything happens for a reason. It’s just the way it ought to be. I’m honored to be the LSU head coach today,” Orgeron concluded.

Gracious and overcome at the podium, Orgeron’s most powerful words were the ones he couldn’t quite get out. That outpouring of emotion is now LSU’s base. Plenty will be determined in the future for the Tigers, but the present, at this point, is all about the past. More than just a feel-good moment, Saturday was the convergence of one program’s football team and another man’s fate. Orgeron’s challenge is now in front of him; so, too, is his destiny.