Just two years after winning a national championship, Ed Orgeron's tenure at LSU is coming to an end.
As first reported Sunday by Sports Illustrated’s Ross Dellenger, LSU and Orgeron have reached a separation agreement and Orgeron will not return to the Tigers next season. LSU athletic director Scott Woodward announced Sunday night that it was LSU’s decision to move on from Orgeron, though he asked Orgeron to stay for the rest of the 2021 season, which Orgeron agreed to.
A Letter from Scott Woodward, LSU's Director of Athletics pic.twitter.com/eVGmqqIRbK
— LSU Football (@LSUfootball) October 17, 2021
Orgeron will receive his entire $17 million buyout from LSU.
Official: Per term sheet, #LSU is terminating Orgerons contract without cause & will pay a buyout of $16.949M, as reported earlier.
— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) October 17, 2021
Payments to be delivered in 18 installments, starting this December & ending Dec 2025.
1st payment, due in about 2 months, is for $5.68 million
Orgeron vaulted to the mountaintop of college football in 2019, when LSU – led by former Ohio State quarterback Joe Burrow – went 15-0 and won the national championship, demolishing just about every opponent it faced along the way. Since then, however, LSU has gone just 9-8.
The program has also been surrounded by off-field scandals over the past two years, including a Title IX lawsuit in which Orgeron was accused of failing to report an alleged rape by former LSU running back Derrius Guice. Woodward said Sunday night, however, that the decision to fire Orgeron was made because of wins and losses, not because of anything that happened off the field.
