College Sports

LSU's Ed Orgeron is AP college football coach of the year

Posted December 17, 2019 6:00 am

By RALPH D. RUSSO

FILE - In this Dec. 7, 2019, file photo, LSU coach Ed Orgeron celebrates after the team's win over Georgia in an NCAA college football game for the Southeastern Conference championship, in Atlanta. Top-ranked LSU has the SEC's coach of the year in Ed Orgeron, as The Associated Press All-Southeastern Conference football team was announced Monday, Dec. 9, 2019. (C.B. Schmelter/Chattanooga Times Free Press via AP, File) The Associated Press

Ed Orgeron of LSU is The Associated Press Coach of the Year after leading the top-ranked Tigers to a Southeastern Conference championship and their first College Football Playoff appearance.

Orgeron received 33 of 56 first-place votes from Top 25 poll voters and a total of 130 points for the award presented by Regions Bank and announced Tuesday.

Baylor's Matt Rhule, who led the Bears to an 11-2 record and an appearance in the Big 12 championship game, finished second with 14 first-place votes (86 points). Ohio State's Ryan Day was third with five-first-place votes (45 points) and Minnesota's P.J. Fleck was fourth with three first-place votes (40 points).

Orgeron is the third different LSU coach to win the award since it was established in 1998, joining Nick Saban in 2003 and Les Miles in 2011. Saban and Miles both led their teams to the BCS championship game, with Saban winning and Miles losing.

Orgeron and the Tigers will face No. 4 Oklahoma in the College Football Playoff semifinals on Dec. 28 at the Peach Bowl in Atlanta.

This is Orgeron's third full season as LSU coach and the Tigers' record has improved each year. He was elevated to interim coach during the 2016 season after Miles was fired and eventually landed his dream job.

The Louisiana native is 38-9 at LSU with a 23-7 record in the SEC. The 58-year-old Orgeron was a longtime assistant coach, part of national championship staffs with Miami in the late 1980s and early '90s, and with Southern California in the early 2000s. Along the way, he gained a reputation as one of the best recruiters and defensive line coaches in the nation.

His first stint as a head coach was in the SEC at Mississippi. That lasted only three seasons and 10 victories. He was interim head coach at USC in 2013, going 6-2 but it wasn't enough to keep the job.

Orgeron landed at LSU as an assistant to Miles in 2015. He faced some skepticism when he was first given the job by then-athletic director Joe Alleva, but over three years he has proved to be a perfect fit. A week after his team landed the top seed in the playoff, he spent the weekend watching his quarterback, Joe Burrow, win the Heisman Trophy.

___

Follow Ralph D. Russo at https://twitter.com/ralphDrussoAP and listen http://www.westwoodonepodcasts.com/pods/ap-top-25-college-football-podcast/

___

More AP college football: https://apnews.com/APTop25CollegeFootballPoll and https://apnews.com/Collegefootball and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25

More on Regions Bank: https://www.regions.com

LSU head coach Ed Orgeron speaks during a news conference ahead for the College Football playoffs Thursday, Dec. 12, 2019, in Atlanta. Ryan Day of Ohio State was unable to attend. (AP Photo/John Bazemore) The Associated Press

NCAA college football player, LSU quarterback Joe Burrow, left, hugs his coach Ed Orgeron after he is announced as the Heisman Trophy winner, Saturday, Dec. 14, 2019, in New York. (Todd Van Emst/Pool Photo via AP) The Associated Press

LSU head coach Ed Orgeron leaves the field after the Southeastern Conference championship NCAA college football game against Georgia, Saturday, Dec. 7, 2019, in Atlanta. LSU won 37-10. (AP Photo/John Bazemore) The Associated Press

LSU head coach Ed Orgeron and team members celebrate after the Southeastern Conference championship NCAA college football game against Georgia, Saturday, Dec. 7, 2019, in Atlanta. LSU won 37-10. (AP Photo/John Bazemore) The Associated Press

FILE - In this July 16, 2019, file photo, Baylor head coach Matt Rhule speaks during the Big 12 Conference NCAA college football media day, in Arlington, Texas. Rhule was selected as the AP All-Big 12 Coach of the Year, Friday, Dec. 13, 2019. (AP Photo/David Kent, File) The Associated Press

Baylor head coach Matt Rhule watches from the sidelines during a timeout in the first half of an NCAA college football game against Oklahoma for the Big 12 Conference championship, Saturday, Dec. 7, 2019, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Jeffrey McWhorter) The Associated Press

Article Comments

Article Comments

Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.