It is not everything, but it most certainly is something. Late into the evening on Wednesday night, it was announced that former LSU Tigers head coach Ed Orgeron will be coming back to the program as part of Lane Kiffin's first staff in Baton Rouge. These close friends have worked together before, most notably at USC. For better or worse, Orgeron re-enters the SEC as an all-time great recruiter.
Here is what LSU football shared out on its official X account to let everyone know Coach O is back.
Ed Orgeron is returning to LSU and will serve as the special assistant to recruiting and defense for the Tigers pic.twitter.com/dfmnEeWpsW
— LSU Football (@LSUfootball) May 21, 2026
Although Florida is no longer a cross-divisional rival of the Tigers, this might prove quite challenging for Jon Sumrall on his quest to get Florida back to the promised land. He may be a great recruiter himself, as well as having won big in-state at Tulane. However, Coach O is Louisiana. Of the many bad PR moves LSU has done from an athletics standpoint in recent months, this one does land quite well.
There are two particular recruits Florida must be concerned over: Amare Patterson and Easton Royal.
LSU re-hiring Ed Orgeron does change the narrative of SEC recruiting
Even though Orgeron is a defensive line coach at heart, he will out-recruit anyone. When it comes to Patterson, the four-star wide receiver from Bluffton, South Carolina is looking hard at the Gators and Tigers, as well as nearby Georgia and Georgia Tech. In the event that LSU does beat out Florida for his four stars, that is probably not the end of the world. Florida has already recruited well at wide receiver.
Patterson just visited Georgia last week, but has officials lined up with LSU on May 29, Georgia Tech on June 2, and then with Florida on June 11. While Florida having the last of the four official visits on the docket for Patterson does bode well for the Gators' chances of landing him, the LSU visit now carries even more gravitas with Coach O in the building. This makes his recruitment more wide-open.
But as far as Royal is concerned, that is a totally different beast altogether...The five-star wide receiver from New Orleans has been committed to Texas since very late November of last year. He has official visits lined up with LSU on May 28, followed by Tennessee on June 5, Florida on June 11, and then with Texas on June 19. Could Orgeron be the coach to flip Royal away from Texas, and not Sumrall?
And that right there is where things get complicated. Because Kiffin's predecessor of Brian Kelly stuck out like a sore thumb leading LSU, Louisiana was a state where any outside team worth its weight in salt could cherrypick its best players. Sumrall may have had a footing in-state from his time at Tulane, but it was at the Group of Five level. With Coach O back at LSU, those borders are secured.
Overall, Sumrall needs to quickly establish his footing in The Sunshine State to make sure the high school coaches with the best players in-state feel comfortable sending their guys to Florida. In time, Sumrall should be able to do that going away. Of course, it does not happen overnight. For now, Kiffin hiring Orgeron at LSU has thrown everyone in the SEC for a loop. Orgeron has a reputation to uphold.
Patterson and Royal have their own decisions to make, but Orgeron's influence might now play a role.
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