Ed Orgeron

Orgeron advised young coaches to work early, stay quiet, take notes, and learn from the winners on staff.

“go to work early, keep your mouth shut, take notes, listen, find the winners on the staff”

Pardon My Take: Grit Week Finale, Coach O, Saints HC Kellen Moore, Knicks Up 2-0 And Fyre Fest of The Week (May 22, 2026) · Listen from 1:34:06

Orgeron said that when Brian Kelly first appeared on the basketball court, he knew Kelly had no chance, and that players saw it too.

“It's over. You ain't got a chance. You ain't got a chance, man. And not only do the fans see it, the players see that”

Pardon My Take: Grit Week Finale, Coach O, Saints HC Kellen Moore, Knicks Up 2-0 And Fyre Fest of The Week (May 22, 2026) · Listen from 1:18:26

Orgeron criticized his predecessor at LSU for failing to connect with Louisiana's people.

“The guy before didn't do it. And you cannot disassociate yourself with these people because this is their life”

Pardon My Take: Grit Week Finale, Coach O, Saints HC Kellen Moore, Knicks Up 2-0 And Fyre Fest of The Week (May 22, 2026) · Listen from 1:14:19

Orgeron's advice to Lane Kiffin was to embrace Louisiana's people and use their passion as a recruiting advantage.

“Embrace the state of Louisiana and its people. Use it as your advantage. Recruit them. Love them”

Pardon My Take: Grit Week Finale, Coach O, Saints HC Kellen Moore, Knicks Up 2-0 And Fyre Fest of The Week (May 22, 2026) · Listen from 1:12:17

Orgeron praised Mario Cristobal's Miami program for discipline, saying NIL and transfer-portal distractions are absent at practice.

“The thing about paying players and transfer portal and NIL, you hear none of that at Miami”

Pardon My Take: Grit Week Finale, Coach O, Saints HC Kellen Moore, Knicks Up 2-0 And Fyre Fest of The Week (May 22, 2026) · Listen from 1:09:40

Orgeron said he did not understand why Rueben Bain Jr. fell in the draft and expected him to be a top-ten pick.

“I don't know why he dropped to Tampa Bay. I thought he was going to go top ten”

Pardon My Take: Grit Week Finale, Coach O, Saints HC Kellen Moore, Knicks Up 2-0 And Fyre Fest of The Week (May 22, 2026) · Listen from 1:07:07

Orgeron recounted persuading Steve Ensminger to switch LSU to the spread offense and hiring Joe Brady to teach it.

“Steve, I've been mistaken. I thought we had to match Alabama's physicality. I said, Steve, let's go to the spread”

Pardon My Take: Grit Week Finale, Coach O, Saints HC Kellen Moore, Knicks Up 2-0 And Fyre Fest of The Week (May 22, 2026) · Listen from 1:19:57