Ed Orgeron on Paying SEC Players Before NIL: ‘We Used to Walk Through the Back Door with the Cash, Now we Walk Through the Front Door’

It’s no secret that legendary LSU coach Ed Orgeron spared no effort in recruiting top talent, even, as it turns out, if it required breaking the rules.

Orgeron, who hasn’t coached since his dismissal from LSU four years ago, is reportedly considering returning to coaching. So, in a discussion with Taylor Lewan and Will Compton on the Bussin’ With The Boys podcast on Tuesday, he was asked how he would adjust to recruiting during the NIL era.

His answer did not disappoint.

“You know what?” Orgeron began. “They say, ‘Hey, coach. You know, you’ve been out of coaching for a while. How are you going to adjust to NIL?’ I said, ‘Well, it’s a minor adjustment.’ They said, ‘What do you mean?’ I said, ‘Back then, we used to walk through the back door with the cash. Now, we just got to walk through the front door with the cash.”

Lewan began by explicitly mentioning the state of the SEC pre-NIL era. Orgeron has extensive experience in the SEC. He was an assistant strength coach at Arkansas, an assistant head coach, defensive line coach, and recruiting coordinator under Lane Kiffin at Tennessee, a head coach at Ole Miss, and, of course, the head coach of LSU during Joe Burrow’s championship run.

However, Orgeron also coached at Miami and USC. So, if he was bringing the bag through the back door in the SEC, it’s unlikely he stopped doing that when he was coaching outside the Southeastern Conference.

It’s unclear where Orgeron prefers to coach. His old boss, Lane Kiffin, has a new gig at his old stomping grounds in Baton Rouge. Perhaps a reunion where Orgeron had the highlight of his career could be in order.