Few people defended Ed Orgeron as much as I did. The same could be said for Will Wade, who I’d still defend to this day.
Orgeron and Wade did a lot of good stuff at LSU. In Orgeron’s case, he gave Tiger fans the best football season they could have asked for. Wade made LSU relevant again on the court, a place they hadn’t been in over a decade.
The reasons for forcing Orgeron and Wade out of LSU were different, but there’s an underlying similarity there. Each coach made some mistakes that shouldn’t be happening at a program like LSU.
With Orgeron, it was obvious. He didn’t know how to lead the program through roster turnover and the disruptions caused by the pandemic. His final two years were nothing short of a complete mess, on the field and off.
With Wade, it’s a little tougher. He was fired because he was caught cheating. Was this bad luck? Should he have just been more careful? I’m not going to sit here and pretend that I have all the answers to those questions, but the way the program carried itself didn’t feel optimal.
Wade didn’t know how to insulate the program from the risks brought upon by paying players, and on the court, there were some games he lost that LSU really should have won.
Between the two, it just didn’t feel right. It was fun, but there was always a sense that something could be about to go wrong. Now, the programs are led by Brian Kelly and Matt McMahon, respectively, and for once, it seems like there’s a clear structure and organization within LSU athletics.
Kelly has staffers in a position to succeed where they clearly understand their specialized role. Every inch of the program is covered. Attention to detail is there. LSU isn’t taking shortcuts, and it’s a team embracing the process. Even with the success under Orgeron, that wasn’t the feeling. It felt like a program being driven by pure talent and ability.
It was the same way under Wade. The team could never find consistency on both ends of the floor….
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