January 26, 2009

How did Ed Orgeron end up at Tennessee?

I know several LSU fans are asking just how in the heck did Ed Oregeron slip through their fingers and end up coaching at Tennessee? ESPN has the answer.

It seems that new Tennessee coach Lane Kiffen felt that LSU had the upper-hand in securing Orgeron's services, so he made an unannounced visit to Orgeron during his vacation on the Redneck Riviera in Florida.

According to ESPN, Lane loaded up the family truckster with father Monte and beat it down to Destin, FL to recruit the man who some consider to be the nation's best recruiter. He let Ed's wife know that they were coming, but wanted it to be a surprise to Orgeron.

When they arrived that day at the condo, Orgeron was standing out on the balcony of the top floor and saw the Kiffins before they saw him.

He started bellowing in his deep baritone twang, "I knew ya'll were coming. I could feel it. I just knew."

The Kiffins got on the elevator and were greeted at the door by a smirking Orgeron.

"We had this whole plan to sell him on and why he needed to come to Tennessee," Lane recounted. "But he meets us at the door and says, 'Before ya'll start, I don't care what you're here to say ... I'm coming.'"

And the rest - as they say - is history.

Comments:

How did Ed Orgeron end up at Tennessee?
I know several LSU fans are asking just how in the heck did Ed Oregeron slip through their fingers and end up coaching at Tennessee? ESPN has the answer. It seems that new Tennessee coach Lane Kiffen felt that LSU had the upper-hand in securing Orgeron's services, so he made an unannounced visit to Orgeron during his vacation on the Redneck Riviera in Florida. According to ESPN, Lane loaded up the family truckster with father Monte and beat it down to Destin, FL to recruit the man who some consider to be the nation's best recruiter. He let Ed's wife know that they were coming, but wanted it to be a surprise to Orgeron.
When they arrived that day at the condo, Orgeron was standing out on the balcony of the top floor and saw the Kiffins before they saw him. He started bellowing in his deep baritone twang, "I knew ya'll were coming. I could feel it. I just knew." The Kiffins got on the elevator and were greeted at the door by a smirking Orgeron. "We had this whole plan to sell him on and why he needed to come to Tennessee," Lane recounted. "But he meets us at the door and says, 'Before ya'll start, I don't care what you're here to say ... I'm coming.'"
And the rest - as they say - is history.