Why Coach O is here until after 2020 season at least

Some will scoff at this notion and point to how a single recruiting class does not make or break a program. How keeping a coach is about more than simply the players he has or the furture players he will bring in. And even if you get past those points some will say that due to this past classes shortcomings that there is nowhere near a guarantee that Ed brings in a top class next season despite initial returns and future projections. Heck, Surtain was a "lock" for nearly two years up until two weeks ago right? So was Dylan Moses with Les Miles...but Moses who yes...would've come here and played for Miles, and I do not care what your opinion is on that since I went to Uhigh and graduated mid 2000s and have enough knowledge to say this...but that's the point. Moses would've come here in Les Miles was retained. But his passing us by went hand in hand with program instability with miles and his future. The De-commitment came because of 2015s firing rumblings and he even said after miles was retained that was something invaluable for LSU being able to land him.

Which brings me to my point. The Louisiana class of 2019 is nearly the most top heavy its ever been. The amount of just highly ranked Baton Rouge players is enough that even landing a good portion of them and missing on a few is something that does a few things. It re-establishes the faith in LSU's own city that the program is still viable and moving in the right direction. It also shows the national programs who might take advantage of this decline that we are at least still a factor.

The number of state blue chip prospects and the overwhelming number of national elite recruits who have LSU near the top or their favorite is astounding even for the history we have with the 2019 class. We're talking two consensus top 3 running backs. A host of five star and high 4 star offensive and defensive lineman. Skill guys at every possible position with top 3 position players in Baton Rouge's own high schools. Derek Stingley being the prime example. And if coach O gets fired following next season like so many now believe and want to see happen. Guess what happens to probably 80% of those kids....they go somewhere else. The 2019 class more than ever is a beacon of the stability of the LSU brand as still among the best in major college football. And if you think the administration doesn't see that and remember what happened with Moses and many others after Miles then you aren't seeing the whole picture.

Ed Orgeron is not near the first or even fifth choice I wanted as head coach. I thought it was a mistake and that it would haunt us on field. Even in recruiting I knew it was Les Miles who connected with the players involved in recruiting more so than Ed ever was on staff and his so called prowess as a recruiter was far bloated. And we just saw the proof on Wednesday. But the 2019 class is different. Stingley isn't from Florida and has an All pro for a father. Kardell Thomas has solidified his own word and even bashed those who aren't as solid as him.

That's a top 15 prospect saying "I'm with Coach O no matter what". The class will be among the top 5 and will be good enough to make a run at a title in their time. It's not a very bold prediction... The chances of having over 5 top 30 overall players is there and that's nearly accomplished by just the instate guys. Expand that number to 50 and it is done by LA kids. Expand that number to top 100 and add national players and the likelihood of having 15 prospects within that number is not just possible it's almost assuredly going to happen. But coach O must remain until their freshmen season. 2020 will determine Ed and his real future. Think I'm just stretching or not really seeing things right? Then go back and look at the timelines of lost recruits from 2015 to after miles was fired. We lost Moses when the position group had two starting spots open...We had to flip 3 linebackers in the last month or so to fill out the group. And we barely did that. Think the staff didn't promise the world to them? Devin Whites emergence is the only thing that saved us in the second level. It's also why those players didn't really play much.

The other thing is what would the roster and perception of the program look like if Ed is fired after two full seasons. Jimbo is at A&M...and no other head coach really is any good with LSU ties. They wouldn't give Aranda control with no experience. The young offensive guys basically all just got power 5 gigs. And we're not luring some big fish at another place here. We'd be in the boat like we were after Saban left. A bunch of unproven guys with little success at big time schools. We'd end up with a middle to bottom feeding programs HC that we'd hope to God could bring us back to the level Saban left us at and that miles maintained for over a decade. Which is way higher that where we fell after miles left. Wanna know what it feels like to be back in the pre Dinardo days? Then fire Ed Orgeron before he brings in the 2019 class that will at the very least have to stay even if Ed is fired a year later. I wrote a topic earlier in the week about the Golden Era of Louisiana sports being about to expire....my point then as it is now is that from the late 60s to the late 90s LSU football was a joke. Coach after coach both big name and new fish were awful. Things happened where coaches thought to be saviors with big track records never made it here after literally being on the plane ride over. Curly Hallman was your winningest coach and we know what he was here. There is a reason Les Miles won so many games. Competed for titles and at the very least never won fewer that 8 games. The streak of regular season non conference wins and bowl appearances. The players that are currently superstars in the NFL all contributing to the years of national relevance. Pure numbers say we should be having years upon years of national obscurity being normal. We won a national title once in program history. Then 2003 happened and then 2007. We played for and lost another. And all this made us forget who and what we were before saban and since before bear Bryant was around the SEC. We were a doormat for better more prestigious programs. Want to be that again? Then fire O before the class that would return us to a power is here in Fall 2019.