An attempted unbiased analysis of Kirby Smart & Ed Orgeron in their first 2 years

Of taking over a major program from a highly successful previous HC.

In 2016, both Georgia and LSU experienced a change at the coaching helm. I was very against the Orgeron hire, but I will attempt to keep this as unbiased as possible and list just the facts...

Kirby's tenure:

In 2016, Kirby Smart stepped into a program that he had no prior experience with. He was not previously on the staff and didn't know the players. The previous 4 recruiting classes were #9, #12, #8, and #6 for an average ranking of #8.75 (or 9th overall)

Kirby didn't recruit these players, he had no prior experience with them. He just stepped in and took the horns. He finished his first season with an 8-5 record with losses to the SECe champion Florida, 3 other SEC opponents, and an in-state rival Georgia Tech. 3 of these losses were by 3 points or less with his only 'bad' loss being Ole Miss. He finished the year off with a bowl win over TCU and the #3 recruiting class behind only Alabama and Ohio State. Kirby lost 1 game by 3 points and 2 games by 1 point; he was 5 points from going 11-2 his first season.

The following season, Kirby's Bulldogs absolutely steamrolled everyone in the SECe. They finished first in the East, beating 6 ranked opponents and nearly winning a National title, after Alabama got their second mulligan to get to the National Championship game without winning their conference. Georgia finished with far and away the #1 recruiting class... perhaps one of the top classes of all time. So, to summize, Smart nearly went undefeated, came very close to winning a national championship, and recruited one of the top classes in the modern era of recruiting in 2 full years on Georgia's staff.


Orgeron's tenure:

Orgeron joined LSU's staff in January of 2015. He didn't take over until September of 2016, nearly a year-and-a-half later. He was on staff, working with and recruiting players for nearly 2 years before being handed the keys from Miles. Orgeron inherited the #6, #2, #5, and #2 recruiting classes for an average ranking of #3.75 (or 4th overall). These are players that Orgeron knew and had been working with when he took over as interim HC. His time on staff, the offseasons, and his 8 games as HC should be considered a full season. With a team that going into the season with a team so talented that many expected to play for a national championship, Orgeron finished 6-2 defeating only 1 ranked opponent for the rest of the season; that opponent being physically overmatched and overrated Louisville team in the bowl game. LSU finished with the #7 class that year, a bit of a slide from previous years but largely held together a strong class that was put together by Miles.

In his second season (third on staff), Orgeron finished 9-4, defeating only 1 team (Auburn) who finished the season ranked in the top 25. LSU also had a 30 point embarrassing loss to a less-talented Mississippi State team. LSU also suffered possibly the most embarrassing loss in the history of the program with a homecoming loss to Troy; a team that LSU should have beaten by 40 points. LSU finished with a bowl loss to Notre Dame. LSU finished with the #15 recruiting class- their lowest ranked class in over a decade. Orgeron managed this while having the best Defensive Coordinator in all of College Football on his staff for both seasons.

Conclusion Georgia: Nearly all Georgia fans seem to be happy and confident that the Bulldogs are heading in the right direction. Their fans are excited and motivated. Their AD had the vision and follow-through to conduct an extensive coaching search and land what seems to be a home-run hire, at least at the moment. Recruiting is booming and fans are excited. Georgia fans were tired of Richt not being able to get over the hump, and knew they were a juggernaut in the East just waiting to boom. Their AD had the vision and competence to make a quality hire to put them in a position to win titles. They knew they weren’t a mediocre program and didn’t accept mediocrity from their leadership. As a result, their roster is absolutely loaded and they will be playing for more titles.

Conclusion LSU: LSU fans are probably more divided than ever. Fans are at a low point for confidence in the direction of the program and many view an unexplained hasty decision by Joe Alleva, following being rejected by Herman, as the main contributing factor. Recruiting is still a question-mark and fans are unsure about the direction of the program. Saban showed us, as LSU fans what we could be. Miles solidified and built upon that success and made LSU a force in not only the SEC but in the country, but the program had taken a step back in recent years. LSU's AD had an opportunity to re-establish LSU as a national football power, but many fans view this hire as an epic failure.