Orgeron, Canada not seeing eye to eye

Published 7:00 pm Friday, December 29, 2017

Coach O tries to spin focus to bowl

ORLANDO, Fla. — LSU arrived here Thursday night — including offensive coordinator Matt Canada.

But head coach Ed Orgeron dodged questions on the numerous reports that LSU and Canada will part ways shortly after Monday’s Citrus Bowl game against Notre Dame.

“Our focus is on the game,” Orgeron said after arriving at a resort hotel across the street from SeaWorld. “Matt right now is our offensive coordinator and he’ll call the game.”

Beyond that?

Orgeron wouldn’t comment further despite numerous follow-up questions.

He basically went Bill Belichick during short session with reporters. 

“Our focus is on playing Notre Dame and finishing the season with 10 wins,” he said.

He also wouldn’t comment on reports that he plans to replace Canada with tight ends coach Steve Ensminger.

“This is about these young men, about us coming to play Notre Dame,” he said.

But he didn’t refute any of the reports.

Stay tuned.

LSU rarely lets its coordinators talk with the media, but Canada, along with defensive coordinator Dave Aranda and their Notre Dame counterparts, are scheduled for a bowl news conference Friday morning.

LSU is Canada’s fifth coaching stop in seven years. He came to the Tigers –— as Orgeron’s flashiest, most high-profile hire — after one year at Pittsburgh, where his offense set numerous school records and was the only team to beat national champion Clemson.

The first sign of friction between Orgeron and Canada appeared after LSU’s 24-21 upset loss to Troy in the fifth game of the season. 

Orgeron admitted that, with a young offensive line, he’d stepped in to simplify Canada’s wide array of shifts and formations for that game.

The Tigers were shut out in the first half before Canada returned to his usual tactics and mounted a second-half rally. 

The following week Athletic Director Joe Alleva stepped in to meet face to face with the two coaches to, as Orgeron said, “get them on the same page.”

The Tigers went 6-1 after the loss to Troy, losing only to Alabama.

But Orgeron dropped more hints following the regular-season finale against Texas A&M that Canada might be on the way out.

When speculating immediately after that final regular-season game, Orgeron noted that if Canada left, Ensminger would be a more than capable replacement.

Ensminger, a former LSU quarterback with a long résumé, is no stranger to the role.

He took over the role, albeit reluctantly, when Orgeron fired Cam Cameron immediately after being named interim head coach to replace Les Miles four games into last season.

“He did a great job for us last year,” Orgeron said after the Texas A&M game.

But at a bowl news conference here in Orlando last year before the Tigers beat Louisville 29-9, Ensminger, who will turn 60 shortly after next season opens, was adamant that he didn’t want the job full-time.

“I just wanted our team to get back to where it’s supposed to be,” Ensminger said at the time. “I told Coach O I’m doing this for you … I was doing it for our school, our state and Coach O. I could care less about being the offensive coordinator at LSU, OK? And I told him that. I said I’m doing this for you.”

Canada had already been hired at the time, but didn’t join the team until after the bowl.

If Canada leaves, LSU will be looking at replacing at least three assistant coaches.

Offensive line coach Jeff Grimes will leave after the bowl to become Brigham Young’s offensive coordinator. Orgeron has said he will replace him with James Cregg, now with the NFL’s Los Angeles Chargers.

Defensive line coach Pete Jenkins, the 76-year-old ageless wonder and Orgeron’s closest confidant and mentor, is retiring after the game. He’ll be replaced by Dennis Johnson, currently the outside linebackers coach.

Orgeron has not named Johnson’s replacement.

LSU will also have another opening with the NCAA expanding to 10-man staffs in January, but Orgeron has said that he plans to have a full-time special teams coach and fill the spot with Greg McMahon, a staff consultant. McMahon was previously the New Orleans Saints’ special teams coach.