Long before leading LSU to the national championship, Ed Orgeron was known in college football circles as an elite defensive line coach and recruiter.

Based on his comments this offseason, LSU’s head coach is very eager to shift back to a defensive philosophy that emphasizes the position he knows the best on the field and continues to work very closely with to this day.

Following Dave Aranda’s departure to take over Baylor’s football program, Orgeron hired Bo Pelini, a former LSU coordinator and head coach of Nebraska and Youngstown State, to run the defense in Baton Rouge. A big reason why Pelini was the coach Orgeron wanted to hire was the decision to shift LSU’s defense back to the 4-3.

During a recent appearance on ESPN radio show “Off The Bench,” Orgeron shared that his desire to shift to the 4-3 defense had to do with the linemen on his roster down in Baton Rouge.

“That’s why we are going back to the 4-3,” Orgeron said on the show. “We felt we have talent, we have the guys we think that could play in the 4-3, [very] disruptive. I think this group is going to be a great group and it’s already helped us in recruiting.

“We have four commitments already, we may sign six defensive linemen, maybe seven. We’ll sign as many great players as we can. Guys want to come, they want to play, things are going well.”

For all the explosive offenses in the SEC today, Orgeron understands that the league remains a line of scrimmage game and if defensive linemen are a strength of the roster, shifting back to the 4-3 defense could prove to be the latest in a line of masterful adjustments that keep LSU in the hunt for the SEC West championship in 2020.