Ed Orgeron gives surprisingly candid response when asked about hiring DC Daronte Jones

It’s no secret that LSU went through a number of defensive coordinator candidates this offseason.

There was Marcus Freeman from Cincinnati, who eventually took the Notre Dame DC position. There was Ryan Nielsen of the New Orleans Saints. He ended up staying with the Saints.

Eventually, the Tigers settled on Daronte Jones, a former assistant with the Minnesota Vikings. On Tuesday night, coach Ed Orgeron admitted that Jones was the Tigers “fourth or fifth choice” in a surprisingly honest and candid response:

Ed Orgeron on his hiring of defensive coordinator Daronte Jones: "Daronte was like the fourth or fifth choice, but who cares? So was I." #LSU

— Brooks Kubena (@BKubena) March 23, 2021

As Coach O said, he hasn’t been many teams’ first choice during his career. Perhaps that same underdog mentality will spur Jones to great things in Baton Rouge.

We’ll find out how Jones fares in his first year with the Tigers this fall.