Kirk Herbstreit criticizes LSU's 'immaturity' with CFP postgame celebration
Kirk Herbstreit wasn’t impressed with LSU on Monday night.
It wasn’t about the way the Tigers played in the College Football Playoff National Championship — which they won to claim the national title — but rather the way they celebrated and acted following the game against Clemson. And the ESPN analyst is concerned about how it could impact LSU’s future.
“I thought they showed a little bit of immaturity and kind of not knowing how to handle it with the way they celebrated postgame,” Herbstreit said this week on his podcast. “This thing is about 2020, this is about [head coach Ed Orgeron] building a massive program and trying to become the new sheriff in town in the SEC West. And the way his team reacted, I almost feel like … everyone’s going to the NFL, everybody’s acting like this is the top of the mountain, which it is for this year, but it seems a little bizarre to me.”
Of course, the part of LSU’s celebration garnering the most attention this week came from former Tigers wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. appearing to hand out money to LSU players following the game. Later, there were novelty bills found on the field, so it seemed like Beckham may just have been handing out fake cash.
Enter your email below and we will send you the LSU records graphic to be used for your phone background.
By adding your email address, you agree to receive emails with LSU football related news. You can unsubscribe at any time.
But LSU quarterback Joe Burrow later confirmed that Beckham was indeed handing out real money.
That was something else that, obviously, didn’t sit well with Herbstreit.
“As much as we’re celebrating this team, I wasn’t a real fan of the postgame stuff, the OBJ stuff with the money, the way they handled themselves at times,” Herbstreit said on his podcast. “If it’s just about 2019, great. But this is about staying power, right? This isn’t the finish line of their program. Don’t they want to win in 2020, don’t they want to win in 2021? I almost feel like it’s all the chips in, we made it, that’s it and forget everything else.”
Weak take. OBJ was an idiot. Not sure what anyone else did wrong.
Lots ofMarines on here! Yut!
It’s beautiful thing. Semper Fi!!
Rah, devil
Tun Tavern! Also, Kirk Herbstreit is an idiot.
oorah
With key staff members moving on, and Joe Burrow leaving, it’s all on Coach O to continue the program. The only problem? Coach O’s win/loss record as a head coach WITHOUT a guy named Joe Burrow on the roster.
I don’t think Coach O is a bad guy, but I also don’t think he’s in the same league as premier coaches, and next season will reflect that. LSU wins 9-10 next year, maybe even the year after that, but then it drops down to 8-9.
Maybe, maybe not. There’s no telling what LSU is going to look like 2-3 years from now. All we really know is that they will not be at this level again going into next year. They’re going through the Bama treatment right now with the departures of staff and key players, but the difference is Coach O isn’t Nick Saban.
Also, Herb needs to calm down and let LSU have their moment. It’s so hypocritical of commentators and writers that heap praise on old, scummy Miami teams to criticize LSU for having some fun.
I logged in just to say what a well reasoned and thought out post. I especially liked the comment about Miami. Spot on.
We for sure havent ever really had our coaches poached… Well except saban and muschamp and Jimbo and Frank Wilson and chavis and…… Lol cmon man. O hadn’t started a school of saban disciples but this isn’t necessarily new to LSU. And we’ve had more players leave early since 2010 than anyone. Including bama. I get the sentiment behind the bama treatment, I’m just saying we have talent to reload and the capacity to deal with this. And hopefully continue to win double digit games.
Well, we’ll see. There’s no doubt Burrow cannot be replaced, so the QB play will not be at his level. In addition to losing Aranda and Brady, only 7 starters return on offense/defense – 15 leaving. There’a talent remaining of course, but losing that much talent will have an impact and, losing that much experience will probably hurt more. So yes, LSU will almost have to take a step back. After that is the question. Coach O has always had his critics, but give him credit for knowing what the team needs to get there. I trust him to make the right moves to get back. This program had a great year, but is not at the level of consistent success Bama and Clemson are yet. But the potential is there. It will be interesting to watch.
I’d be thrilled with 10-2 next year honestly with the amount of talent leaving..
However I do not think that this will be Coach O’s last natty appearance..
How do you figure they win more next year than the years after? I’d say they dip pretty hard next year due to attrition and coaching changes and should be pretty competitive again in 2-3
I think Coach O has proved enough wouldn’t you say? While I don’t think he’s Saban or Swinney those two are in a tier by themselves. And I think Coach O is in the very next tier with guys like Riley, Day, Smart, Mullen, etc.
And realistically, that’s the most you can ask of a coach is to be in that tier. Being in that tier means you’re at least in the championship conversation every year. And if you’re in the conversation every year, you’ll eventually win it again.
Agreed. Those who get above that level are legends, thus the rarefied air.
Lol. No. Gene Chizik 2.0.
A coach O doubter? Never heard that before.
Record before Burrow meaning his Interim games and one season when he did all his recruiting?.. I understand the sentiment but Coach O went and got Joe Burrow off the bench at OSU, he went and got Joe Brady from the Saints. They didn’t fall in his lap. He has proven that he can recognize talent and puts people in a position to do their best. His salary shows that he prioritizes getting the best coaches and letting them do their job. Obviously I’m biased but putting all our success on one player, as incredible as he is, is ignorant. Especially because Joe Burrow last year (with no time in the program) and Joe Burrow this year (a season into the program) was a Significant difference.
Only time will tell for sure. But let’s not pretend Coach O happened upon this. He built this!
And yes he’s no Nick Saban. Many coaches have tried and all have failed. But he’s building this program in a different way. He knows his weaknesses and is filling them with great people and staying out of their way.
The Head Coach is, among other things, a leader. There are many types of leadership, and no one necessarily better than the others. Orgeron discovered micromanagement is not his strength, and has adjusted, and found success. So give credit where it is due.
Ol herbie been sour since his two sons picked Clemson beat his buckeyes only to lose to LSU. Everyone mad because coach O is redneck and doing so good people think they better.
This is what has USC fans so mad.
I get the critique of OBJ’s stupidity, but what else is Herbie referring to? I haven’t seen anything that would lead me to think the mindset is any less forward-looking than other teams that lose a lot of players to the draft. What am I missing?
I think he’s also referring to the cigar video and I heard something about a video of Joe Burrow in some “inappropriate” shirt after the game. Haven’t looked into that last one yet so I’m not exactly sure what was on the shirt.
My message to Herbie is “okay Boomer.” These are college kids having fun after the biggest accomplishment of their young lives. They deserved to celebrate after the amazing season they had.
Doesn’t even matter if they’re young. That’s more impressive than anything I’ll ever do!
Except Herbie is a Gen X’er, like me. Although I have “boomer” sibs.
Herbie is not a boomer… but you are a jackass
C’mon man, that’s uncalled for.
Big whoop. So what, nothing here. LSU won the freaking Natty, and celebrated the win in appropriate fashion. OBJ was a little over the top, but that’s on him, not LSU. To say this is an indicator of things to come is short-sighted and plain wrong.
Kirk still salty about Ohio State losing you Clemson..
Kirk is not salty about OSU losing to Clemson. BOTH of his sons play for Clemson. He is wrong here, for sure. outside of the OBJ fiasco, I didn’t see anything wrong in the celebration.
Herbie is flat out wrong. He expects players who are 18-21 years old to act like 40 year olds. He is one of these people who if they are awake they are talking. He doesn’t know how to shut up.
The NC is the ultimate goal these players work so hard to get to, for years. Let them celebrate getting it. They earned it.
I agree; it’s was very disappointing. Of course, it wasn’t everyone, but with the consciousness of social media and the public relations these student-athletes are constantly reminded to be cognizant of, it would appear those guilty forgot, “one team, one heartbeat”. Why cast a shadow on the institution, the team, and the coaches who you represent, namely LSU? I bleed purple and gold, but OBJ is an absolute embarrassment. He’s a self-absorbed thug and a punk; it’s a shame he has so little respect for the current team, thoughtlessly being careless and reckless just because he is wealthy and privileged. Sad.
I’m only hoping Coach O will use this incident as a teachable moment and the team can react with humility and learn.
Well said.
They could stop stupidity in it’s tracks, by quit giving sideline passes to every so called celebrity out there. Leave the sidelines to team members and support staff only
he actually didn’t have a sideline pass. last I heard was that LSU was investigating how he got on the field after the game. Of course, the program could just be saving face.
Imagine though, you are a security guard making $10-$15 an hour and OBY hand you a wad of cash le look the other way for a second while he walks past.
In the playoffs the playoff/bowl authorities decided who got sideline passes. They are currently reviewing their policies after the OBJ incident.
I’ll preface this by saying I’m not a stick in the mud and I don’t care how LSU celebrates. But given O’s roles in past celebrations and having said roles captured on video multiple times, I wouldn’t predict he uses it as a teachable moment. I’d say he just reiterates he DGAF what people think of LSU’s celebrations – and good for him.
OBJ is like that idiot friend of a friend who acts like a moron at a perfectly good party. Just because he’s there doesn’t mean you have to tie his actions to everyone else’s.
Now it’s not good enough to win a championship? Now you have to have “staying power”? Good grief. Then how long do you have to have staying power?
That’s the world we live in now. It’s never okay to be satisfied. Always got to want more. That’s a sad way to live.
Bad enough that I had to listen to Herbstreit’s biased commentary in favor of Clemson for the whole game, now he has to be critical of the teams celebration. They just had an unbelievable season, one for the ages and he sounds like sour grapes!! All game it was all about the DC for Clemson and how he had 15 days of preparation. Not until the game was out of reach did they have anything to say about LSU’s DC, Dave Arranda. I couldn’t care less what Herbstreit thinks about LSU!!
I think the fact that Herbie has two(2) sons at Clemson, had him viewing the game while wearing orange sunglasses. He did seem way over the top a Clemson fan in that game. You’d have thought the game was over in the 1st quarter…just listening to him. But, you know….the game was not over & LSU kicked Clemson pretty well in that game, making their “all world QB” look like a frightened little boy.
Shocked the guy would hand out cash to college athletes with very strict requirements for eligibility. Not on the players, but on Odell.
Not a good look with the players smoking cigars in the locker room. In this day and age, with the massive amount of conditioning required, who would want to smoke? Sorry to see Burrow involved.
The winner of the Tennessee/Alabama games, for decades, have smoked cigars in the locker room following a victory. I guess that tradition still continues.
Kirk is not a boomer, he is gen X. I think he was implying that they “should act like they have been there before.” Problem is, they had not until that night. The OBJ act was a joke, but to his credit…he’s never been there either and never will.
They haven’t been there before ??
Just how little do you know.
1908, 1935, 1936, 1958, 1959, 1962, 1967, 2003, 2007, 2011 & 2019.
Do you know what those numbers mean ?
I’m gonna say no, therefore I’ll tell you.
That’s of the years that at least one major awarding service of the time recognized LSU as their mythical FBS football national champions. The NCAA doesn’t award or recognize an NCAA national champion in college football at the FBS level. Numerous different outside sports media sources award & recognize their own individual mythical FBS football national championship each season. Those 11 mythical FBS football national championship seasons that LSU could claim, are all based off of the very same exact awarding services that Alabama has used to come up with the claim of 17 mythical FBS football championship seasons, with every single one of them being more legit than Alabama’s claim of 1941. Alabama’s claim of 1941 is considered as being the single most laughable claim of a mythical FBS football national championship season by a school in the entire history of the sport.
Oh & btw, that one from 1908 was the very first time that a southern football playing school was ever awarded a mythical national championship in college football, The National Championship Foundation was the awarding service that recognized LSU as their mythical college football national champions for the 1908 season.
Number of awarded mythical FBS football national championships awarded to schools over the last 20 years, both claimed & unclaimed.
Alabama – 5
2009, 2011, 2012, 2015 & 2017
LSU – 4
2003, 2007, 2011 & 2019
No other school has more than 2 mythical FBS football national championships over the last 20 years.
LSU was the very first school to be awarded 2 BCS mythical FBS football national championships.
LSU has even won more games over the last 20 years than what Alabama has, alone with having the overall 4th highest winning percentage in FBS football since the 2000 season. That’s right, higher than Alabama’s, higher than the 4 or 5 year flash in the pan Clemson and everybody else not named Ohio St., Oklahoma & Boise St. They also just happen to be tied with Alabama at 10-10 over the last 20 regular season games against each other.
Now let’s move on to another set of numbers.
44 vs 10
Do you have any idea what those numbers mean ??
Again, I’m say that you don’t.
Well since a so-called national championship in college football at the FBS level is only a sports media based mythical championship, that’s the real number of NCAA awarded & recognized NCAA national championships that LSU & Alabama have to their credit. Now I don’t think that I even need to you as for as what number goes with what school, now do I ??
LOL !!!
But I’m gonna do it anyway. Yes, LSU is the SEC’s all-time leader with 44 NCAA awarded & recognized national championships. Alabama on the other hand is marred in an 8th place tie in the SEC with Kentucky, as both schools only have 10 NCAA awarded & recognized NCAA national championships across all sports for the entire history of their schools. Yet you claim that LSU has never been there before LOL !!!, right ??
The actual truth is the fact that if LSU were to quit playing sports altogether starting today, and going by the rate that Alabama wins real NCAA awarded & recognized NCAA national championships. Well than it should only take Alabama somewheres around 250 to 300 years to match LSU’s total number of real NCAA awarded & recognized national championships. LOL !!! I bet Alabama wishes that they could never be there like that, right ???
The ole saying of dumb as a box of rocks is even to good to bestow upon you !!!!
I’m sorry but Alabama has actually won one more game than LSU in the last twenty years. It makes you wonder what else of the facts and figures you posted are incorrect.
I don’t know about the accuracy of all of these figures, but I do know LSU has won the most NCAA team titles in the SEC, when all sports are combined, at 48. Only other football title I know of is 1908 (shared FB title) if we wanted to claim titles like Bama does…
LSU was awarded, but did not claim the title in in 1908, 1935, 1936, 1962. and 2011 for sure. They claimed the title in 1958, 2003, 2007, and 2019. I’m not sure about the 1959 and 1967 titles, though. Either way, if LSU were to claim everything that they could, their program would be just as historically dominant as Alabama’s.
Somewhere in Kentucky, people are wondering where all the Sudafed went…
Also, while I don’t gather fear of embarrassment is much of a factor for you, please don’t ask anybody to care about championships in non-revenue sports. Gumps are mildly proud of our gymnastics trophies, but aren’t going to try to pad any stats with them. See also: that stick and ball game.
LOL. I do love your post. I really enjoyed reading it and agree with the accuracy of what you wrote. The biggest difference is that LSU has not claimed all of the national titles that the could have and Alabama has claimed every single possibility.
Anyway, while your post was just about the greatest thing tat I have read this decade(keep in mind that’s only 17 days), I believe that RTR2019 (the gump) meant was that these players have never been there…not that LSU as an athletic program hasn’t.
I’m gonna venture a guess you aren’t REALLY a Kroger Kats fan, right?
Pat……..Wow. The nurse will come around with your meds eventually. Hang in there.
Lol. Exactly what I was thinking. I guess I’m not a big enough sports guy. That was way too much research to gather all his info.
Give me a break. He is just sore because his kiddos didn’t get a ring. I can’t believe he is allowed to call Clemson games. I always thought he did a good job separating himself from his Ohio State bias, but he cant do it for Clemson. He slobbers all over Datboi and the lesser tigers
Its like a guy that hasn’t had anything his whole life and suddenly he hits the power ball lottery for 800 millon dollars. On the very first day he gets his money he goes out and purchases 2 Mercedes, 2 BMW’s, 1 Bentley, 2 Boats, 1 Chevy Silverado, 2 Range Rover’s, 1 GMC Denali and 2 Mansions. In other words…..This is a guy that is not use to having anything…ditto LSU.
This is irony in action. First off, if LSU hit the power ball in 2019, they hit the Lotto in ‘03 & ‘07. Secondly, the state of Alabama fits your definition better than LSU. Louisiana hosts Superbowls, Final Fours, National title games, the Sugar Bowl annually. Muhammad Ali and Sugar Ray both fought classics in the Superdome. It’s home to the NFL’s all time passing leader and the highest scoring offense in college football history. They have culture, Cajun cuisine, Mardi Gras, jazz fest. LSU produced arguably the most dominant big in NBA history in Shaq. The Baseball team has won the CWS six times.
Alabama has nothing to hang it’s hat on as a state OR a university besides football. Nothing. Tourism doesn’t exist. They host a Bowl game no one goes to. Musicians fly right over you on tours. No jobs. Nothing to take pride in but Bama football. Take that away like LSU did this year, and you can see how empty and purposeless their lives really are.
What you think you “have” in your Bama football fandom only distracts you from your own truth. That you live in a state that has nothing and no one cares about. I’d tell you to play powerball, but you don’t have a lottery either. Lol
Night night.
I think O gets a bit too much credit. He’s cool and recruiting is his strong suit and that alone will keep LSU as a sustainable threat every year but as far as organizational skills and X’s and O’S I don’t think he is an elite coach. He is good at motivation and with young impressionable 18-22 year olds that is an important skill. I will say he obviously is very comfortable with delegation. As long as you hire the right people that is great. Hire the wrong person and give them no oversight and you are going to experience trouble. With the amount of new people coming in both players and coaches it’s going to be hard not to have a poor outcome in there somewhere. That’s why winning is hard. Kudos to Saban for handling attrition. Kudos to Clemson to not having such attrition. The rest of us will just have to deal with it. LSU will continue to be good but it may be awhile before they win another NC. It’s not getting any easier in the SEC.
Get some, Devil Dogs !! Semper Fi !!!
Bad take, Herbie. OBJ was a total jackwagon and made it about himself. Everything from the team itself falls totally within what I’d expect any team to do after winning a Natty. You’re telling me you’re offended at them smoking a victory cigar, or, in the highest moment of their life, not immediately throwing the money back in OBJ’s face? Come on, man. It’s how literally any 18-22 would react to that situation.
Herbie missed this one…OBJ is not a current member of the LSU squad & he acted like himself, flamboyant, colorful, idiotic self. Moments like winning a Natty should be enjoyed to the fullest, w/o an idiot roaming the sidelines…creating controversy. Maybe Herbie has forgotten the total Joy of winning.
Not sure you can criticize the kids leaving…striking when the iron is hot. I agree that LSU won’t be able to maintain…the door is wide open for Bama to return and Auburn to ascend (only if Nix improves). LSU is losing just way too much for them not to come back to the pack. It kind of stinks…beating LSU next year won’t have the same magnitude cause everyone will know that they are in total rebuild mode. New DC, new passing game coordinator, replacing the best QB in modern history, players all over the field leaving early…more attrition than I ever remember seeing one team have. Is the total count up to 17 players leaving early? Thought I read that somewhere.
Just read about Moss…that article says 9.
Lol nothing wrong with LSU celebrating they had a magical season. 18-22 y/o kids are going to act like 18-22 y/o kids. As for next year I def see a drop off for LSU to around a 9-3 season which I think is still pretty good.
If the Buckeyes loses Herbie cries, Clemson loses Herbies cries. The two most obnoxious fanbases here in the South Carolina its enough being overrun by the rednecks of Pickens County but the infestation of of Suckeyes that come to our great state and not leave. By the way almost a week later after yet another Tater Tech beatdown not an ounce of orange anywhere in the state not a single flag, shirt, or hat to be seen. They have done what they do best crawl back under a rock after getting smacked down.
Did anyone hear the full ESPN podcast where Herbie said this? Was Herbstreit criticizing LSU? Or just OBJ? Or is this more clickbait, taking a portion of a quote and making someone’s comment out of context?
OBJ seemed the only person out of hand. He looked really high, or something. Acting erratically.
In the locker room, kids looked like they were enjoying their moment with the stogies. No business critiquing that. [Those huge, rum-barrel-aged cigars are produced by La Aurora for Karl Malone, whose kid, KJ, played for LSU and is now a team trainer or some such.]
There’s afterparty vids of Burrow dancing, sporting a “Big D*^k Joe” cap. Maybe a gag gift, but like Freddie Kitchens’ “Pittsburgh Started It,” I just would never wear stuff like that, knowing how sensitive everyone is about every little thing, how everyone’s videoing me on their phones, and how easily stuff could be a potentially negative social media volcano.