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Ed Orgeron doesn’t have LSU’s full-time coaching job locked up, but he’s sure acting like that’s the case.
The Tigers’ interim coach said during a Monday news conference that he’s “going to recruit” the draft-eligible juniors currently on his team during the final month of the season. Orgeron, however, acknowledged most of those players have already made up their minds.
O on draft eligible JRs: "I'm going to recruit those guys, but I've been around long enough to know most have made their decisions already."
— Tiger Rag (@TigerRagMedia) November 14, 2016
LSU, of course, has been at the forefront of college football’s trend of juniors entering the NFL draft, with 24 such early defections over the past five years. The Tigers briefly reversed that last season, when only one draft-eligible junior (Jerald Hawkins) moved on to the pros.
This year’s batch of NFL prospects is headlined by Leonard Fournette, who has long been projected as a top-five draft picks. Safety Jamal Adams also figures to go in the first round, while wide receiver Malachi Dupre and defensive tackle Davon Godchaux are the next-most likely players to forgo their senior seasons.
But Orgeron will do what he can to keep them around, even if he’s not their coach next season.
Marcus covers SEC football for Saturday Down South.
