Ed Orgeron clarifies energy drinks and Lane Kiffin as OC, talks Nick Saban and recruiting Alabama

Ed Orgeron

LSU coach Ed Orgeron celebrates with players after an NCAA college football game against Texas A&M, Thursday, Nov. 24, 2016, in College Station, Texas. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Ed Orgeron is only concerned about one thing: LSU.

Everything else is just background noise.

The LSU football coach joined The Opening Kickoff on WNSP-FM 105.5 in Mobile, Alabama, and clarified any and all speculation about Lane Kiffin as a LSU offensive coordinator candidate as well as his consumption of energy drinks.

To the initial point, when asked about defending SEC champion Alabama, he quickly pointed out that it is about trying to catch the Crimson Tide in the SEC West.

"I'm not saying we're chasing them," he explained Thursday. "I won't say that. We worry about our program, about LSU, and what we do on a daily basis.

"I will give coach (Nick) Saban a lot of credit. He did a great job here at LSU. He did a great job of recruiting. He did a great job of coaching. He's doing the same thing (at Alabama). He'll go down as one of the best coaches ever in football.

"On the other hand at LSU, we focus on LSU. There are a lot of great schools in the SEC. We take them one at a time. We control what we can control."

With that said, Orgeron was incredibly high on Kiffin -- the former Alabama offensive coordinator who is now the head coach at Florida Atlantic -- joining the LSU staff as offensive coordinator.

"Lane was a candidate," he said. "Lane and I have known each other for a long time. So, obviously, we spoke about it, but his main priority was to be a head coach. I am so happy he became a head coach. I think he's going to be very successful. Was he a candidate? Yes. Did we talk about it? Yes. He did not tell me, 'Coach, I'm definitely coming.'

"He was highly considered. I was looking at Matt Canada also. Lane was my first choice. Matt was my second. It turns out we are happy to have Matt."

Orgeron explained the Tigers will have a new look on offense next season under Canada, but will hold true to some LSU basics. And did we mention he loves Derrius Guice?

"The formations and the shifts are going to be different," Orgeron explained. "The way we call plays and our philosophy on offense has changed a bunch, but we're still going to be physical. We're still going to run the ball. Matt has a tremendous scheme. He's averaged 43 points at places he's been. He likes to score points. He's very multiple."

Orgeron called Guice "unique" and brought his name into the conversation with the likes of Reggie Bush and Leonard Fournette. "He's a workout warrior in the weight room and loves football. He plays running back like Warren Sapp played defensive line."

And while Guice is a Louisiana native, and Orgeron is a big fan of Louisiana talent, the LSU coach knows he needs to recruit across the region.

No question, Alabama has had success pulling talent out of Louisiana, but LSU has gotten a share of Alabama wealth as well.

He called Alabama's Gulf Coast, specifically the Mobile area, one of the "most fertile areas in recruiting."

"First of all, we know there are great players there," said Orgeron, who cited past LSU players JaMarcus Russell and Chevis Jackson. "It is 2 1/2 to 3 hours to Baton Rouge. We have a lot of people in Mobile that have Louisiana roots that like LSU."

LSU recently signed defensive tackle Neil Farrell of Murphy High School, a player Orgeron said is up to 300 pounds and a "player we're counting on." Defensive lineman Justin Thomas, of Spanish Fort, is a "tremendous athlete and will be a phenomenal player."

Speaking of tremendous, the coach -- as it was reported Wednesday -- apparently can consume a tremendous amount of energy drinks in a day.

On Wednesday, Orgeron was on ESPN Radio's "The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz" and was asked how many energy drinks Orgeron typically drinks in a day. He answered between eight and 10, which made national headlines.

"Here's the deal: some days we work 20 hours days," Orgeron said Thursday. "Obviously, I have consumed many on some days, but, for Lent and being Catholic, I gave up chocolate, energy drinks and Diet Coke.

"So my energy drink consumption has curtailed. I do not drink that amount every day. To be honest, in the last, a day or two, I may have drank that many. It may have been a 20-hour day, I drank eight to 10, no doubt about that."

"When I'm drinking them I may go 8-10," Orgeron said.

Check out the full interview at wnsp.com.

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