Ed Orgeron believes NIL will change recruiting

Former LSU head coach Ed Orgeron was a guest on the Dan Patrick Show Friday and addressed his feelings on name, image and likeness. With Coach O leaving Baton Rouge after one season of NIL, he only had a taste of what it was like to recruit during this new era. Despite this, he believes he would have adapted to the changes NIL presents on the recruiting front.

“Basically, I do a good job of listening to what [recruits] want. They will tell you [what the want] and I learned if you’re a good listener, recruits will tell you what they want and then you can deliver what they want,” Orgeron said.

Orgeron believes NIL is going to change recruiting as a whole. Players will consider going to lower level Group of 5 schools instead of perennial powers in the SEC and other Power 5 conferences. Their college decisions will be based on personal preferences and relationships rather than history and reputation.

“Well, it’s going to be the number one factor I believe in where players go to school and you better have your stuff together and better have a lot of money ready, and you better have a system,” Orgeron said.

Orgeron also commented on Texas A&M and Jimbo Fisher being upset over the fact that the program was called out for luring players there due to a big NIL market, even though they had the number one recruiting class.

“I think those guys busted their tail recruiting because I know those guys and I think they do that. But I do believe that was a big factor,” Orgeron said of Fisher and his recruiting class. “And I do believe you got to complement them. They must have had a great system on how to get it done because the players are going to go where are they going to make the most money.”

Fisher fired shots back at his fellow SEC coaches who have claimed his program is benefitting unfairly from NIL deals. Fisher and the Aggies have been the subject of criticism after an internet posting claimed that Aggie boosters had spent between $25 and $30 million to recruit the nation’s top recruiting class. Fisher disputed these claims in a press conference two weeks ago.

“And everybody runs with it so it’s written on the internet as gospel. How irresponsible is that? There’s some very reputable writers in college football and sports that wrote it and have said it and have done things. That’s unbelievable to me,” Fisher said. “… To me it’s insulting to the players that we recruited that that’s why they’ve come here.”