“It’s a war out there” | Ed Orgeron addresses the new Early Signing Period

By JAMES MORAN | Tiger Rag Associate Editor

As stated many times, LSU coach Ed Orgeron wasn’t in favor of the Early Signing Period that’s been instituted. He reiterated Monday that, had he been asked to vote on the measure, he’d have gone ‘No.’

But now that the December signing period is the NCAA’s law of the land, Orgeron says he’s got no choice but to abide and adapt.

“It’s going to be different, obviously, because of the manpower and hours it takes,” Orgeron said. “It’s a war out there. Now you have two of them. And obviously a lot of teams are going to be preparing for some awfully important bowls.

“So you’ve got to balance your time between signing day and practice and preparation. So it’s going to be a challenge coming forward, but we’ve got to compete to be the best at it and I’m sure we’re going to do a good job of it.”

Orgeron also expressed support for two potential rules changes that have been discussed in recent weeks, both involving the NCAA policy on redshirting.

For one, Orgeron “loved” a potential change that would allow a player to participate in four games or less — any four games — in a given season and still redshirt.

“Love it,” he said. “That would be great. You can figure those guys out those (their) first four games. It adds to your roster, adds to your development of your team, add to your rotation.”

American Football Coaches Association president Todd Berry brought the policy to the forefront. It would also eliminate medical redshirts. Under current NCAA rules, a player can’t redshirt if they’ve competed in a single snap.

If passed, the new proposal would allow programs to put players in a live action environment before deciding on whether to redshirt them. For a program like LSU, that’d mean coaches have greater depth at their disposal when it comes to lopsided non-conference games.

“This is basketball on grass nowadays,” Orgeron said. “You’ve got some offenses out there trying to run 100 plays. The game is doubled since when we played. The more guys you can play, without burning a year, would be great.”

Orgeron was also asked about the idea of giving players five years of eligibility and doing away with the redshirt all together. Currently players have five years to play four.

The coach spoke favorably about the initiative.

“That would be fine with me,” Orgeron said of that potential change. “More you can play, the better. Helps develop your squad. We’re mostly three and out with a lot of players. You have to overturn your squad every year. Makes it tough for your team throughout the year. That would help us.”