LSU Board of Supervisors approves 6-year, $42M contract for Ed Orgeron

BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) - The LSU Board of Supervisors voted to approve contracts for LSU head football coach Ed Orgeron and newly-hired defensive coordinator Bo Pelini Friday, March 6.

Orgeron and the LSU Athletic Department agreed to a six-year, $42 million contract extension on Jan. 24.

The board approved Orgeron’s new contract which will pay him a base salary of $6 million a year through the end of 2025.

In addition, Coach O will receive a $5 million split-dollar life insurance policy payable over the first two years of the agreement. In total, the agreement is worth more than $42 million, before bonuses. Orgeron’s previous contract paid him $4 million per year.

Orgeron is also due $1.7 million in bonuses for LSU’s undefeated national championship season in 2019.

“Coach O has set a new standard at LSU,” LSU Athletic Director Scott Woodward said in January when his department reached a deal with Orgeron.

“He has proven that he is not only a championship coach but also a leader of a program committed to doing things the right way. He has represented our institution and our state with great pride, on and off the field of play. He is well-deserving of this new contract, which should make clear our commitment to Coach O and the direction of our football program,” Woodard said.

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Orgeron, the consensus 2019 National Coach of the Year, has led LSU to a 40-9 mark as coach of the Tigers. Of his 40 wins at LSU, 12 have come against teams ranked in the Top 10, including seven in 2019, which stands as the most in college football history for a single season. His 40 wins through the first 49 games of his career ties for the most by any coach in LSU history.

“I’m very appreciative of Scott Woodward, the LSU Board of Supervisors and the state of Louisiana,” Orgeron said in January.

“I’m happy to represent LSU and this great state. My family and I are very grateful, and I look forward to working as hard as possible to continue to win championships at LSU,” Oregon said.

This marks the second straight year in which Coach O has received an extension from LSU. His deal in 2019 added two years to his contract and increased his annual salary to $4 million.

The 58-year-old Larose native took over on an interim basis early in the 2016 season after Les Miles was fired.

Pelini was hired in January to replace former LSU defensive coordinator Dave Aranda, who left for the head coaching job at Baylor University.

Pelini’s proposed contract would pay him a total of $2.3 million a year through March of 2023.

Pelini’s base salary will be $500,000 a year with a supplemental compensation of $1.8 million for a total of $2.3 million a year.

LSU’s first football game of the 2020 season is scheduled for Sept. 5 when the Tigers will host the University of Texas-San Antonio in Tiger Stadium.

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