“We used to walk through the back door with the cash”: Ed Orgeron reveals eyebrow-raising information about situation of NIL “back then” in SEC

Former LSU coach Ed Orgeron has made a massive revelation about player inducement in the SEC prior to the NIL era. Orgeron, who has coached at Ole Miss and LSU, made the revelation while appearing on the “Bussin’ With the Boys” show earlier this week.

The show hosts, Taylor Lewan and Will Compton, asked Orgeron jokingly to confirm if the SEC paid players before the advent of NIL. The coach responded:

“Hey, you know… It’s all good. They say, ‘Hey Coach, you know, you’ve been out of coaching for a while. How are you going to adjust to NIL?’ I said, ‘Well, it’s a minor adjustment.’ And they said, ‘What do you mean?’ I said, ‘Back then, we used to walk through the back door with the cash. Now we just gotta walk through the front door with the cash.’”

Before the 2021 change in the NCAA rule that allowed players to be rewarded through NIL, it was frowned upon to pay players in college. Notwithstanding, it was an open secret that many big programs induced their biggest stars with some form of payment.

So, Ed Orgeron’s admission will not shock a lot of people in college football but only confirm what many have known all this time. The revelation is also coming at a time when Orgeron is trying to return to coaching after being away for a while.

His last coaching adventure was at LSU, where he left in 2021 when NIL was just getting legalized by the NCAA.

Ed Orgeron waiting on Lane Kiffin’s call to return to LSU

Ed Orgeron hasn’t hidden his desire to return to LSU as Lane Kiffin’s assistant, revealing that only a call from the head coach is missing. He told the hosts on the “Bussin’ With the Boys” podcast that while he’s had conversations with Kiffin, a formal offer has yet to materialize.

Orgeron explained that Kiffin is still finding his footing at Baton Rouge, which is probably why he hasn’t called him. He said:

“He hasn’t called me, which is good. As a head coach, you’ve got to feel the lay of the land and do what’s best for you.”

Kiffin arrived at Baton Rouge with a significant part of his offensive coaching staff from Ole Miss. The coach will be expected to deliver a national championship title, a feat last achieved for the Tigers by Orgeron.