Ed Orgeron has never been the kind of coach who disappears quietly. These days, the former LSU national championship coach is spending part of his offseason doing something few expected. But did you ever imagine him reading out fantasy football draft orders for fans on Cameo? Well…

“What’s up guys, it’s Coach O. Soon-to-be football season. I know we can’t wait,” Ed Orgeron opened his video with his familiar gravelly growl. 

Another clip has him rattling off league names with the same intensity he once had for SEC Saturdays: “Check out these leagues. Jambalaya, Hush Puppies, Po’ Boys, Gumbo.” 

In another clip, Orgeron jokingly predicts, “The old lady, Queen Kelsey, will beat you in fantasy football this year.”

These days, Coach O isn’t barking into a headset in front of 100,000 people. He’s talking straight into a phone camera instead. Birthdays. Fantasy football leagues. Random shoutouts. Fans pay for the videos on Cameo, and lately those fantasy draft-order clips have been making the rounds again. Turns out that gravelly voice still grabs attention.

Now, Ed Orgeron is back at LSU, but it doesn’t look anything like his first stint. Four years after getting fired, he returned to Baton Rouge as part of Lane Kiffin’s staff, helping on the recruiting side. The title is smaller, and so is the paycheck. He’s back on an eight-month deal worth a reported $100,000 a year. That’s a long way down from the $9 million he made running the program before his exit, which also came with a $17 million buyout. To Lane Kiffin, though, the pay cut isn’t the story.

“In 2000, we were both assistants,” he said during his appearance on In the Bayou With Tyrann Mathieu in June. “I met him at USC on Pete Carroll’s staff.”

Lane Kiffin recalled arriving as a young assistant, probably 24, while Ed Orgeron was already the recruiting coordinator, watching firsthand how relentlessly he approached the job.

“I got to learn from him to see how he recruited and the passion and the drive and like no job too small,” he said. “Now as I’m here, I really realize that’s the Louisiana in him. There is no job too small. It doesn’t matter what his salary is.”

That explains why Ed Orgeron seems comfortable wearing several hats these days. He’s helping LSU strengthen its recruiting efforts while also embracing Cameo, where fans request personalized videos featuring inside jokes, catchphrases or words of encouragement. 

The platform has become a popular side venture for athletes and coaches, which pays, and the former head coach has leaned into it with the same booming personality that made him a figure to remember in Baton Rouge. One moment he’s telling someone to keep grinding in the summer heat. The next he’s barking out fantasy football draft orders as if they’re game-day introductions.

For Ed Orgeron, the stage may be smaller than it once was, and the paycheck certainly is. But whether he’s helping Lane Kiffin recruit Louisiana talent or shouting out fantasy football leagues online, Coach O still seems happiest talking football, connecting with people, and keeping his unmistakable voice in the conversation.