It figures that just as the Notre Dame football team is humming right along on the recruiting front, something (or someone) throws everything into flux. The arrival of Ed Orgeron as an assistant coach of LSU certainly counts. His arrival won't have any direct effect on the Fighting Irish, but his recruiting acumen could be a poke in the ribs of Marcus Freeman as the Irish head coach tries to close the deal on 4-star EDGE Abraham Sesay.
Sesay has officially narrowed his recruitment to LSU, Duke, Notre Dame, and Florida State as he prepares for a critical stretch of official visits leading into a summer decision. The 6-foot-4.5, 225-pound defender who is the No. 5 EDGE, the No. 31 overall player, and the No. 3 player in the state of Pennsylvania according to the Rivals Industry Rankings has also set his official visit schedule.
Sesay will begin his official visit schedule at LSU (May 29) before heading to Duke (June 5), Notre Dame (June 12), and Florida State (June 19). And that's where the Tigers having Orgeron on the staff becomes a real issue for Freeman and Co.
LSU finalized a deal to add Orgeron to its football coaching staff, the school announced Wednesday night. Orgeron is the former head coach at LSU, where he led the team to the 2019 national title. Orgeron's role will officially be special assistant to recruiting and defense for the Tigers. That touches Sesay twice.
Abraham Sesay now gives Notre Dame football a tougher LSU fight after Ed Orgeron’s return
It also changes the math because while Notre Dame is still considered the favorite to land the impact EDGE, LSU started the recruitment without Orgeron in the fold. Now the Bayou Bengals have an extra weapon to use to try to pull the talented prospect to Baton Rouge.
Almost exactly a month ago, On3 analyst Steve Wiltfong laid out how the Irish were close to getting Sesay to pull the trigger. “Notre Dame is starting to pull away for Abraham Sesay,” Wiltfong said last month. “Notre Dame was the leader coming in, and they’re obviously still the leader coming out."
It's obviously too early to tell how much of an impact Orgeron will have on the fight for Sesay. He's still finding his way in his office and getting his feet under him. However, the ace recruiter will certainly be prepared when the EDGE visits in just over a week.
The relationship between Kiffin and Orgeron dates back a quarter century, as they first served on the same staff together in 2001 under Pete Carroll at USC. Orgeron is largely credited with being the recruiting engine during that gilded USC era. Orgeron took over as LSU's interim coach in 2016 and held the full-time job through 2021, when the school fired him two years after winning the national championship.
Now, the man who was also credited with helping to turn Ole Miss into a program that can hang with the big boys of the SEC will turn his attention to trying to beat Notre Dame for one of the best defenders in the entire 2027 class. Buckle up.
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