LSU Football: 3 reasons hiring Ed Orgeron was a mistake

2. Sacrificing execution for recruiting doesn’t always pay off

Aside from coaching defensive line, Orgeron’s strong suit has always been in his ability to recruit high-caliber players. Despite how their respective careers may have turned out, Orgeron has been able to bring in some of the nation’s premier talent in players such as Kenny Bigelow Jr. and Max Browne for USC, as well as defensive tackle Rashard Lawrence for LSU.

At LSU alone, Orgeron has been able to bring in five players who came into college ranked within the top ten of their respective positions. Orgeron brings great things to the table as a recruiter, so much so that Sporting News ranked him as their No. 2 overall recruiter. The question that remains is: will recruiting be enough?

There are plenty of teams with plenty of talent around the country, but how many of them are contenders year in and year out? Coaching can’t be undervalued in such a competitive atmosphere, and sometimes must come at the expense at recruiting. However, a great coach usually makes for a good recruiter, a sentiment that must have fallen short in the firing of Miles.

At the end of the day, it all comes down to execution. A Troy team that suffered two turnovers should never have been in that game. LSU was by far the more talented team on the field, but was incapable of getting it done when the rubber met the road. Coveted recruits can only get you so far, it’s what you do with them that matters. So far, Orgeron has failed to make them count.