Louisiana State coach Ed Orgeron's offseason of great change … has taken yet another turn.
Oregon on Wednesday announced that the Tigers' football program had severed ties with veteran offensive line coach James Cregg.
Orgeron, per LSU's release, is immediately undertaking a national search for Cregg's replacement.
If it seems like rather odd timing, it is. But it's the second such move within the past few weeks in the Southeastern Conference.
Last month, Lane Kiffin hired former Gardner-Webb assistant coach Jake Thornton to be the Rebels' new offensive line coach. Kiffin had dispatched veteran coach Randy Clements less than a week after the end of Ole Miss' spring football camp in April.
The Tigers long ago wrapped up spring camp, and they also – like the remainder of college football – became to again host recruits this week as the NCAA's long-standing COVID-19 moratorium that barred all on-campus recruiting activities was lifted.
Cregg and Orgeron had quite a history together; in fact, Cregg, Kiffin and Orgeron all had worked together at multiple stops, including both the University of Tennessee and Southern Cal.
LSU had tabbed Cregg for its offensive line coaching position in December 2017, and he had spent the past three seasons in charge of the Tigers' offensive line.
This past season, a bit of a rebuilding year on the heels of LSU's dominant 2019 national championship season, the Tigers averaged just 121.7 yards per game and scant 3.3 ypc on the ground. They mustered just nine rushing touchdowns.
Cregg's replacement will mark the sixth new addition to Orgeron's staff since LSU concluded its 5-5 2020 campaign.
Orgeron previously overhauled both his defensive and offensive coordinator positions, as well as defensive line and quarterbacks coach. The Tigers have a new passing game coordinator as well as placing new defensive coordinator Daronte Jones, who arrived from the NFL, similar as new offensive coordinator Jake Peetz, in charge of safeties.