Ed Orgeron drinks more energy drinks than any normal mortal should

Ed Orgeron brings a lot of energy to the sidelines every Saturday, and with that level of over-exuberence, something’s gotta be behind it.

Coffee is probably a non-starter in the sticky Louisiana heat, but an ice cold Monster Energy drink will do the job. Orgeron pounds eight to 10 per day “when [he’s] drinkin’ em.”

“If we gon’ do something here at LSU, we do it full speed, my man.”

This isn’t a new thing. From our profile of Orgeron a few years ago: “Nine years later, I’ve never had another staff source tell me about the head coach running out of Red Bull at 5 a.m. and using coffee grounds like a plug of snuff.”

Energy drinks, while still a tad problematic in their own right, are much better than the alternative liquid vice Orgeron used to overindulge in. Coach O quit drinking alcohol, but not before it landed him into some hot water back in the day.

Years later, an Orgeron colleague from their University of Miami days told me that he once had to pick up "Bebe" (Orgeron's nickname) from police custody after a night out. He said he was told by law enforcement officials seasoned in evaluating violence that Orgeron's bar fight opponent looked dead.

"The cops thought Bebe had killed the other guy. That was Bebe. He was wild."

He’s also far from the only coach who enjoys the sugary uppers. West Virginia’s Dana Holgorsen ballparked his season total intake of Red Bull at 1,000. And he got a pleasant surprise at Big 12 Media Days in 2015.

Temple’s Geoff Collins is renowned for his consumption of Mountain Dew and 5-Hour Energy from a special cup. Larry Fedora matches Orgeron’s total with a normal consumption of nine Red Bulls per day.

College football coaches are wired pretty differently from us, and it’s clear they’re powered a little differently from us, too.