Former LSU head coach Ed Orgeron says he regularly consumed between 12 and 15 Red Bulls a day at the height of his coaching career.
Orgeron made the admission during a recent appearance on the Pardon My Take podcast, where he spoke candidly about life as a major college football coach.
Asked about his well-known love of energy drinks, Orgeron acknowledged that his consumption had once reached extreme levels.
‘I’ve gotten down to maybe six,’ he said, referring to how many Red Bulls he drinks now. When pressed on how many he used to consume while coaching, he said, ‘Oh, 12 to 15 easily.’
A single 12-ounce can of Red Bull contains about 111 milligrams of caffeine, meaning Orgeron may have been ingesting anywhere from 1,332 to 1,665 milligrams of caffeine per day.
Even if he was drinking the smaller 8.4-ounce cans – each with about 77 milligrams of caffeine – his daily total would still fall between 924 and 1,155 milligrams.
Former LSU head coach Ed Orgeron says he consumed between 12 and 15 Red Bulls a day
Orgeron reached the summit of college football during his time coaching LSU from 2016-2021
For comparison, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration recommends that healthy adults limit their caffeine intake to no more than 400 milligrams per day.
Regularly consuming significantly more than that amount can increase the risk of heart palpitations, high blood pressure, anxiety and other cardiovascular concerns.
Coaching at the FBS level is known for its grueling hours and high-pressure environment.
Orgeron’s schedule during his tenure at LSU, which included a national championship win in 2019, was likely no exception.
Orgeron made a name for himself as the head coach of the LSU Tigers from 2016 to 2021, especially after the team went on a 15-0 run during the 2019 season.
It ultimately led to the Tigers winning a national championship in January 2020 under then-quarterback Joe Burrow – defeating the Clemson Tigers.
Two seasons later and Orgeron was out of the door at LSU.
Brian Kelly was named as his successor in November 2021 after guiding Notre Dame back into the College Football Playoff in 2018 and 2020.
