NEW ORLEANS — President Donald Trump called LSU head coach Ed Orgeron following the Tigers' historic win against Oklahoma in the Peach Bowl, Sports Illustrated reports.
Trump called Coach O on Monday morning following No 1. LSU's 63-28 thrashing of the No 4. Sooners over the weekend. The win sends the Tigers to the national championship game in New Orleans on Jan. 14, where they'll host the No 3. Clemson Tigers.
Orgeron confirmed the conversation to CollegePressBox reporters and said he was surprised and honored by the call.
"I was very honored to get a call from President Trump. He was very pleasant to talk to, very complimentary of our football team, our coaching staff, complimentary of the way the state of Louisiana has rallied around us, and was complimentary to the way we played all year and wished us good luck in the game," Orgeron said.
When asked about the moment he got the call, Orgeron said he initial thought it was the president of LSU, not the President of the United States.
"They told me the president's office called, and I thought it was the president of the university. He said, 'no, the White House.' I said, 'okay, here we go,'" he said.
It's unclear if Trump plans to attend the championship game in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. He was in Bryant-Denny Stadium when the Tigers defeated Alabama in November.
Louisiana is a strong base for Trump, where he won 58 percent of the vote in the 2016 presidential election and received the most individuals votes from Louisianans than any other candidate, SI reports.
As the SI article points out, Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards, a huge supporter of Coach Orgeron and the Tigers, also tweeted out his congratulations following the Peach Bowl victory.
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