Former Ole Miss and USC Interim Ed Orgeron's next stop

[jbcarol]

Joe SchadVerified account@schadjoe
Former Ole Miss coach Ed Orgeron will be USC's interim head coach.

Keith Niebuhr ‏@Niebuhr247 4h
RT @fbrumormill: ESPN reporting Ed Orgeron is USC's interim head coach replacing Lane Kiffin //// Coach O back in the saddle

Keith Niebuhr ‏@Niebuhr247 4h
2 days ago, @KippLAdams & I heard college football "expert" say on radio Lane's job was safe because Haden had hired him. Wrong & Wrong

[jbcarol]

Recruit reaction to Kiffin firing

Cordell Broadus
Broadus is a four-star prospect and currently ranked as the No. 6 wide receiver in the nation by 247Sports in the class of 2015. He's also the son of well-known USC supporter Snoop Dogg.

"I feel that he should have been fired a while ago and USC is going to raise the bar now because the new coaching staff next year and I'm anxious to see what they are going to look like."

[Vantage 8 dude]

Recruit reaction to Kiffin firing

Well I'll say one thing about his (Broadus') reaction: If he thought the staff should have been fired and was still committed he was obviously sold on the school, certainly not on the coaches.

[jbcarol]

Ed Orgeron will be interim football coach at USC

Longtime USC assistant coach Ed Orgeron has been chosen to be the Trojans' interim football coach, Athletic Director Pat Haden announced at a Sunday afternoon news conference.

"Ed is a good man who knows USC,"  Haden said.

Haden said Orgeron would be USC's interim coach for at least the remaining eight games. Haden would not speculate on a possible successor to Kiffin.

"It's not fair to our team," Haden said. "This is not the right time."

Haden did joke that all his candidates are "alive" and "you are all candidates in this room."

[jbcarol]

Bruce Feldman ‏@BFeldmanCBS 6h
Ed Orgeron: I really think we've got to play w some energy, circle the wagons these next eight weeks & have some fun. #USC

Bruce Feldman ‏@BFeldmanCBS 6h
Orgeron says he will open up practice to the media. (Kiffin had closed media.) #USC

[Calling All Hogs]

Hopefully Ed will do his talking via twitter. At least that way people might understand what he is saying.

[WilsonHog]

I love that dude. College football needs characters like "O."

[Vantage 8 dude]

Hopefully Ed will do his talking via twitter. At least that way people might understand what he is saying.

Well at least he knows how to say "football". As a HC what else does he need to say? LOL

[Jackrabbit Hog]

I love that dude. College football needs characters like "O."

I sure as heck loved him at Ole Miss.  Awful, awful head coach.  So I'm extremely pleased with SoCal's choice for interim.  I'm sure it will go swimmingly for them.

[DeltaBoy]

I love that dude. College football needs characters like "O."

I agree Ed is a great character.

[Razorhogs]

Ed Orgeron = John L Smith

Should be fun to watch!

[Inhogswetrust]

I guess USC decided they didn't want to win.

[SpareRib]

Can't wait for clips from the Ed O show.

[Inhogswetrust]

Can't wait for clips from the Ed O show.

That will be worth a watch if they have the USC Pom Pom girls making Jambalaya!

[Hawgon]

We need to figure out a way to get that marble mouthed Cajun on our staff.  He can flat out recruit.

[Hawg Balling]

We need to figure out a way to get that marble mouthed Cajun on our staff.  He can flat out recruit.

If Partridge ever left, I'd take Coach O in a heartbeat. 

Regardless of what people on here think about him for his antics at Tennessee, the guy was the recruiting coordinator at USC during the glory years of the Carroll era, recruited a ton of talent at freaking Ole Miss and left Houston Nutt a stocked cupboard, logged a top recruiting class at Tennessee and was primed for another one before they left, and consistently pulled in top talent again at USC even after the sanctions hit.

[jbcarol]

Ryan Abraham ‏@insidetroy 1h
Orgeron said he had learned since his last head coaching job and joked that he didn't take his shirt off this time. #USC

Bruce Feldman ‏@BFeldmanCBS 1h
This won't be boring. RT @RegisterUSC: Orgeron, on restoring sweets to training-table meals: "Feed a lineman a cookie, he's happy." #USC

[hawg_heaven]

We need to figure out a way to get that marble mouthed Cajun on our staff.  He can flat out recruit.

If I remember correctly, his specialty is linebackers. I am sure he can coach any defensive position though.

One thing about Coach O. You may not be able to understand him, but he can recruit with the best of them.

[Hawg Balling]

If I remember correctly, his specialty is linebackers. I am sure he can coach any defensive position though.

One thing about Coach O. You may not be able to understand him, but he can recruit with the best of them.

He's a career defensive line coach. 

[DeltaBoy]

I lost respect for Pat Hayden as soon as I read he fired Lane at the Airport.   I will miss Lana the most.

[NoNC4Tubs]

Hahaha

What a slap to Kiffin!

Pretty bad when you get fired and replaced with Orgeron.........

[jbcarol]

Will Ferrell does his impression of Southern Cal's Ed Orgeron (audio)

"We gonna let the defensive linemen wrestle alligators," Ferrell joked in Orgeron's accent. "We gonna throw some voodoo magic in there. You know, a lot of chicken blood and amulets. Things like that."

It begins at the 2:30 mark (at link).

http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2013/10/will_ferrell_does_his_impressi.html

[NaturalStateReb]

They'll continue to suck under Unfrozen Caveman Ballcoach.  Been there, done that.

[jbcarol]

According to ESPN.com's Travis Haney, USC is willing to pay its next head coach $6 million a year. Alabama's Nick Saban makes just under $5.4 million in base pay according to USA Today.

"This hire means that much to them," a source told Haney.

[jbcarol]

The once-glamorous program thought it would "Win Forever."

"He's changed the energy level," Haden said of Orgeron, who was immediately named interim Sept. 29. "The kids love playing for him."

The Twitter account of USC's famed marching band reported this week that Coach O had written personal letter thanking each member.

"Let's just have fun," Haden labeled the current environment. "It's kind of ridiculous to say that because college athletics is supposed to be fun. I'm almost embarrassed to say that, that we're having fun."

"No disrespect to the coach who was here before ... but you want a coach that you will freaking just go to war for every time ...," quarterback Cody Kessler said shortly after Orgeron was elevated. "I don't only speak for myself. I speak for the whole team. We would go to war for this guy any day of the week. Any time he needed us we have his back 100 percent."

It is still LA, where overnight sensations always seem possible...

http://www.cbssports.com/collegefootball/writer/dennis-dodd/24238497/weekend-watch-list-with-coach-o-running-show-fun-winning-back-at-usc

Orgeron left a stockpile of NFL-type talent for Ole Miss. The article notes that he has changed his coaching ways from then to now. On his way out the door, four years later, Nutt was still blaming Orgeron for leaving the cupboard bare.

[jbcarol]

USC gets a home win over Stanford 20-17.

[cosmodrum]

Good for Ed O.

[hobhog]

Also reported that Jack Del Rio interviewed for the job.

USC has an interesting situation on their hands. Coach O sure didn't show much at ole miss, but players sure like him. Wonder if Pat Haden can put up with his style/personality.

He'd be risky hire IMO, but never know.

[hogsevenseven]

I think Hayden could keep Orgeron for quite a bit less than $6M.  The players love him though that may not matter.  I don't care too much for USC, but it would be a good story for Ed O to at least get a chance.

[jdelo77]

Orgeron should get a head coaching job somewhere !

[jbcarol]

The Maxwell Football Club released its list of 16 semifinalists for its Coach of the Year award Wednesday and, of course, USC's Ed Orgeron is a part of that elite group.

[jbcarol]

"That's easy. That's already done. It should be Ed Orgeron," Lane Kiffin said. "How can you argue what he's done? You have someone right there who has been at SC in some great times, he's won national championships there, he understands the Trojan way, the players love him and the assistant coaches love him. How could you even possibly consider bringing in someone from the outside who isn't really going to know USC, even if he played there 30 years ago."

[jbcarol]

USC beat Colorado 37-14 at Folsom.

[jbcarol]

Marcus Allen has seen enough. He's convinced.
The 1981 Heisman Trophy winner from USC said Ed Orgeron has sufficiently proved he deserves to drop the interim title and become the Trojans' head football coach. Allen isn't part of any selection committee, but if he were, he would hire Orgeron.

"From the depths of despair, from a program that was flat-lining, he has made a tremendous turnaround," said Allen, the first former player to talk to the team after Lane Kiffin was fired Sept. 29. "Here's a guy who cares about his players, treats them like his sons, and he wants the very best for them. So he's going to put you in the right position to be successful. He wants these guys to realize their dream, but he knows the only way to do it is to be tough."

Four former USC players, all in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, were asked for their opinions on the school's coaching situation and Orgeron...

"To me, Ed Orgeron is like Marv Goux," Ronnie Lott said, referring to the legendary Trojans player-turned-assistant who coached at the school for three decades and died in 2002. "Ed Orgeron showed me, and showed a lot of people, that . . . in terms of moving forward, he's got to be considered. He's not only got to be considered, but he should be very high on the list."

"I'd hate to be in Pat's shoes right now," Anthony Munoz said. "I think Ed, at least from me being there a couple of times, I think he's done a phenomenal job. The whole atmosphere is different. Not once has he mentioned the lack of scholarships [because of NCAA sanctions]. That impresses me.

"When you hear the quarterback talk about how much he loves the guy, just going by the tweets, you can see that guys just love him. I'm sure there's people that want the high-profile names, but I don't know. If he wins out, he's got to be strongly considered."

Ron Yary was more careful in his response.

Jack Del Rio, the former USC linebacker, interviewed Nov. 1 in Denver.

[jbcarol]

You can count UCLA coach Jim Mora, Orgeron's opposition on Saturday, as one of those supporters. After practice on Monday, Mora was asked if he saw anything different from USC since the dismissal of Lane Kiffin.

"It looks like they're having a lot of fun playing football," Mora said of the Orgeron-led Trojans. "Confidence. He gave them a real spark. When you come into a situation like that where you're an interim head coach and the likelihood of you being retained from the outside perception, it really frees you up to go after it. Coach O, I think everybody that knows him knows he has an infectious personality. You see it in the way his team plays.

"I don't know if I'm allowed to tell you this, but I'm going to tell you this: I voted for him for Pac-12 Coach of the Year last night. That's what kind of job I think he's done."

Some are saying the best situation is to get another headliner head coach and persuade Orgeron to stay on.

[jbcarol]

With multiple reports that USC has hired Steve Sarkisian, no word yet on the future of interim Ed Orgeron.

[jbcarol]

Brett McMurphy ‏@McMurphyESPN 18m
Ed Orgeron "outraged" didn't receive USC job & resigns. OC Clay Helton expected to coach bowl, source told @ESPN

[Calling All Hogs]

We need to go after Coach O with big bucks.

[SteveInArk]

Brett McMurphy ‏@McMurphyESPN 18m
Ed Orgeron "outraged" didn't receive USC job & resigns. OC Clay Helton expected to coach bowl, source told @ESPN

Good for Orgeron ....  though he likely has behind-the-scenes offers sitting on his agent's desk, in case of this, a likely decision by Haden.

[jbcarol]

Bruce Feldman ‏@BFeldmanCBS 21h
Pat Haden says he hopes Ed Orgeron goes somewhere "and makes me look like an idiot." #USC

[jbcarol]

ICYMI: Tears streamed down the cheeks of USC players on Monday after they said an emotional goodbye to one coach and readied for the arrival of another.

"It's awesome to be home," Sarkisian said after meeting with the team Monday night. "It's been an emotional day or so for the players here, for myself and for my former team and those kids up in Seattle.

"But it's awesome to be back. I'm fired..."

"We kept coming back to Sark," Haden said.

Orgeron cried during an emotional meeting with players at the McKay Center in the afternoon.

"I've known Coach O since I was four years old and I've never seen Coach O cry before," said senior offensive lineman Kevin Graf, whose brother, Derek, and father, Allan, played at USC.

During the meeting, players were informed that offensive coordinator Clay Helton would coach them in their bowl game. Nearly all players exited without comment, some shaking their heads and wiping tears from their eyes.

Others still seemed stunned.

No word yet on Ed Orgeron's next destination.

[rocknrollcoastie]

When I first heard somebody mention this I thought it was just an Astate pipe dream...apparently not

http://coachingsearch.com/article?a=What-if-Arkansas-State-hires-Ed-Orgeron

[nextlevel]

Yaw yaw football yaw yaw Indians yaw yaw red bull.

[YodaHog]

Would be a home run hire, but they would run the risk of another one and done.

[rocknrollcoastie]

After the fiasco at Ole Miss I think it may take Ed more than one year to prove he can be a head coach plus his wife is from Jonesboro she may not want to move after a year....happy wife happy life

[ShadowTheHedgehog]

'Oregano' should come and help us recruit. Pay him what he wants.

[The real Hogules]

Perhaps Butch Davis will roll the dice and become the ASU-J head coach, if none of the bigger teams from a power conference comes calling in the next few weeks!

Don't laugh, stranger things have happened.........................

[ricepig]

Perhaps Butch Davis will roll the dice and become the ASU-J head coaching position, if none of the bigger teams from a power conference comes calling in the next few weeks!

Don't laugh, stranger things have happened.........................

They might be surprised at the amount of money he could bring in, compared to Gus.

[3kgthog]

They'd get run into the ground just like he did at OM. He can recruit, but don't take the results at USC as proof he's a good coach. Those kids were playing off of newness and emotion. That doesn't last just like Nutt's rah rah didn't last. Take away a handful of once-in-a-generation in-state talent and Nutt was an overall sub .500 coach here.

[GuvHog]

Would be a home run hire, but they would run the risk of another one and done.

If they get a good Head Coach, they run the risk anyway no matter who the coach is.