Orgeron Can’t Pass on Ole Miss

Ed Orgeron, USC’s defensive line coach and recruiting coordinator, has been hired as head coach at Mississippi and will be introduced today at a news conference in Oxford, Miss.

Orgeron, 43, replaces David Cutcliffe, who was fired Dec. 1 after the Rebels finished 4-7.

It is the first head coaching job for Orgeron, a Louisiana native who was an assistant at Miami, Nicholls State and Syracuse before joining USC’s staff under former coach Paul Hackett in 1998.

The emotional, gravelly voiced Orgeron was the first coach hired by Pete Carroll after Carroll succeeded Hackett in December 2000.

“It’s a fantastic accomplishment for Ed,” Carroll said Wednesday. “I couldn’t be more excited for his opportunity. He’s just been an incredible asset to our program and he’s done so much. I’m really, really fired up that he got this. I think it’s a great job.”

Orgeron traveled to Mississippi on Wednesday and did not return phone calls. He missed the Trojans’ practice and will also miss today’s, but Carroll said Orgeron would coach in the Orange Bowl against Oklahoma on Jan. 4.

Robert Khayat, Mississippi’s chancellor, told reporters in Oxford that the school had heard from “somewhere between 30 and 50 coaches” interested in the position after Cutcliffe was fired. Cutcliffe made a reported $1.2 million annually.

Bobby Petrino of Louisville, Tyrone Willingham and Ron Zook reportedly were among those who made inquiries but removed themselves from consideration.

Khayat and Mississippi Athletic Director Pete Boone interviewed Miami defensive coordinator Randy Shannon in Florida and Orgeron in Dallas last week.

On Tuesday, they interviewed San Francisco 49er Coach Dennis Erickson in the Bay Area.

“We did not offer the job until we offered the job to Coach Orgeron and he accepted it,” Khayat said. “He’s thrilled to death about coming to Ole Miss. He knows the great opportunity.... We’re thrilled to death that he accepted.”

Said Carroll: “He won them over with his passion and his preparation for this opportunity.”

Carroll said Orgeron would not be taking any other Trojan assistants with him. Mark Jackson, USC’s director of football operations, will handle the administrative responsibilities of recruiting the next few weeks, Carroll said.

“We’ve been working at it, getting prepared for this in the likelihood that it could happen,” Carroll said. “So we’ll take it in stride to get ready for the ballgame and in the meantime [Orgeron will] do everything he can to get organized.”

Senior defensive tackle Shaun Cody, regarded by Orgeron and Carroll as the cornerstone recruit in USC’s return to prominence, called Orgeron’s departure “a tough loss for the young guys.”

Redshirt freshman Sedrick Ellis agreed. “It’s kind of hard right now.... He’s one of the reasons why I came to this school,” Ellis said. “But everyone has to do what’s best for themselves and their family.”

Redshirt freshman Lawrence Jackson said, “I’ll miss him, but I can’t dwell on it. You just have to move on.... There will never be another Coach O.”

USC is accustomed to preparing for bowl games with assistants installed elsewhere as head coaches. Last season, linebackers coach Nick Holt was hired at Idaho before the Rose Bowl but coached through the game.

“We have a good handle on how it’s going to work,” Carroll said. “We’ll give him his space to do the stuff he has to do. He has been preparing for this.”

Linebackers coach Rocky Seto handled defensive linemen Wednesday and will do so today.

Cody said when Orgeron returns for practice Monday, “he’s going to be fired up. He’ll probably watch film of today ... and we’ll probably get ripped for it.”

Carroll praised Orgeron for his contributions to a program that will be making its third consecutive appearance in a bowl championship series game.

“My faith in Eddie to do whatever he needed to do was as strong as I’ve ever had with any coach I’ve ever worked with,” Carroll said.