The USC Trojans caught lightning in a bottle after the firing of Lane Kiffin in the middle of last season when Ed Orgeron was named the interim head coach. Orgeron went 6-2 and was believed to be a strong candidate to be the head coach or at the least return as the defensive coordinator for USC.
When Steve Sarkisian was hired and Orgeron left the program, it was assumed he would be in line to be a head coach elsewhere this season with his value being as high as it’s ever been.
When there was an opening across the nation, Orgeron had his name bandied about as a potential candidate, but as the openings began to be filled and Orgeron remained on the coaching sidelines, it was all but a formality that “Coach O” would not be on the sidelines this season, but Orgeron tells Tim Brandon that was by design.
“It was my choice to sit out. I was offered several jobs. I wanted to sit back and take a look at my career, but really, I wanted to get back home and reconnect with my family. I wanted to watch my boys play. I have three fantastic sons and a wonderful wife. I had been living in a hotel for the last five years.
Really, I didn’t want to coach for anybody else. I love the Trojans. I loved the young men on that team and really couldn’t see myself coaching for anyone else this season. I just wanted to take this year off and reconnect with my family and see where it goes from there.
I’m definitely going to coach next year. My options are open. I don’t necessarily have to be a head football coach. I do want to be a head football coach, but I’m going to keep my options open and see what the best option is available for me next year.”
Orgeron has one son in college at LSU and two boys in high school. You have to applaud Orgeron for wanting to spend time with his family and recharge his battery before jumping back into coaching somewhere next year. He’s an ace recruiter and college is better with him coaching some team’s defensive line or coordinating a defense somewhere.
[Quotes from Coaching Search]