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Former championship coach surprising latest twist in Razorbacks search

Arkansas looks to make splash hire in football, newest would win press conference
Jacob Davis|
Arkansas Razorbacks athletics director Hunter Yurachek on the sidelines during game against the Texas A&M Aggies at Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville, Ark.
Arkansas Razorbacks athletics director Hunter Yurachek on the sidelines during game against the Texas A&M Aggies at Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville, Ark. | Ted McClenning-allHOGS Images

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Arkansas Razorbacks

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — One major rule in any college football coaching search is it's always important to keep your head on a swivel because names can come from anywhere.

The latest name said to have interest in the Arkansas Razorbacks job is former national championship winning coach Ed Orgeron, according to On3.

It’s important to note that his communication with Arkansas doesn’t make him a candidate.

While he unfortunately flamed out two years after leading LSU to a College Football Playoff championship with a historically great roster, he looks to get back in the SEC or even out west at Oregon State.

Just a few days ago, there were three coaches at the American Conference level who had been vetted for the Arkansas job in Eric Morris (North Texas), Alex Golesh (USF) and Ryan SIlverfield (Memphis).

There have been rumors floating around that former Penn State coach James Franklin could have interest in the Arkansas job, but there seems to be little to no interest from his camp for any SEC job.

Of course Orgeron, a Louisiana native, has been looking to get back into the profession in the past few months with "for hire" interviews for various positions whether as a head coaching job, defensive coordinator or defensive line coach.

Arkansas possibly hiring a coach the caliber of Orgeron would likely fix things in the recruiting department while also managing to win not only his introudctory press conference, but all of them moving forward.

With the LSU straddling the fence after unofficially firing Brian Kelly, Orgeron joked about running it back with the Tigers once again.

"Oh, I'd love to," Orgeron said. "Are you kidding me? I'm one phone call away. Hey, I just gotta get in my truck, I could be there today."

Orgeron having his name linked to the Oregon State job shouldn't come as a surprise since he's coached on the West Coast on two separate occasions at USC from 1998-2004 and 2010-2013.

The Beavers have been a little inconsistent when the original PAC 12 dissolved after the 2023 season. Since Jonathan Williams led Oregon State to a 10-win season, the program has fallen on hard times with a 2-8 record overall.

When it comes to recruiting, there aren't many other coaches who exude the same type of swagger that Orgeron does. He carries himself as a players coach and someone who cares deeply about the young men he's entrusted within his program.

He shows up early for visits and even accompanies players nearly to the TSA checkpoint to ensure one last recruiting pitch before a prospect hops on their flight home. Even in the most trying of times at USC with scholarship restrictions, he was able to get elite talent to the program under former coach Lane Kiffin.

Should Orgeron actually be a factor in the Arkansas coaching search as On3 suggests, then it would be a homecoming of sorts for him.

Former LSU Tigers head coach Ed Orgeron
Former LSU Tigers head coach Ed Orgeron reacts in the first half against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Tiger Stadium. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Once his playing career was over at Northwestern State in Natchitoches, Louisiana, Orgeron joined the Demons' coaching staff as a graduate assistant.

He received his big break into the Power Conference football in 1986 when former Arkansas coach Ken Hatfield hired him as the assistant strength coach.

After spending two years in Fayetteville, he would be hired as defensive line coach by the Miami Hurricanes and coach Jimmy Johnson.

A few years ago, he joined former Razorbacks' linebacker David Bazzell at the Little Rock Touchdown Club and talked in length about what being a coach has meant to him. He even shared the discussion he had with former LSU athletics director Scott Woodward about his firing that went viral.

“I’m so grateful of my time with LSU,” Orgeron said. “That was my opportunity; coaches got a shelf. Some coaches got 50 years, some coaches got 12, mine was six. Good. I got to tell you, we had a meeting, they said, ‘Coach. Things are not going well.’ No [explitive], Ray Charles could see that, brother. They said, ‘Coach, you got $17.1 million on your contract. We’re going to give it to you.’ I said, ‘What time do you want me to leave and what door you want me out of, brother?’”

While he didn't start his head coaching career on the right foot with a 10-25 record at Ole Miss from 2005-2007, he was thrusted into an interim role at USC following its ouster of Kiffin.

Despite guiding the Trojans to a 6-2 record and popularity among players and fans, the school decided to hire then Washington coach Steve Sarkisian instead.

For his career, Orgeron currently holds a 67-47 overall record with seven straight seasons without a losing season.

Arkansas has floundered a bit this season, leading to a 2-7 overall record and winless mark in SEC play. With Sam Pittman out and interim coach Bobby Petrino lacking in the win colum since taking over, it comes as no surprise that the school is looking to hit the reset button from a tumultuous period of noncompetitive football.

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Jacob Davis
JACOB DAVIS

Jacob Davis is a reporter for Arkansas Razorbacks on SI, with a decade of experience covering high school and transfer portal recruiting. He has previously worked at Rivals, Saturday Down South, SB Nation and hosted podcasts with Bleav Podcast Network where his show was a finalist for podcast of the year. Native of El Dorado, he currently resides in Central Arkansas with his wife and daughter.

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