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Ed Orgeron was Syracuse's defensive line coach from 1995 to 1997.
(Dick Blume | The Post-Standard)
Syracuse, N.Y. — His name may or may not be on Mark Coyle's list of head-coaching candidates, but Ed Orgeron would be considered something of a people's choice guy to replace the dismissed Scott Shafer.
And earlier today, Orgeron declared that he'd be more than merely intrigued to return to Central New York.
"First of all, my days at Syracuse were fantastic," Orgeron said during a telephone conversation. "I learned a lot under Coach (Paul) Pasqualoni. I know Coach (Dick) MacPherson and a lot of ex-players and a lot of players who are there now.
"I have a lot of respect for Syracuse. Great private school, great education, great tradition. So, obviously, my interest would be very high. I'd be highly interested in getting that job. I think it would be a wonderful opportunity to go back there."
Orgeron, 54, widely-renowned as a master recruiter, is the defensive line coach at Louisiana State. But among the stints he's had, in some capacity or another with 11 programs (including the NFL's New Orleans Saints), was his turn as the Orange's defensive line coach under Pasqualoni in 1995, '96 and '97.
SU went 27-10 during that stretch and earned invitations to three bowls — the Gator, Liberty and Fiesta. So, Orgeron knows the lay of the Orange land and claims not to understand why some folks consider SU a coaching graveyard.
"It wasn't like that when I was there," he said. "My respect for Syracuse has always been high. I thought Coach Pasqualoni had an excellent plan in recruiting New York. And then we went down and got players in Florida. And we got Donavan McNabb out of Chicago.
"So it can be done. There's a great tradition there. I think if you get the right mindset and the right people, then it's a fantastic job."
Orgeron, born and raised in Louisiana and in possession of a thick Cajun accent, would not seem to fit the mold some people have of an Orange head coach. Shafer's successor, they'll tell you, should be a fellow with northeastern roots and northeastern contacts.
But today, the colorful Orgeron — who played himself in the 2009 movie, "The Blind Side," and acted in scenes with Oscar-winning actress Sandra Bullock — rejected that thought.
"Look, man, I've recruited Miami and New York and Los Angeles," he said. "And they accepted me in every place. So I've had no problems with that. I'm here with Les Miles, who's one of the winningest coaches in LSU history. And he came down from Michigan. So I'm sure there were people who felt the same way when he got to town."
Orgeron did serve as the head coach for three seasons at Mississippi (2005, '06, '07) and as the interim head coach for part of a single campaign at Southern (2013), compiling an overall record of 16-27.
He'd like nothing better than to improve those numbers, right there in Syracuse, which was the first major school to offer him a job following two career-derailing incidents — the abuse of a woman in 1991 and a bar fight in 1992.
"But, no, I haven't had any contact with anybody up there," Orgeron said. "But if there was interest on their part, there would be obvious interest on in my part. So, let's see how it goes."
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