Ole Miss Announces Ed Orgeron As New Head Football Coach

ATTENDEES:
Dr. Robert C. Khayat - University Chancellor
Pete Boone - Director of Athletics
Ed Orgeron - Head Football Coach
Dr. Robert Weems - Chair of Intercollegiate Athletics Committee

Chancellor Dr. Robert C. Khayat
Good morning and thanks to everyone for being here. Today is a happy day and day of celebration for the University of Mississippi. In a minute, you will have the opportunity to hear from (Director of Athletics) Pete Boone and our new football coach, but at this time I'd like to call on Dr. Robert Weems to make a comment on behalf of the search committee.

Dr. Robert Weems
The 16-member athletics committee met with coach Ed Orgeron this morning. We don't always have 100% attendance, but we did today (crowd laughing). After an interesting and very productive meeting with Coach Orgeron, he was excused so the committee could continue its discussion on the matter. I will tell you that all 16 individuals voted enthusiastically to support and endorse the selection of Ed Orgeron as our new football coach. I would like to thank Chancellor Khayat and Pete Boone for bringing this fine man to our campus.

Chancellor Dr. Robert C. Khayat
I would like to start by thanking the entire search committee. Let me remind all of you that we are a value-driven university. Integrity is the foundation of what we do, whether it be in academics, student life or athletics. We are united as a family of Ole Miss people. As this day evolves, you will see that we have added a wonderful group to the Ole Miss family. We will not settle for mediocrity at Ole Miss. We are the leader in this state, a leader in the south and a leader in this country. We intend to be a leader in football and with our other athletics programs. We will continue to strive for excellence in all of those areas.

Let me explain the process of this hiring because it's important for you to know. When it became apparent that we would be searching for a new football coach, Pete, his staff and I talked about a process. Our first objective was to determine the type of person and the type of coach we wanted. Then, we had to identify candidates, and you can be assured that we had lots of help in that process (crowd laughing). A consulting firm was employed to run background checks on the candidates we were talking to. We had some very good prospects. Wanting to fulfill our obligation at the University of Mississippi, we fully exhausted all information sources on our candidates. We then made four visits -- to Florida, Dallas, the west coast and then southern California. We only made one offer for this position. The offer was made to Coach Orgeron and he accepted it very enthusiastically.

I'd like to address one item that you have read about in the press. Many years ago, Coach Orgeron had a very unpleasant experience that involved behavior he is not proud of. We thoroughly examined the situation and know it is something in his past. Pete Boone, the athletics committee and I are totally comfortable and confident that Coach Orgeron is going to provide the kind of role model we want for our program. He is the type of inspiring and challenging leader that we need for this football program. This is the beginning of the Orgeron Era at Ole Miss, and it's going to be a successful one (applause).

In closing, I'd like to say that it's been an absolute joy and life-enriching experience to work with Pete Boone during this process. In my opinion, the two most difficult jobs on this campus are the provost, who deals with academic matters, and director of athletics. Pete Boone has been strong, thoughtful, visionary and courageous. He has been very honest with everyone involved over the past two weeks. We are fortunate to have Pete Boone as our director of athletics and I'd like to bring him forward at this time (applause).

Director of Athletics Pete Boone
I'm not really sure what the Chancellor was talking about (crowd laughing). In all honesty, this has been a terrific experience for all involved. The process is difficult because there are so many wonderful candidates out there. Our charge was to find the best fit for Ole Miss. Going into the search, we knew the type of characteristics we were looking for. We wanted a leader who is organized and motivated. We wanted someone with an "in-your-face" defense and creative offense. We also wanted a coach's coach and a player's coach.

We got all of those qualities in Ed Orgeron. He has been a leader at Southern Cal. He has guided the special teams and led the defense when (head coach) Pete Carroll has been pulled away. Ed has been USC's assistant head coach and recruiting coordinator, which both require a lot of organization.

I talked to (New Orleans Saints running back) Deuce McAllister early in the process and mentioned Ed's name. Deuce contacted (former NFL defensive tackle) Cortez Kennedy, who played for Coach O at Miami (Fla.). Cortez said, "Coach Orgeron is a great guy, a great coach and he will get the best out of his players." So, we know what type of defensive coach he is. Southern Cal is averaging over 36 points per game and Coach O says, "that's the type of offense he wants to run" so I'm going to take his word for it (crowd laughing).

We actually have this interviewing process backwards. What we need to do is spend a day with the candidate before we offer him the job. In this case, we got to spend Tuesday on the USC campus with Coach Orgeron. We got to see the type of people he's around on a daily basis and how he interacts with those people. When we were at his office, I paid special attention to how he interacts with his players. I really got a sense for the family atmosphere at USC. The office doors are open and the players can stop by to talk with the coaches at any point. Coach Orgeron's players at USC are really happy that he has this opportunity, but also really sad to see him go. I had the chance to meet a few really good players -- (sophomore running back) LenDale White and (sophomore tailback) Reggie Bush. Coach O left and I said to LenDale, "so you really love Coach O?" He said, "yes." I responded with, "but, I thought he was a tough coach?" He looked back at me, with a very straight face, and said, "he's a damn tough coach." Coach O knew everyone at USC and everyone knew him. He's the type of person who breeds enthusiasm. No person is too big or too small for him to have a relationship with.

USC doesn't have the facilities that we have, but I couldn't see their weight room, around the five Heisman Trophies (crowd laughing). This morning, when he got to campus, we showed him where his office is going to be. One of his first comments was, "look at those practice fields." He said, "that's where we are going to get it done and build champions." He's the type of guy who knows where the work really starts and where it stops. So, at this time, I'd like to bring up our new head football coach, Ed Orgeron (applause).

Head Football Coach Ed Orgeron
Thank you very much. I want to thank the Chancellor for giving me a chance to represent the Ole Miss family and the University of Mississippi. I look forward to building a championship program here at Ole Miss.

At this time, I'd like to introduce my family -- my wife, Kelly, and my three sons, Tyler (11), Parker and Cody (5-year old twins).

Today is probably the biggest day of my life. I am really excited to be here in front of you folks. It's exciting to come back home, run this football program and help you be proud of Ole Miss. I want to build a championship program and this is how we are going to get it done...

We are going to teach our young men how to compete. We will compete in everything we do. From the time we get up in the morning until the time we go to bed. It's academics, it's the weight room, it's studying film and everything else. I want us to give great effort. The effort that these young men think is satisfactory will not be good enough until we get reach our destination. Our goal in this program will be going to the Bowl Championship Series (applause).

I want us to play with great enthusiasm. I want our players to enjoy what they're doing. These young men come to college to get a great education and to play football. I want them to have fun doing that. We want to do this the right way. We want to do it with integrity and by following all of the rules.

We are going to build a championship team with great defense. We will use a variety of defenses (one-gap and 4-3 with multiple fronts). We have to stop the run. I think you guys would agree with that... right? (applause). Our defense will be built on stopping the run. We also want to stay deep with a free safety in the post. We are not going to allow the long ball. We are going to make the opponent go 80 yards... and, I promise you, if they have to go 80, they will make mistakes. We also want to attack the ball. We are going to sack the quarterback, strip the ball and give it to our offense. That's why you play defense in the first place.

On offense, we are going to be 50-50 (run vs. pass), but we are going to open up it. We are going to create mismatches, spread the field and create empty sets. We will not be predictable (applause). I'm looking for the quarterback to be the leader of our football team. I'm looking forward to meeting that individual and working with him. I'm going to expect him to lead Ole Miss to championships -- on and off the field. Our offense will be quarterback friendly. We will protect him first. We will have short throws, move him around and give him the opportunity to make plays. If the defensive backs play tight, we will go deep. If they are off us, we will throw short passes to get first downs. I know there are a lot of "touchdown makers" in the south who we will be able to recruit.

We will also have to protect the football. At USC, we have always been among the nation's leaders in turnover ratio and that's a mindset we established on day one.

We will be dominant in recruiting. We will not take no for an answer (applause). We are going to recruit the state of Mississippi. I think the biggest thing is finding the players who will best fit our system.

I really believe one of the most important jobs I have is teaching these boys how to become men. We want them to be proud of coming to school at the University of Mississippi and want them to be proud of being a part of this football program.

The last thing I want to talk about is the Ole Miss family. I believe we can become very powerful. Our office doors will be open. Those practice fields are going to be open. I want the fans to be part of what we are doing. The coaching staff and players will be accessible. You need me to go speak somewhere? I will do it. You want to have a pep rally in the Grove this afternoon? Let's go do it (crowd laughing)! All of these things that I've talked about lead to one main goal -- building a top-of-the-line program so we can go win championships.

Thank you very much. I look forward to being your head football coach here at Ole Miss (applause).

Q&A

Q: Can you talk about your recruiting strategy and what other states you might go into?
A: First, we are going to look at the players in the state of Mississippi. Then, I will determine what we need out of state. We will look at other states, but Mississippi will always be our base for recruiting.

Q: You didn't mention special teams. Will you have a special teams coordinator, or will you handle that job yourself?
A: Special teams is very important. I was the special teams coordinator at Southern Cal. I will have a special teams coordinator, but each position coach will have a part in it. Special teams is one-third of the football game, and it will be the first meeting we have everyday. We will practice it, because it is very important.

Q: You mentioned that you were going to be the defensive coordinator. Do you have any ideas who might be on the staff and who the offensive coordinator will be?
A: I have some ideas in mind. I am still recruiting our offensive coordinator. In fact, I was on the phone with him describing the facilities. He's at Southern Cal. We should know more in a couple of days.

Q: Talk about how you will evaluate the current players.
A: We've already started evaluating them this morning with the strength coach. I am going to look at their height, weight, speed, vertical jump, bench press and all the physical stuff first. I will meet individually with each player, and I will listen to the coaches who have been here. Mostly, I will watch film and make an evaluation tape of each of player, to see how they play and if they are in the right position.

Q: Will you be retaining any coaches off the previous staff that you are aware of?
A: I plan on keeping a couple of them, but I am not able to comment on that yet.

Q: Do you believe it will be difficult to make up ground on this recruiting season and have you made any contact with any commitments?
A: They brought me the list last night. The guys who remained on the road recruiting did a very good job. They were very-well organized. I don't think we've lost any ground. We are all going to hit the road this afternoon and make up a little ground. I would say we are in very good shape.

Q: We understand you plan on coaching in the Orange Bowl. Can you take us through your plans leading up to that and balancing the two jobs?
A: I will be here Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, getting the staff together and recruiting. We start practice at USC next week. Our staff should be in place by early next week and they will have instructions on what to do around the office. Obviously with the holidays coming up, they will be spending time with their families. I will be at USC practicing and then I will be at the Orange Bowl. I think it's a great opportunity for the head coach at Ole Miss to be playing in the national championship game on Jan. 4.

Q: Talk about your first dealings with Oxford and Ole Miss for you and your family this morning.
A: We woke up (Kelly and I) and realized we were finally on central time. For the first time in my coaching career I looked at her (Kelly) and I said "We're home." It felt really good.

Q: Ole Miss had a 10-win season in 2003. How quickly do you think the program can get back to that point?
A: We are going to be good when we get good (crowd laughing).

Q: Have you noticed in watching film, are we far enough along to recruit based on needs or will you have to take the best that is out there?
A: We are going to start that this afternoon. We will look at the guys we have coming back, their height, weight, speed, etc. We will do it from A to Z and then we'll hit the ground running.

Q: What do you see as the biggest challenges?
A: The challenges will be putting together a staff, getting the right mix and doing things the way we want to do them. I look forward to capturing the team, having them do it one way and having them understand what it takes to be totally committed to winning a championship.

Q: You were openly campaigning for this job. What attracted you to the job and Ole Miss?
A: Ole Miss is a prestigious institution. Being a head coach in the Southeastern Conference has always been one of my dreams. I was at the point in my career where I thought I couldn't do any more at Southern Cal. I knew a couple of head coaching jobs would come open and Ole Miss has always been a school that I wanted to be the head coach at.

Q: Describe your coaching style for us.
A: I am aggressive, hands on, very thorough and intense. On the field you will see a lot of energy and enthusiasm. I believe in attention to detail and fundamentals. I like a tough and aggressive style of play, but the players will know that they can walk into my office at any time. We are leaders to these guys and role models. We can also help them in their personal lives.

Q: Talk about your recruiting influences. Who influenced you in terms of your philosophy and approach
A: My biggest influence was going to Syracuse. When I was at the University of Miami, we would walk into a school. There would be a line of recruiters waiting to talk to young men. I would walk in with a Miami shirt on, and I was immediately asked to come to the front of the line. When I went to Syracuse, it wasn't like that. I had to work. We had to find out how to get these young men to come to school at Syracuse. I learned how to recruit there. When I was at the Southern Cal, we would go to Oregon and Washington and there were other schools beating us in our own backyard. I always said if I had the chance to be named the recruiting coordinator, I would stop that. When Coach (Pete) Carroll came, he named me the recruiting coordinator. We put a fence around Southern California. We made sure that if a player left Southern California, it was because we didn't want him.

Q: Talk about individuals in coaching who influenced you.
A: Pete Carroll has influenced me a lot. I've watched how he goes about his business on a daily basis, and how hard he works.

Q: How different will it be recruiting in the SEC as opposed to Southern California where you had four million people around you?
A: It doesn't matter. We are going to do what we need to do. We are going to recruit for the University of Mississippi and then we'll see what happens.

Q: What are your thoughts on speed?
A: We want players on our football team who love football and want to compete at the highest level. Mike Williams (former USC wide receiver) ran a 4.65 in the 40 and I think we would take him on our football team today (crowd laughing). He has tremendous playmaking ability. Speed is a factor, but you can have too many track stars out there who don't like to get hit. Speed is a factor, but it is not the most important factor.

Q: Have you spoken to the other two candidates (Dennis Erickson, Randy Shannon)?
A: No I have not, but out of respect for this program, let me say this - they are excellent football coaches and big time friends.

Q: Talk about the Bowl Championship Series system.
A: Our goals are to win the SEC West, SEC Championship and go to the Sugar Bowl. Those are the things that we can control. The BCS is out of our control. If Ole Miss happens to go to the Sugar Bowl and the BCS would ask us to go to higher bowl, we would go.

Q: Who in life influenced you the most?
A: I would have to say my mom and my pop and then of course my wife Kelly, who came into my life. She is the boss (crowd laughing).

Q: How much did you know about Ole Miss growing up?
A: Growing up, I watched Ole Miss a lot. I watched Archie Manning a lot. I saw a lot of Ole Miss/LSU games, and I am familiar with the rivalry.

Q: (for PB) Was it just a coincidence that all three candidates had a connection to Miami?
A: Yes. I didn't know they all had a connection until after talking to all of them.

The University of Mississippi Athletics

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