ASSISTANT COACHES
become a four-year starting defensive lineman at Northwestern State, captaining the Demons as a senior. Orgeron recently was named to Northwestern State's Top 100 Players in 100 Years of Demon Football. Orgeron and his wife, Kelly, have three sons, Tyler, 17, and 11-year-old twins Parker and Cody.
Ed Orgeron
UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE
Assistant Head Coach Recruiting Coordinator Defensive Line
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Ed Orgeron returns to college football as Tennessee's assistant head coach, recruiting coordinator and defensive line coach. The Larose, La., native spent last season as defensive line coach for the New Orleans Saints following more than 20 years in the collegiate game. Included in that tenure was a three-year turn as head coach at Mississippi after successful assistant coaching stops at Miami, Syracuse and Southern California. Vols head coach Lane Kiffin and Orgeron were assistant coaches together under USC head coach Pete Carroll from 2001-04. "When Lane was mentioned as a possibility for being the head coach at UT, there was no doubt in my mind that I wanted to join him,” Orgeron said. “When he got the best defensive coordinator in the history of college football to join him in Monte Kiffin, I knew this was a place that I wanted to come.” Orgeron long has been regarded as a premier defensive line coach and recruiter. He stockpiled talent during his three seasons at Ole Miss after playing a key role in the Trojans winning national championships in 2003 and 2004. Orgeron joined the USC staff in January 1998, took on the added responsibility of recruiting coordinator for the Trojans in 2001, and was then named assistant head coach in 2003. USC's 2002, 2003 and 2004 recruiting classes were ranked among the nation's top five, with the 2003 and 2004 groups listed by many as No. 1. Orgeron was named the 2004 National Recruiter of the Year by Sporting News and Rivals.com. “It was extremely, extremely important to get Ed Orgeron for two main reasons,” Kiffin said. “No. 1, he's the best defensive line coach in the country, NFL or college. We are able to bring in somebody who has put a number of first-round picks into the NFL, who’s coached guys, put them on the field right away and made them the best players they could be to get them ready for the day they go to the NFL. “No. 2, he's best recruiter anywhere, anywhere in the country, any conference. If you look at the SEC right now, one of the most talented teams in the SEC is Ole Miss. Ed Orgeron, as everyone knows here, put that team together and you see what's happening with that team right now.” During his seven years at USC, the Trojans played in five bowls including BCS appearances in the 2003 Orange, 2004 Rose and 2005 Orange bowls. 2009 VOLUNTEERS FOOTBALL
PERSONAL DATA
BORN July 27, 1961; Larose, La.
EDUCATION South Lafourche High School, Galliano, La.; Northwestern State University 1984. COLLEGE FOOTBALL Defensive Lineman, Northwestern State 1980-83.
COACHING CAREER Northwestern State 1984 (graduate assistant), McNeese State 1985 (graduate assistant), Arkansas 1986-87, Miami 1988-92, Nicholls State 1994, Syracuse 1995-97, Southern California 1998-2004, Mississippi 2005-07 (head coach), New Orleans Saints 2008, Tennessee 2009-present. WIFE Kelly Orgeron.
CHILDREN Tyler, Parker and Cody.
BOWL GAME COACHING HISTORY
Prior to joining the USC staff, Orgeron was defensive line coach at Syracuse from 1995-97. He came to the Orange from Nicholls State, where he was the linebackers coach in 1994. Orgeron was also a one-year graduate assistant and then the defensive line coach at Miami from 1988-92, coaching eight All-Americas in that time including NFL first-rounders Cortez Kennedy, Russell Maryland and Warren Sapp. During his tenure at Miami, the Hurricanes won the 1989 and 1991 national championships while appearing in five straight New Year's Day bowls -- 1989 and 1992 Orange, 1990 and 1993 Sugar, and 1991 Cotton. Orgeron got his start in coaching as a graduate assistant at Northwestern State, his alma mater, in 1984 and also was a graduate assistant at McNeese State in 1985, working with the defensive line at both schools. He then served as an assistant strength coach at Arkansas from 198687. After compiling an outstanding prep career in football, basketball and track at South Lafourche High School in Galliano, La., Orgeron went on to
1987 Orange, 1987 Liberty, 1989 Orange, 1990 Sugar, 1991 Cotton, 1992 Orange, 1993 Sugar, 1996 Gator, 1996 Liberty, 1997 Fiesta, 1998 Sun, 2001 Las Vegas, 2003 Orange, 2004 Rose, 2005 Orange.