Trojan football legends close ranks around Ed Orgeron

USC athletic director Pat Haden is still working on finding a full-time head football coach for the Trojans, but some pretty big names in school lore have already made up their minds.

Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Allen and NFL Hall-of-Famers Ronnie Lott, Anthony Munoz and Ron Yary are all getting behind interim head coach Ed Orgeron.

The four players provided the following quotes to the Los Angeles Times over the weekend:

“From the depths of despair, from a program that was flat-lining, he has made a tremendous turnaround,” said Allen, the first former player to talk to the team after Lane Kiffin was fired Sept. 29. “Here’s a guy who cares about his players, treats them like his sons, and he wants the very best for them. So he’s going to put you in the right position to be successful. He wants these guys to realize their dream, but he knows the only way to do it is to be tough.”

“To me, Ed Orgeron is like Marv Goux,” Lott said, referring to the legendary Trojans player-turned-assistant who coached at the school for three decades and died in 2002. “Ed Orgeron showed me, and showed a lot of people, that . . . in terms of moving forward, he’s got to be considered. He’s not only got to be considered, but he should be very high on the list.”

“I’d hate to be in Pat’s shoes right now,” Munoz said. “I think Ed, at least from me being there a couple of times, I think he’s done a phenomenal job. The whole atmosphere is different. Not once has he mentioned the lack of scholarships [because of NCAA sanctions]. That impresses me.

“It’s not fair for me to think for Pat,” Yary said. “But if there’s a guy who’s stepping up to earn it, [Orgeron] has so far. He’s certainly turned the program around. . . . I’ve met Ed and hear a lot of good things about him from other people. I’m sure they’ll give him a fair opportunity to get the job. If he wins the rest of the games, I think he’s put himself up for a job offer.”

Impressive quotes to be sure. But to add some perspective, consider that former USC players haven’t always been known to be the best judges of coaching talent in the past. Another Trojan Heisman winner, former athletic director Mike Garrett, hit the jackpot when hiring Pete Carroll but missed badly with Paul Hackett and Lane Kiffin. Former USC All-American wide receiver Mike Williams said the following when Garrett hired Kiffin: “God is shining on the Trojan faithful. I couldn’t imagine a better pick.” And here is what Allen said about Kiffin in 2011:

“I think Lane is doing a good job. In talking to Lane, he wants to bring back that culture of toughness and being physical to play smart football. I know that he is challenged with the amount of scholarships and so forth. I think he is headed in the right direction. I think he understands the philosophy of football as we discussed. That is where he wants to take USC which is good.”

So take all these opinions with a grain of salt. As Haden said last week:

“What Ed had done has been absolutely remarkable. He is clearly in our eyesight. We understand. It’s not just the fans. We’re sophisticated enough and know enough about this to understand the attributes that he has and he’s a known quantity.

“But my job is to find the best coach of USC, not just for this year, for five, six or eight games or next year, but hopefully for five, ten or 15 years. So we’re going to go through this process we have and at the end of the day, I think we’ll have a rational decision. And I completely understand that people are going to disagree with the decision I make, no matter who it is, right? So we’re going to get that. I’m fully prepared for that.”