USC Didn't Want To Hire Coach O Because They Didn't Like The Sound Of His Voice
He was told no not once, but twice.
Now, comes a story about Coach O and his time at USC. This tale reads similar to Joe Burrows. It's almost like this LSU team is a team of destiny.
What a lot of people forget about Coach O is that he was the ultimate interim head coach before LSU hired him fulltime. In 2013, after Lane Kiffin was left on a tarmac, Coach O went 6-2 as the interim head coach for USC. Why did USC go with Clay Helton instead of sticking with Coach O?
SOURCE-That has some fans of USC wondering why Orgeron didn’t get the full-time job there after the 2013 season, and FS1 sideline reporter Bruce Feldman revealed a strange reason the administration wasn’t a fan of his. Feldman went on the “Rich Eisen Show” and noted that Orgeron’s accent and personality didn’t mesh well with what USC was looking for.
“I think what you have is a guy who has continued to evolve,” Feldman said. “He made a huge jump from when he was at Ole Miss to when he was at USC. I think he’s made a significant jump after that, but I really think it’s a USC issue. You have a lot of people at USC, especially during the Pat Haden regime, who couldn’t get past what Ed Orgeron sounded like. They didn’t listen to the players. They didn’t listen to the staff. At the end of the day, Ed Oregeron is not a country club guy. I think he can relate to just about anyone.
If this doesn't scream coastal elitism, I don't know what does. USC had themselves a gem in Coach O, but decided to go with Steve Sarkisian instead. Sark didn't work out thanks to a rumored issue with alcohol. USC then went with Clay Helton. How has that worked out for them? Not great. Clay is 13-12 in the last two seasons.
I get why Haden made the decision to not hire Coach O due to his cajun voice. It probably wouldn't sound great in the country clubs of SoCal, where USC makes most of their money. However, if you win, your boosters don't give a shit how you sound. You know what Coach O does? He wins. Who gives a shit if he sounds like the Cookie Monster.