Remembering when Ed Orgeron attempted a prison transport on the recruiting trail

Recently, Josh Pate suggested, "USC needs to act like USC." Many fans have wondered what that means, and I have an idea. I believe Pate is asserting that the Trojans must get back to recruiting like alphas. Lincoln Riley's program must end its finesse recruiting approach, which is overly reliant on Hollywood proximity, and get aggressive.

Aggressive recruiting was a staple of Pete Carroll's successful tenure in Southern California. Among his many assistants, none was more aggressive (and creative) on the recruiting trail than Ed Orgeron.

In a February 2022 interview with Dan Patrick, the former USC assistant coach described his efforts to lure running back Adrian Peterson to Troy. Orgeron says he had a great relationship with Peterson's mother, and Peterson was a big fan of Carroll. However, the eventual Minnesota Vikings' running back was inclined to remain in Oklahoma so that his incarcerated father could watch Sooners' games on TV.

Such prompted Orgeron to try and get Peterson's father transferred to a Los Angeles prison.

"I tried to get the guy transferred to Los Angeles… I competed, couldn't get it done, but I competed."

Ed Orgeron

Coach O didn't elaborate on what he tried, but I'm guessing he made some phone calls to the Oklahoma State Attorney's office and the Department of Corrections. Either way, Orgeron's story exemplifies the 'whatever it takes' mantra of USC recruiting during Carroll's era.

When Pete Carroll arrived in 2001, Orgeron was already a defensive assistant with the Trojans. Carroll then dual-hatted the defensive line specialist as recruiting coordinator; the rest is history. From 2001 to 04, USC's football recruiting classes ranked nationally at Nos. 20, 8, 2, and 2.

Matt Leinart, Mike Williams, Ryan Kalil, Reggie Bush, and LenDale White are a handful of the players the Trojans brought to Los Angeles while Orgeron was in charge of football recruiting. Of course, all five players were key components of college football's first dynasty program of the millennium.

USC getting back to 'being USC' doesn't require requesting prisoner transports. But Riley's program needs to grab the NIL bag and start outbidding Oregon, Texas, and Ohio State. Trojan fans have had enough of lingering outside the Top 5 in recruiting rankings. USC is a blueblood program that needs to act like one.