Before he was a well-known recruiting rainmaker and a borderline cult figure in college football, Ed Orgeron was Syracuse's defensive line coach.
The time was 1995-97, when the Orange were a venerable Big East power. Working on Paul Pasqualoni's staff, Orgeron helped Syracuse go 27-10 in his three seasons and reach two New Year's Day bowl games.
From there Orgeron landed at USC, where he became one of the architects of Pete Carroll's Trojan Dynasty. Orgeron's profile skyrocketed from there.
Now, 20 years and six jobs later, Coach O would like to return as Syracuse's head coach.
"First of all, my days at Syracuse were fantastic," Orgeron told Syracuse.com Monday. "I learned a lot under Coach (Paul) Pasqualoni. I know Coach (Dick) MacPherson and a lot of ex-players and a lot of players who are there now.
"I have a lot of respect for Syracuse. Great private school, great education, great tradition. So, obviously, my interest would be very high. I'd be highly interested in getting that job. I think it would be a wonderful opportunity to go back there."
Orgeron said he hasn't been contacted by anyone from Syracuse but, ever the recruiter, sold his ability to recruit players to a place that sorely needs them.
"Look, man, I've recruited Miami and New York and Los Angeles," he said. "And they accepted me in every place. So I've had no problems with that. I'm here with Les Miles, who's one of the winningest coaches in LSU history. And he came down from Michigan. So I'm sure there were people who felt the same way when he got to town."