USC assistant expresses interest in Ole Miss vacancy

Southern Cal assistant head coach Ed Orgeron says he's interested in replacing David Cutcliffe at Mississippi.

Orgeron told The Associated Press on Tuesday that he discussed the Rebels' head football coaching vacancy Monday with Ole Miss athletic director Pete Boone.

``I've spoken to him, and they know my answers,'' Orgeron said. ``He explained his interest in me. We'll see where it goes from there.''

Boone did not return several telephone messages Tuesday seeking comment.

Orgeron, a 43-year-old native of Larose, La., has coached the Trojans' defensive line since 1998, and was named the nation's top recruiter this year by The Sporting News and Rivals.com.

He has coached the defensive lines of three national champions: two at Miami (1989 and 1991) and last year's Trojans, who were voted No. 1 in the final AP poll.

``Ole Miss is a prestigious school in the Southeastern Conference and a competitive conference,'' Orgeron told the AP by phone. ``It's a place you can win the SEC championship and contend for the national championship.''

He said he hopes to hear from Boone in the coming days.

Orgeron publicly expressed his interest in the job a day after several coaches took themselves out of the running for the job.

Among those no longer in contention are Bobby Petrino of Louisville, Paul Johnson of Navy, Dan Hawkins of Boise State, former Florida coach Ron Zook and ex-Notre Dame coach Tyrone Willingham.

Ole Miss is still identifying candidates and conducting background searches, and plans to begin formal interviews soon, chancellor Robert Khayat said Tuesday.

He declined to reveal the names of those candidates and said school officials don't plan to discuss the search with the media.

``We just decided not to talk about it any further,'' Khayat said. ``The more the press writes about it, the more confused it gets.''

Khayat previously said the university has not dropped the ball in the search process even though Petrino and Zook, two coaches thought to be atop the school's wish list, are not interested in replacing Cutcliffe, who reportedly made about $1.2 million per year.

Another possibility is former Washington coach Rick Neuheisel. His lawyer, Seattle-based Bob Sulkin, said he was unaware of Ole Miss' reported interest in him.

Petrino, considered one of the nation's hottest coaches, is 19-5 in two seasons at Louisville including 10-1 this year. He issued a statement Tuesday saying he's not leaving the Cardinals.

``I want to make it clear that I'm not interested in any other coaching jobs, and am happy at the University of Louisville,'' Petrino said.

Johnson issued a statement saying he is not a candidate to replace Cutcliffe, ``nor am I interested in pursuing the position,'' he said.

Hawkins signed a five-year, $2.6 million contract extension that could keep him with Boise State through 2009.

Zook was introduced Tuesday as the new coach at Illinois. School officials say he received a five-year contract worth about $1 million annually.

Khayat previously said school officials contacted Willingham, who was fired after three seasons at Notre Dame, but the coach said he was interested in another job.

USC coach Pete Carroll previously said he talked to Boone about Orgeron, who has family in southeastern Louisiana and whose wife is from Jonesboro, Ark.

``It would be a perfect fit for our family,'' Orgeron said.