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Before anybody asks, the answer is no, we're not doing a monthly interview with Ed Orgeron.
It's not a bad idea, though.
I mean, I've heard much worse ideas.
Orgeron, the former LSU head coach who guided the Tigers to the 2019 national championship, spoke with the Lincoln Journal Star in early December following Nebraska's hiring of Mickey Joseph as associate head coach, receivers coach and passing game coordinator. A native of New Orleans, Joseph spent five seasons on Orgeron's staff at LSU.
Tuesday morning, Orgeron appeared on "Early Break" on 93.7 FM (6 to 8 a.m. weekdays) with yours truly and co-host Jake Sorensen. Coach "O" was excellent in discussing a variety of subjects, with a significant part of the conversation geared toward Bill Busch, also a former LSU assistant. According to sources, the 56-year-old Busch, a native of Pender, is set to be named Nebraska's special teams coordinator in the coming days.
Before working from 2018 to 2020 as LSU's safeties coach, Busch had never coached in the SEC. But he thrived on the Tigers' staff, recruiting at a high level while developing safety Grant Delpit into the 2019 Thorpe Award winner as the nation's top defensive back. Nothing's official at NU, but Busch also may be asked to help coach part of the secondary.
"First of all, Bill's a great man," Orgeron said. "He's a great communicator, and he's an outstanding recruiter. I didn't have anybody work harder than Bill Busch in recruiting. I'd get to the office early in the morning, and he'd be there texting his players. He's always on top of it. The parents loved him."
Orgeron emphasized something on which Busch can forever hang his hat.
"Bill Busch is the single most important reason that we got Joe Burrow," Orgeron said of the starting quarterback on LSU's 2019 title team. "We wouldn't have won the national championship — we wouldn't have had that sort of team — if Bill Busch was not here."
Well, then.
"Bill Busch was absolutely integral in recruiting Joe Burrow," added Orgeron, noting Busch had coached at Ohio State while Burrow was part of the Buckeye program.
"When I asked Bill about Burrow, Bill said this, 'Coach, if we get Joe Burrow, we're going to the college football playoffs, and we're going to win it,'" Orgeron recalled. "I said, 'Well, let's go get him.'"
Busch is detail-oriented. His friends tell you he's that way in all aspects of his life. To wit: He had his coaching plan for the day on Orgeron's desk every morning by 6 o'clock.
"Every day," Orgeron said. "Tips and reminders of what we were going to do in terms of installation and what we have to improve on. Very, very detailed. Very committed football coach."
Busch worked this past season on Scott Frost's staff at Nebraska as a defensive analyst who also helped Mike Dawson with special teams. Technically speaking, Busch was not an on-field coach, although he helped implement schemes and was in meetings.
Soon, however, he'll once again be part of the full-time staff. The varsity, so to speak. Many Nebraska fans remember that Busch spent 2004-07 at NU under head coach Bill Callahan coaching outside linebackers (2004) and safeties (2005-07) while also serving as special-teams coordinator.
Nebraska is important to him. He wants to be here more than anywhere else. There's a lot to be said for that. Plus, we're talking about the national defensive backs coach of the year in 2012 at Utah State, not to mention the coach responsible for recruiting not only Burrow to LSU, but Alex Smith to Utah in 2001.
Um, that's two No. 1 overall picks in the NFL Draft.
Busch's recruitment of Smith in 2001 was actually more about the coach's keen eye for talent. Although every Pac-10 school passed on Smith, Busch, then a safeties coach at Utah, saw enough in him that he insisted the Utes recruit the slender wing-T operator out of Helix High School in suburban San Diego. Although Busch wasn't a quarterbacks coach, San Diego was his recruiting area. Again, it worked out well for all involved.
Many NU fans are thrilled it's again working out for Busch at Nebraska.
A couple of other tidbits from Coach "O":
* He pointed out something about Joseph that tends to get overlooked.
"Well, think about this: Mickey was involved with (LSU offensive coaches) Joe Brady and Steve Ensminger when we put in the spread offense — the most prolific offense in college football history," Orgeron noted. "Mickey's bringing a wealth of knowledge."
* Is Orgeron's 2019 LSU outfit the best team in the history of college football?
That's for others to decide, he said.
"They've had some great teams at Nebraska, USC, Miami, Alabama," he said. "But LSU deserves to be mentioned as one of the top teams for sure."
* Orgeron, 60, is taking a year off from football. But he intends to jump back in next season.
"I've got a lot left in the tank," he said. "I'm just going to see where it's all going to lead."
For now, "I'm just working out and driving people crazy."
He blessed us with his presence Tuesday morning. You know what? We just might do it again soon.
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