Orgeron wasn’t really looking for a defensive coordinator when he began shopping around for new assistants this off-season.  In fact, O was looking for aluminum cans to sell for pocket money when this braniac appeared.  But when he realized John Thompson was available, the second-year coach said it was easy to give up his title. Especially since Coach O was  the Coordinator and Ole Miss finished eleventh in total defense, even  Ed Orgeron can figure out that he was  in over his head. 

Orgeron, who had worked as Ole Miss’ defensive coordinator the past two seasons, announced on Monday that Thompson would take over in the same capacity with the Rebels.

Thompson, has 20 years of experience as a defensive coordinator at Southern Miss, Memphis, Arkansas, Florida, LSU, South Carolina, Louisiana Tech and Northwestern State and head coach at East Carolina.

Thompson’s experience intrigued Coach O, who once castrated a Bull prior to the Alabama Game. What aroused Coach O’s  ”interest”  was why Thompson,  South Carolina’s co-defensive coordinator in 2005 made a “lifestyle” decision to return to his alma mater as athletic director last May. 

But Thompson said the lure of coaching was impossible to ignore when Orgeron called “out of the blue.”