A familiar face in the college football world paid a visit to Southern Miss to motivate Charles Huff’s team before its 2025 debut against Mississippi State.
National championship-winning frontman Ed Orgeron, colloquially known as “Coach O,” was in Hattiesburg on Wednesday, where he spoke with the Golden Eagles’ football team ahead of their home opener against the Bulldogs.
Orgeron, along with Heisman-winner Joe Burrow and an immensely talented cast of offensive weapons, helped lead LSU on a title run in 2019. Though the honeymoon didn’t last long in the bayou, as Orgeron was officially relieved of his head coaching duties following the 2021 campaign, Coach O remains connected to the game he loves.
Enjoyed having Coach ⭕️ in the black & gold@Coach_EdOrgeron | #SMTTT pic.twitter.com/yFdWSmfgJT
— Southern Miss Football (@SouthernMissFB) August 27, 2025
No stranger to Mississippi, Orgeron served as the head coach at Ole Miss from 2005-07. The proud Cajun, with a thick accent that highlights his Louisiana roots, later went on to hold defensive coaching roles with the New Orleans Saints, Tennessee Volunteers, and USC Trojans. He was later bumped to interim head coach at USC before heading back down south to coach at LSU.
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As for Southern Miss, the program’s season opener won’t be the typical “David vs. Goliath” normally displayed when a lower-conference team faces a foe from the SEC. Huff, coming off a Sun Belt championship run at Marshall, has overloaded the Golden Eagles’ roster and is looking to restore a winning tradition to Hattiesburg.
The battle between Southern Miss and Mississippi State will kick off at 11 a.m. CT on Saturday and will be aired on ESPN, along with participating SuperTalk Mississippi stations. The Bulldogs lead the all-time series against the Golden Eagles 16-14-1 and have won in the last six meetings.
