In no way am I trying to discredit head coach Pete Carroll and his accomplishments while at Southern Cal, but by all my estimates, it seems as if the Trojans program has been on an incremental decline since the departure of Ed Orgeron in 2004.

Ed Orgeron arrived on campus in Los Angeles in 1998 after a brief stint as the defensive line coach at Syracuse University. In 2001, Pete Carroll was hired as the USC head coach. Immediately, Carroll promoted Orgeron to assistant head coach but more importantly, recruiting coordinator.

As recruiting coordinator, Orgeron was given the duties of finding prospects for Pete Carroll to reel into the almighty USC program. No single recruiting coordinator in college football history has ever had the kind of an impact on one school like Orgeron had on the Trojans.

Before we go there, we must remind you that Orgeron was an assistant coach for the Miami Hurricanes from 1988-1992 where he helped recruit Warren Sapp, Cortez Kennedy, and Russell Maryland.

In 1998, the USC football program was looking for redemption. Their last appearance in the Rose Bowl was in 1989. Their last consensus national championship was in 1972. This program was stuck in a rut in 1998 as in the previous two seasons, the Trojans had a combined 12-11 record.

In 1998, the USC Trojans won eight games but faltered the next two seasons and missed out on bowl appearances. 2001 came and the Santa Ana winds blew in Pete Carroll. While USC only went 6-6 that season, things began to look up as the athletes Orgeron had recruited began to have an immediate impact the following season.

In 2002, the USC Trojans were a hit nationally, as their offense was led by Heisman Trophy-winner Carson Palmer.

From that point on, USC built up its program and won national championships in 2003 & 2004. In 2005, they lost in the BCS National Championship to Vince Young & the Texas Longhorns.

Still, without Orgeron, where would have Pete Carroll been? Orgeron was the man behind the curtain in recruiting. As recruiting coordinator & assistant head coach, he helped bring in and coach 14 Trojans that ended up being first day picks in the NFL Draft. Those fourteen Trojans were:

You're currently logged into Facebook

Do you want to share your Bleacher Report activity on Facebook?