Ed Orgeron to reportedly interview NFL assistant with Louisiana history for DC position
By Keith Farner
Published:
As LSU coach Ed Orgeron moves on in his search for a defensive coordinator to replace Bo Pelini, he has once again looked to the NFL.
Daronte Jones, the defensive backs coach with the Minnesota Vikings, will in fact interview for the job, according to Adam Rittenberg of ESPN. Jones has coached DBs at Wisconsin, Hawaii and UCLA, as well as with the Bengals and Dolphins, and in the CFL. Jones also coached at two Louisiana high schools, Jeanerette (2004) and Franklin (2003). He also spent the 2002 season coaching safeties at Nicholls State.
Orgeron has appeared to be close to a hire for several weeks after he first zeroed in on Cincinnati defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman, but he ultimately left Cincinnati for the same position at Notre Dame.
Then Orgeron moved to New Orleans Saints defensive line coach Ryan Nielsen, who coached with Orgeron at Ole Miss, and played for the LSU coach when Orgeron was an assistant at Southern Cal. He was called a “primary candidate” by Orgeron on a Baton Rouge radio show Tuesday morning. But Nielsen’s move to LSU hit a snag because of his contract with the Saints, as it reportedly didn’t allow him to leave for a college job.
Orgeron has repeatedly said that he’s looking for the right fit for the position, so we’ll see if Jones is that coach.
A former newspaper veteran, Keith Farner is a news manager for Saturday Down South.
