Ed Orgeron says some of the most influential lessons of his coaching career came early, while working under Jimmy Johnson with the Miami Hurricanes.
Orgeron served as a graduate assistant and defensive line coach at Miami from 1988-92, a stretch that helped shape his approach to leadership, recruiting and player development. All three qualities that are trademarks for the "Ragin' Cajun."
During an appearance on the Bussin’ with the Boys podcast, Orgeron reflected on Johnson’s presence inside the program and the balance he struck between fear and respect.
“He was phenomenal,” Orgeron said. “He’s a psychiatrist. The players loved him. The biggest, baddest player on the team feared him.”
Orgeron joked about Johnson’s larger-than-life personality, including a story about the former Miami and Dallas Cowboys coach jogging around campus shirtless — a habit Orgeron later adopted at LSU to viral fame.
“I got ridiculed for jogging with my shirt off at LSU,” Orgeron said. “But Jimmy could. So I could do it, right?”
Beyond the personality, Johnson’s innovation stood out, particularly on defense. Johnson wanted speed and versatility, frequently moving players across positions to maximize matchups. Needless to say he was ahead of his time.
“He wanted speed,” Orgeron said. “Safeties to linebacker, linebackers to defensive end, defensive end to defensive tackle.”
Orgeron said Johnson’s blueprint, along with lessons learned from Pete Carroll, influenced his stops at USC and LSU, including his emphasis on recruiting and building teams around smart quarterbacks.
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