Ed Orgeron's reign as USC's coach is over.
After the school hired Steve Sarkisian to be its next coach, Orgeron tendered his resignation. Per ESPN, he was not pleased that he was passed over for the job.
Orgeron was "outraged" by athletic director Pat Haden's decision, even though Haden offered to make Orgeron an assistant head coach and one of the nation's highest paid assistants, according to the source.
Orgeron became a deserving candidate with his success as USC's interim coach after Lane Kiffin was fired. Under Orgeron, USC was 5-2. Orgeron's Trojans beat Stanford, but those losses came to rivals Notre Dame and UCLA, the latter coming in a 35-14 blowout on Saturday. Did that have any impact on his fate?
Some Trojans were visibly saddened about Orgeron's departure after a meeting.
Several #USC players emerge from McKay Center with tears rolling down their cheeks.
— Gary Klein (@LATimesklein) December 2, 2013
As the discussion surrounding USC's next coach intensified, the possibility of Orgeron staying as an assistant if he didn't receive the job was bandied about. However, it wasn't seriously considered as realistic given the awkwardness that would likely unfold. USC's players loved Orgeron and the stark departure that he was from his predecessor Kiffin. How so? He brought back dessert and brought in fast food.
Offensive coordinator Clay Helton is expected to coach the Trojans in the bowl game before Sarkisian takes over. Helton assumed the playcalling duties after Kiffin's firing.
Kiffin was fired after USC's 62-41 loss to Arizona State on September 28 and he publicly supported Orgeron's candidacy for head coach.
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Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
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