WATCH: Ed Orgeron tells crazy Adrian Peterson recruiting story
Ed Orgeron was one of many coaches in pursuit of Adrian Peterson in 2004. The former LSU coach was then an associate head coach at USC under Pete Carrol, and had a strong relationship with the running back from Palestine, Texas.
In an interview on the Dan Patrick Show, Orgeron recounted a story from when he was on the recruiting trail with the future Hall of Famer.
“We go down to see Adrian, me and Pete,” Orgeron recalled. “His mother ran track. Adrian and I had a great relationship. I felt like he and I were very tight. One time, he said ‘Coach I want you to follow me.’ We went 30 miles and stopped in this little country store. He bought a little gingerbread cookie — I couldn’t buy it for him — for supper. Then we went to a basketball game. We sat in the gym and I said, ‘What are we doing?’ He said, ‘See that guard right there? I’ve got to play him next week. I came to scout him.’ I asked him, ‘What is the key to get you here at USC?’ He said, ‘Coach, my dad is incarcerated and Bob Stoops went to see him’. Me and Pete Carrol tried to go see him but they wouldn’t let us see him. Adrian said, ‘May dad will be able to watch my games where he’s at if I go to Oklahoma.’ I tried to get the guy transferred to Los Angeles. I competed. Couldn’t get it done, but I competed.”
Peterson went on to star at Oklahoma from 2004-06. He set a Sooners freshman record after rushing for 1,925 yards and 15 touchdowns during his first season in Norman. Following a three-year stint with OU, he was selected seventh overall by the Minnesota Vikings in the 2007 NFL draft.
The highly touted running back continued his success in the NFL. He finished with 2,097 yards rushing in 2012, which ranks second all-time for a single season in the history of the league.
Orgeron left Los Angeles the following season in 2005 to become the head coach at Ole Miss. He stayed with the Rebels until 2007, compiling a 10-25 overall record with the team. He later returned to USC before finally becoming the head coach at LSU in 2016. He led the Tigers to a national championship in 2019 before parting ways with the program this past season.
USC made the national championship during the 2005 season, ultimately falling to Texas. Had Ed Orgeron been able to land Adrian Peterson, who knows how that game may have ended differently.
LSU is set to kick off the 2022 season on Sept. 4 against Florida State in Brian Kelly’s inaugural season.