Now this is a first year coach to be proud of!

You never know what you will get when you hire a new coach. This says it all:

"At least 14 players, including nine members of Orgeron's first recruiting class, have split."

http://www.sunherald.com/mld/sunherald/sports/13381226.htm

Ole Miss bombs just keep dropping



Ole Miss coach Ed Orgeron told us he couldn't wait to get on the recruiting trail after the Rebels' embarrassing loss to Mississippi State last month in Starkville.
It's where he forged his reputation, after all, and recruiting is the lifeblood of any college football program.
Orgeron generated a lot of buzz in Oxford with his tough-talking, hard-charging style, but that was before the Rebels actually took the field in September.
Since then, they've been pretty much a dud.
And now, Ole Miss has been hit with the biggest bombshell yet.
Quarterback Ethan Flatt will not be returning for his senior year with the Rebels.
The move had been expected. Flatt sent strong signals that this would be the case before the Egg Bowl, when Jerious Norwood and Mississippi State clobbered Ole Miss 35-14.
The lanky 6-foot-6 quarterback declined comment when reached by the Clarion-Ledger, which learned about his decision from sources within the Ole Miss program.
Flatt would have been the obvious front-runner at quarterback for the 2006 season if he chose to play at Ole Miss, but he figured he'd be better off by taking a pass.
Whether that's an indictment on Orgeron's coaching style is subject to your perspective, but Flatt's departure is just the latest in a series of defections. At least 14 players, including nine members of Orgeron's first recruiting class, have split.
Former Moss Point linebacker Marquis McBeath left for Pearl River Community College in the final stages of two-a-days. Alan Abrams, a tailback from Florida who had previously shown some promise, quit in the middle of the season. And the defections aren't limited to the field.
Matt Luke, the Rebels' tight ends/assistant offensive line coach, took the same job with Tennessee earlier this month. Luke, the former Gulfport High standout, played center at Ole Miss and has always shown a keen loyalty to the school. But he would rather work with David Cutcliffe, the fired Ole Miss coach who has resurfaced with the Vols, than Orgeron, and that says a lot.
Never mind the Noel Mazzone disaster and the clumsy way that situation was handled. Orgeron wouldn't address Mazzone's impending firing until the Rebs put the finishing touches on their 3-8 season, and then he trotted out the tired line that Mazzone still would be employed by the university.
When, in actuality, it meant he would just get paid.
Flatt decided he'd seen enough. The Rebels had a pretty fair defense, with the exception of the final two games against LSU and Mississippi State, but they had one of the worst offensive seasons in school history. They couldn't run the ball, and they didn't throw it very well, either. Their offensive line play was dreadful.
Orgeron is left to clean up the mess, and it's getting bigger all the time.
The Rebels' coach has to hire an offensive coordinator, and come up with an offensive system he can live with. He's got to establish a plan at quarterback. He needs to develop some consistency within his coaching staff.
Orgeron obviously isn't sold on Robert Lane at quarterback. He moved Lane to fullback during the season, and Lane handled it pretty well. But it's hard to see Lane making a successful transition back to quarterback, when he doesn't have the confidence of his coach.
Which may be the bottom line for Ed Orgeron and the Rebels.
He's screamed and he's scolded but he hasn't gained the players' trust.
And until that happens, it's hard to envision Ole Miss doing anything worthwhile in 2006, or eyond.

 

Did Flatt just quit playing football or something? Unless something's changed, you can't transfer after your junior season, so does this mean he's just walking away from a full-ride scholarship and shot at a starting QB gig?

 

Marco Killingsworth left AU basketball for Indiana when Ellis was fired. He was a Jr. Lit up Duke the other day, 34 points and 10 boards.

 

I guess all these players got tired of coach O ripping his shirt off.:grin:

 

It seems O should have worried about building a fence around Oxford instead of Mphs.

 

Yes, he's moving on to better things than Ole Miss football...law school. It's beyond me why kids waste college football careers at Ole Miss.

 

Well if you are scared of competiton like Robert Lane it makes perfect sense to go to a perennial bottom feeder with very little talent.

 

Firing David Cutcliffe was about the worst move Ole Miss could have made. His replacement came right from the psych ward.

 

That and the fact that Coach O was never even a coordinator before taking over the Ole Miss job...nobody wanted to coach there apparently. I don't know why, from what those Ole Piss fans say they've been a football power, you know one of those powers who considers a December trip to Shreveport a GREAT season.

 

Yes recruiting is very important, however, unfortunately for Coach Eaux, you have to be able to do something with a recruit once he arrives on campus. I can still visualize Flatt coming off of the sidelines during the LSU game on Eaux ripping right into him.