Ed Orgeron’s second stint as an interim head coach will officially begin Saturday when his LSU team hosts Missouri. Orgeron, who once served as the interim head coach at USC, was considered a serious candidate to land the Trojans’ job on a full-time basis after turning in what many felt was a spectacular performance as an interim.
Rivals.com decided to take a look at how other interim head coaching situations have played out since the start if the 2011 season. Each coach is graded solely on his work as an interim coach at the listed program.
The list is ordered alphabetically within each grade.
MORE LSU: Recruits impacted | Farrell's take | Podcast | Who should replace Miles?
GRADE: A
The Coach: Larry Scott
The school: Miami
The year: 2015
Record as interim: 4-2
The situation: Scott took over for Al Golden, who was fired following a 58-0 loss to Clemson. After posting a 4-2 record as the Hurricanes’ interim coach, he was considered as a semi-viable candidate to land the job, but failed to do so. Miami hired Mark Richt, who had been recently let go by Georgia. Scott managed to win four of Miami's five regular-season games after the Clemson disaster before losing 20-14 to Washington State in the Sun Bowl.
These days: Scott serves as the tight ends coach for Tennessee and is a major reason for the program’s increased success when it comes to recruiting the state of Florida.
GRADE: B
The coach: Clay Helton
The School: USC
The years: 2013 and 2015
Record as an interim: 6-2
The situation: Helton has twice carried the interim title at USC. He coached the school’s 2013 bowl game after previous interim coach Ed Orgeron left the program. He also coached seven games as a interim in 2015 following the dismissal of then-head coach Steve Sarkisian. After going 5-2 in place of Sarkisian, Helton saw his interim tag removed and took over on a permanent basis. Say what you will about Helton this season, but the 6-2 record he’s amassed while working as a interim head coach is impressive.
These days: Helton remains the head coach at USC, though, he’s become a bit embattled in recent weeks. Helton lost the final two games of 2015 after being named permanent head coach and is off to a 1-3 start this season despite having what many feel is a hyper-talented roster.
The coach: Tim Kish
The school: Arizona
The year: 2011
Record as interim: 3-3
The situation: Kish coached the final six games of the 2011 season after Mike Stoops was fired following a 1-5 start. Kish did an impressive job in the role as he tripled the amount of wins his predecessor racked up in the first half of the season.
These days: Kish coaches inside linebackers at Oklahoma and recruits Arizona (among other areas) for the Sooners.
GRADE: C
The coach: Clint Bowen
The school: Kansas
The year: 2014
Record as interim: 1-7
The situation: Bowen took over for Charlie Weis, who was fired mid-season after amassing a 6-22 record as the Jayhawks’ head coach. Bowen was considered a candidate to fill the role on a permanent basis, but ultimately did not get the job. However, Bowen took over a crashed program and managed to win a game, which is more than last year’s Jayhawks pulled off.
These days: Bowen remains at Kansas and serves as the defensive coordinator under current head coach David Beaty.
The Coach: Bill Cubit
The school: Illinois
The year: 2015
Record as interim: 5-6
The situation: Cubit took over as the interim coach prior to the 2015 after previous coach Tim Beckman was fired amid the injury-cover-up scandal. He coached 11 games as a interim coach before having the tag removed prior to the Illini’s final game. Still, Cubit was not long for the job. He was fired the following offseason after Illinois underwent a change in athletic director.
These days: Cubit, who was let go by Illinois rather suddenly, is not currently coaching in the college or professional ranks.
The coach: Norries Wilson
The school: Rutgers
The year: 2015
Record as interim: 1-2
The situation: Wilson filled in for head coach Kyle Flood, who was suspended for three games following an academic scandal. Flood was fired following the season, but Wilson was never considered as a long-term head coaching candidate. Wilson was a solid fill-in, and while he didn’t get to coach many games, he managed to get solid outings out of his team.
These days: Wilson remains at Rutgers despite Flood’s dismal. He coaches the program’s running backs under current head coach Chris Ash.
GRADE: D
The coach: Shawn Elliott
The school: South Carolina
The year: 2015
Record as an interim: 1-5
The situation: Elliott, then the Gamecocks’ co-offensive coordinator, took over for Steve Spurrier after Spurrier suddenly retired mid-season. He was never seriously considered to fill the role in the long term. South Carolina had more talent than it showed under Elliott.
These days: Elliott remained on South Carolina’s staff after the hiring of current head coach Will Muschamp. He currently coaches the Gamecocks’ offensive line.
The coach: Luke Fickell
The school: Ohio State
Record as an interim: 6-7
The situation: Fickell is the rare coach that carried an interim tag for an entire season. He took over following the resignation of Jim Tressel and coached the entirety of the 2011 season. The situation was difficult for Fickell, who took over in the wake of a massive NCAA investigation. Still, the 6-7 record Fickell amassed represents the Buckeyes’ only sub-.500 finish since 1999.
These days: Fickell remains on staff at Ohio State and serves as the program’s defensive coordinator
The coach: Mike Locksley
The school: Maryland
The year: 2015
Record as interim: 1-5
The situation: Locksley took over for the fired Randy Edsall, who was let go after a 2-4 start to the season. Locksley struggled to right the already-sinking ship and won just a single game as the school’s head coach. It’s hard to imagine Locksley’s 1-5 record was better than what Edsall could have pulled off had he been allowed to finish the season.
These days: Locksley currently serves as an offensive analyst at Alabama.
GRADE: INCOMPLETE
The coach: Barry Alvarez
The school: Wisconsin
The years: 2012 and 2014
Record as interim: 1-1
The situation: A longtime Wisconsin coach and Badger legend, Alvarez has twice stepped in to coach in bowl games since retiring in 2005. He filled in for Bret Bielema, who left the program for Arkansas, and also coached in place of Gary Anderson, when he left Wisconsin to become the head coach at Oregon State.
These days: Alvarez is the athletic director at Wisconsin.
The coach: Jim Chaney
The school: Tennessee
The year: 2012
Record as interim: 1-0
The situation: Chaney took over for the dismissed Derek Dooley, who was fired prior to the season’s final game. The Vols beat Kentucky 37-17 and finished 5-7.
These days: Chaney currently serves as the offensive coordinator at Georgia.
The coach: Barney Cotton
The school: Nebraska
The year: 2015
Record as interim: 0-1
The situation: Cotton took over for the fired Bo Pelini. He coached only Nebraska’s 45-42 loss to USC in the 2015 Holiday Bowl.
These days: Cotton serves as the offensive coordinator at UNLV.
The coach: D. J. Durkin
The school: Florida
The year: 2014
Record as interim: 1-0
The situation: Durkin coached Florida’s bowl game after Will Muschamp and the Gators parted ways in 2014. The Gators beat East Carolina 28-20 in the Birmingham Bowl.
These days: Durkin is the current head coach at Maryland, where he is 3-0 in his first season in the role.
The coach: Tim DeRuyter
The school: Texas A&M
The year: 2011
Record as interim: 1-0
The situation: DeRuyter coached A&M’s bowl game following the firing of Mike Sherman. DeRuyter defeated Northwestern 33-22 in the contest.
These days: DeRuyter has served as the head coach at Fresno State since 2012. He landed the job after his bowl game victory as A&M’s interim coach.
The coach: Bryan McClendon
The school: Georgia
The year: 2016
Record as interim: 1-0
The situation: McClendon coached just one game at Georgia, as he ran the show during the Bulldogs’ 24-17 win over Penn State in the 2016 Tax Slayer Bowl. He filled in for the fired Mark Richt, who was nearly immediately hired as the head coach of Miami.
These days: McClendon currently serves as co-offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach at South Carolina.
The coach: Marques Tuiasosopo
The school: Washington
The Year: 2014
Record as interim: 1-0
The situation: Tuiasosopo coached the bowl game against BYU and turned in an impressive 31-16 win over BYU. He coached the game in place of Steve Sarkisian, who left his head coaching position for the same job at USC.
These says: Tuiasosopo serves as the quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator at UCLA.
