ESPN NFL

Former University of Mississippi head coach Ed Orgeron has been hired as the New Orleans Saints' defensive line coach.

"It feels great to work with a fantastic organization like the Saints," Orgeron said. "I can't wait to get started."

Orgeron, who had been fired one day after the Rebels' season ended in a 17-14 loss to Mississippi State, met with the Saints brass earlier in the week in Mobile, Ala., while attending the Senior Bowl. The job is a homecoming of sorts for the Louisiana native. He played at Northwestern (La.) State and later coached at that school.

Before coaching at Mississippi, where he finished 10-25 in three seasons, Orgeron had been the defensive line coach/recruiting coordinator under Pete Carroll at USC. He'd also coached the defensive line for Miami under Jimmy Johnson. Orgeron helped develop Cortez Kennedy, Russell Maryland, Warren Sapp and Mike Patterson into first-round draft picks.

Bruce Feldman is a senior writer for ESPN The Magazine.