Following Thursday's announcement that former Oregon State head coach Mike Riley would be taking over as the new head coach at Nebraska, speculation immediately began as to who he would be bringing for his staff.

An early report by Tom Lemming suggested that former USC defensive line coach and interim head coach Ed Orgeron would be joining the staff.

Footballscoop reported otherwise, saying no contact had been made between the two parties.

247Sports spoke to Orgeron Thursday afternoon, where the former Ole Miss head coach confirmed that he had not heard from Nebraska, but that he would definitely be interested if they called.

Orgeron has been an assistant head coach at Tennessee and USC, but has never served as a defensive coordinator at the collegiate level. Orgeron also let 247Sports know he would prefer to be defensive coordinator at Nebraska, but has not heard what Riley's preference would be, if he were interested in hiring Orgeron.

Known as a relentless recruiter with ties to the Southeast, Orgeron, a Louisiana native, would be seen as a splash hire for Riley's staff, regardless of position. Six players on the Huskers roster are from the Bayou State, with one 2015 commitment hailing from Louisiana as well.