The Oregon State football coaching search is underway, and several names have been floated as potential candidates for the job. It is early in the process as the coaching carousel continues to spin across college football.

As the search rolls on, barring a major announcement or change in the search dynamics, The Oregonian/OregonLive will examine some of the potential candidates for OSU’s next head coach.

Next up is a national championship-winning coach who reportedly showed interest early on:

Ed Orgeron

Most recent job: HC, LSU

Age: 64

Head coaching record: 67-47

Why it works

Coach O is a big name with an even bigger personality, and would bring a flurry of media attention to Oregon State (or “Orgeron State”). The branding and merchandise opportunities alone are immense, and the hire would put the Beavers in the national spotlight.

Orgeron’s tenure at LSU ended on a low note in 2021, but he won a national championship with the Tigers in 2019 while coaching one of the greatest college football teams ever. He would likely elevate Oregon State’s recruiting success significantly from where it is now.

Entertainment factor and all the potential risks aside, this would be the kind of splash hire that injects some life into a downtrodden football program. At least temporarily. Fans have been all over this idea on social media.

Why it might not work

There is also a real chance hiring Orgeron would end up being a flash in the pan, or worse: a failed gimmick. Orgeron struggled through two straight .500 seasons before his dismissal at LSU and comes with some off-field baggage to answer for.

He’s also been out of coaching for four years. If he couldn’t make it work in the early days of NIL, at LSU of all places, who’s to say his name recognition alone is going to make up for the experience gap now? The last thing OSU needs is someone who doesn’t fully grasp the modern landscape, so the question would be whether Orgeron has both done his homework and can build a staff around him that makes up for potential shortcomings.

There is a fine line between an exciting risk and an off-the-rails sideshow. Other programs have sought the former and ended up with the latter (see: Arizona State under Herm Edwards). OSU is in a precarious place with its football program and has far less runway to recover from that level of possible failure.

Is he interested in Oregon State?

It seems like he is, but things might have changed. Early on in the process, Orgeron was one of the first names we heard. Credible reports indicated he was interested in the OSU job and would take it if offered.

But better jobs have opened up since then, including at LSU, where Orgeron has since publicly stated he’d be glad to return. That doesn’t exactly scream “all in” on the Beavers.

Whether OSU is even interested in taking this gamble in the first place is another matter. But Beavers fans have to be wary of the possibility that Orgeron is simply desperate for a return to coaching and using their situation as a springboard.

Know the other (possible) candidates:

Brent Vigen

Paul Chryst

Brennan Marion

JaMarcus Shephard

Kevin Cummings

Nick Rolovich

Oregon State (2-8) at Tulsa (2-7)

• When: Saturday, Nov. 15
• Time: 10:00 a.m. PT
• Where: H.A. Chapman Stadium — Tulsa, OK
• TV Channel: None
• Stream: ESPN+

State and federal lawmakers say they’ve been kept in the dark about a possible U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement facility at the Newport Municipal Airport — but emerging clues point to the project’s potential scale. 

Public job postings for “detention officers” based in Newport, a request for septic tank services and a bid to lease four vacant acres at the airport all suggest ICE is planning to build a detention facility, elected officials say. 

In a statement, Gov. Tina Kotek said the federal government “continues to refuse to share their plans” with her or the public. 

“While information is limited at this time, I oppose spending taxpayer dollars on an unwanted and unnecessary additional ICE detention facility in Newport, or any part of the state,” Kotek said. 

On Wednesday, four members of Oregon’s congressional delegation sent a letter to Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem asking her to share the department’s plans and questioning the decision to move a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter stationed at Newport. 

The letter argues that establishing a detention facility in Newport would be “deeply misguided” and could disrupt the tourism and fishing industries that are so important to the city of 10,000. 

“ICE has already rounded up law-abiding members of our communities who present no threat to public safety, which has created fear among Oregon families,” says the letter, signed by Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley and Reps. Suzanne Bonamici and Val Hoyle, all Democrats. 

ICE and the Coast Guard didn’t immediately respond to inquiries. 

Noem, as secretary of homeland security, controls the Coast Guard, which owns a helicopter base at the airport.

State Rep. David Gomberg, a Democrat who represents the city, said a Coast Guard MH-65 Dolphin helicopter, used for water rescues and other missions, was quietly redeployed to a different base, about 100 miles south of Newport, at the end of October. 

“They pulled the helicopter out without any notice just when the weather is turning bad and the crab season is beginning,” Gomberg said in an interview. “People will potentially die because of that decision.” 

Job postings first identified by Oregon Public Broadcasting show Asset Protection & Security Services, a Texas-based contractor, is looking to hire detention officers to “provide care, custody and control of those in ICE custody” in Newport. 

Other ads posted by Acuity International, a Virginia contractor, seek applicants for a variety of health-care jobs in Newport, including registered nurses, behavioral-health technicians and an infection-prevention officer. 

Dan Brammer, an Acuity employee, sent a request Monday to a Lincoln County septic company, saying that an unidentified “federal project” will require pumping services for 5,000 to 10,000 gallons of sewage a day, for as long as three years, according to screenshots reviewed by The Oregonian/OregonLive. 

The request also sought pricing for portable toilets and handwashing stations. Brammer and the septic business owner, Angie Ware, declined to comment. 

Separate from the helicopter base, a Texas contractor known for being able to quickly set up military housing is looking to lease the four acres of vacant land, records show. 

Newport’s city council has made no decision regarding the request to lease the four acres of undeveloped land at the city-owned airport, which is located about three miles south of downtown, 

The seven-person council is set to discuss the issue at a special meeting at 6 p.m. Wednesday.