[Stranger]

Radio Host Claims USC Will Make ‘Huge’ Hire As Next Football Coach
http://gamedayr.com/sports/college-ncaa ... ch-143525/

Goodluck in LA Fisher!

[OldSchool]

Not sure we could get that lucky but I'm hoping for it! I envision him more as their next AD not coach but that's just me.

[Stranger]

Now that would be ironic. One Ram to replace an other.

[ramfaninsd]

i am with ya Dick84 did not like the fisher hire and certainly don't want him at usc.

[Elvis]

I would've hated Jim Mora Jr. as the Rams HC but i like the hire when UCLA got him...

[Hacksaw]

Who should be the next coach at USC?
"The best options

With the current context and overall assets and liabilities of USC well understood it becomes easier to parse the major candidates and talk about who'd be a good fit for bringing the Trojans back to greatness.

The popular names

Nick Saban is going to come up for every major job opening until he has either retired or taken a new job outside of Tuscaloosa. This opportunity actually makes sense on both sides, although it'd be interesting to see how either USC or Lane Kiffin might respond to the possibility of him returning to Los Angeles as offensive coordinator.

Saban is the ultimate program overseer, his defensive system and culture emphasizes toughness and accountability, and he'd thrive recruiting both nationally and locally under the Trojan brand. He may not particularly enjoy Hollywood media or be remotely interested in leaving a comparable program but it'd be worth giving his agent a phone call to see what's up, worst case scenario is you make him more money at Alabama.

Chip Kelly is also going to be a name that comes up with every big college coaching job unless he starts winning in Philadelphia again or he comes back to the college world. His fit in USC is somewhat suspect as he was not one that fit in well with the boosters at Oregon and might chafe against glad-handling powerful people in L.A.

His system would obviously thrive in USC as it's largely the same recruiting grounds he utilized at Oregon and the Duck option game would make it easy to get elite athletes in position to do serious damage to opposing teams. Kelly has also already shown that he adjust his system for QBs that can make pro-style progressions. The lack of cultural fit would likely be a big problem here though and neither he nor his predecessors in Eugene have quite managed to replace what his defensive assistant Nick Allioti did for him.

Kevin Sumlin was rumored to be a candidate in the last go-round at USC and would undoubtedly jump at the chance to execute his Air Raid offense with Southern Cal QBs and athletes against Pac-12 opponents rather than SEC West foes.

However, the vetting process is likely to be more intense this time around and incidents like this or this might make Sumlin a less attractive option given what will undoubtedly be a priority at USC to shore up their reputation and culture as a program.

Kyle Whittingham has Utah surging at the perfect time to be considered for a job at a major program, particularly at a program like USC. He's a defensive coach who's calling card is great DL play and who's offense is built around the run game, which are generally the best paths to dominance for major programs.

Two advantages that a program like USC has that most every other team can't match are having dominant DL play, as athletic 300 pounders are very rare, and being able to score lots of points by running the football, which is also difficult to do without a program that plugs in road-grading OL and elite athletes at RB.

Whittingham's success doing this in Utah portends well for what he could do in USC if given the chance but there are some questions about his ability to leverage USC's recruiting advantages. He's relied on under-rated Islanders while recruiting classes that were ranked in the bottom half of the Pac-12 thus far, which is a different game than winning battles for the top-rated players in L.A.

Tom Herman has been doing a great job thus far in Houston, and his system is designed to make the most out of a team with talent advantages. While he's an offensive coach, his emphasis on a "smashmouth spread" helps foster an overall defensive culture which would be important for USC's success.

There are problems here on both sides of the table though as USC will likely be reticent to hire a man who's only been the head coach for a single season and at a much smaller program. Similarly, Herman may be hesitant to leave Texas when the top job in that state could be open within a few years although USC is a job that would be nearly impossible to turn down.

Some other options

Justin Fuente is basically two years ahead of Tom Herman but without the championship ring as a coordinator. He was the OC and QB coach at TCU when Andy Dalton was leading the pre-Big 12 Horned Frogs to a Rose Bowl championship and then took over Memphis where he has gone 3-9, 10-3, and now stands at 5-0 in a compelling AAC.

While he should be a top name, he has little to connect him to Southern Californian recruiting or the program, just a resume as a very effective young coach.

Matt Campbell has a resume as the head coach at Toledo that will likely earn him a chance at a Big 10 job in the near future but while he's been highly successful there this season with wins over Arkansas and Iowa State, his expertise at recruiting and building teams in the Midwest isn't going to jump off the list of coaches that might be successful in L.A.

Bryan Harsin is more familiar with recruiting the area and has been an OC at a comparable program before in his 2011-2012 stint at Texas under Mack Brown. His offense would doubtlessly translate (multiple, TE-heavy, and run-centric) and Harsin knows how to build a football culture that produces physical teams. The biggest question would be whether his career goals revolve around winning big at his beloved Boise or managing a top five program.

Bob Stitt should get a chance somewhere and it'd be more than a little fun to watch his version of the Air Raid in Hollywood, although he might do better with a job where he could transform the culture with his exciting style of football rather than having to prove its merits against a time-honored tradition of doing things a particular way.

Dino Babers is an Art Briles disciple who has coached on the west coast, in the midwest, and in Texas so he's familiar with the national recruiting and west coast recruiting scene. His offense would be absolutely terrifying to Pac-12 opponents and exciting for local kids to want to come and play in.

His ability to oversee a tough, defensive culture is somewhat in question but there's no doubt that he'd usher in a fun and wildly interesting era of USC football.

The search process is going to be all about the big names and every NFL coach with a history of success in the past and a sketchy job situation currently is going to be listed as a favorite at some point for the Trojan job.

However, if the powers that be in Southern California will look past the bigger names towards the established coaches in the region such as Whittingham or Harsin or towards interesting up and comers like Dino Babers or Justin Fuente, they might find a coach that can wield the awesome power of a top three program and get this program back on top of the Pac-12 where they belong."
http://www.footballstudyhall.com/2015/1 ... mlin-Saban


1. USC
Former coach: Steve Sarkisian

Potential candidates list
Bud: My No. 1 is USC, and I'm not sure we even need to debate it. Conservatively, USC is a top-five job, and following Lane Kiffin and Sark is relatively easy. Plus, that roster is one or two recruiting classes away from being as good as any in the country.
http://www.sbnation.com/college-footbal ... -jobs-best


For the third time in five years, Southern California is searching for a coach.

Since Pete Carroll left for the NFL after the 2009 season, USC has hired and fired two of his former assistants, Lane Kiffin and Steve Sarkisian.

It is safe to say that it is time for the Trojans to try something different and go outside the family. Where they land is hard to say in part because at this point there is at least some question about whether Pat Haden will be the athletic director making the hire.

Here's a potential wish list for USC, with why each person could or could not be the Trojans' next coach (in no particular order):
For the third time in five years, Southern California is searching for a coach.

Since Pete Carroll left for the NFL after the 2009 season, USC has hired and fired two of his former assistants, Lane Kiffin and Steve Sarkisian.

It is safe to say that it is time for the Trojans to try something different and go outside the family. Where they land is hard to say in part because at this point there is at least some question about whether Pat Haden will be the athletic director making the hire.

Here's a potential wish list for USC, with why each person could or could not be the Trojans' next coach (in no particular order):

Chip Kelly, Philadelphia Eagles. The former Oregon coach might be the most scrutinized person in the NFL. One thing is clear: Kelly left college because he wanted to coach men, run an organization and draw up ball plays. The other stuff that comes with a college job, schmoozing boosters and sales-pitching 17 year olds, was not his favorite. Kelly is probably not voluntarily going back to college.

Kyle Whittingham, Utah. The 55-year-old was born in southern California and played at BYU. After a couple of years to adjust to the Pac-12, he has shown he can win in the conference without having the most talented roster. He also butted heads with his athletic director after last season, when both his offensive and defensive coordinators left to get raises.

Sonny Dykes, California. Dykes loved the idea of getting into the Pac-12 a few years back, but the job he landed is a difficult one. The Bears have taken a step forward each of his three years at Berkeley and are a victory away from getting bowl eligible for the first time under Dykes, who at least explored other options after last season. Some USC supporters might think it would be beneath the program to hire the Cal coach.

Bryan Harsin, Boise State. The 38-year-old former Boise State quarterback is in his second season coaching the Broncos and he appears to be on his way to another double-digit win season and big bowl game. USC missed on the last Boise State coach, Chris Petersen. Maybe the next one will be the Trojans guy.

Tom Herman, Houston. The former Ohio State offensive coordinator is in his first season with the Cougars and has them undefeated. The 40-year-old is going to get a big job eventually and leaving a place after one season is not a great look. But this is USC, without NCAA sanctions and with a stacked roster. Plus, Herman is a local. He grew up in Simi Valley, California, and played at Cal Lutheran. He even worked for local television and radio stations during college.

Jack Del Rio, Oakland Raiders
Jeff Fisher, St. Louis Rams
Jon Gruden
The first two are USC alums whose names came up the last two times the Trojans hired a coach. The third is the guy everybody pines for everywhere. USC supporters seem more open-minded about going the NFL-coach route than they do at other schools, probably because of what happened with Carroll. Also, after two 30-something coaches did not work out, an older coach could bring at least the appearance of stability. Haden confirmed he spoke with Gruden about the job two years ago, and the Super Bowl-winning coach told the AD he would prefer to return to the NFL if he ever gets back into the business — but he did take Haden's call.

Kevin Sumlin, Texas A&M
USC was at least interested in Sumlin when it hired Sarkisian, but conventional wisdom is that his next move — whenever that is — will be to the NFL.

Pat Fitzgerald, Northwestern.

The only way Fitzgerald is leaving his beloved alma mater is for a program that has everything in place to win really big. USC qualifies. Fitzgerald also works for one of the best athletic directors in the country in Jim Phillips, so leaving a good boss for a situation where you might not know who the boss will be is not ideal. Maybe USC can make it a package deal?
http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nc ... /73843140/

[Elvis]

Les Miles to the Trojans?

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/sources--l ... 34376.html

Sources: LSU 'prepared' to part ways with Les Miles
By Pat Forde

LSU is "prepared" to part ways with coach Les Miles, multiple sources have told Yahoo Sports.

Sources described the potential buyout of the former national champion coach as "staggering," but said money will not deter LSU from firing Miles, sources said.

The decision is not final, sources said.

LSU has lost three straight games after starting the season 7-0. Miles, who won the national title in 2007 and has won 78 percent of his games at LSU, has been under increasing fire during that losing streak.

Miles is 110-32 in his 11 seasons at LSU. He is the second-winningest coach in school history, behind only Charlie McClendon.

Miles has never had a season worse than 8-5, and has won 10 or more games seven times. But he has also lost three or more games four years in a row, including this season, and LSU's losing streak against rival Alabama – and former LSU coach Nick Saban – has now reached five games.

Miles is being paid a reported $4.4 million per year, making him the ninth-highest-paid coach in the country.