The inevitable happened last Saturday way before sunrise. It was a head scratcher that the University of Southern California hired Lane Kiffin to begin with. But USC Athletic Director Pat Haden fired the former head coach after the Trojans were soundly beaten by the Arizona State University Sun Devils 62-41. There is speculation that the decision to make the move started in the third quarter of the ASU game while the Sun Devils were putting 28 points on the board.
The reality is that Haden came to this resolve a while ago and this has left several people asking why it took so long. There was not one specific ill-advised timeout or play that brought about this outcome… there were many. It was a known fact before the season started that Kiffin was sitting on the hottest seat in the country. He literally went from coaching phenom to flop in record time.
The man is simply not well liked. The USC program was not trending upward, it was merely treading water. The firing of Kiffin had a lot to do with recruiting; the Trojans have lost out on way too many recruits. Not all, but some recruits were backing off coming to USC because of the then-head coach.
When the smoke clears it will be plain to see that the NCAA sanctions, recruiting restrictions and scholarship reductions have decimated the program.
In addition to that, several other schools have taken advantage of the situation. Kiffin had lost the trust of the alumnae, the administration and the fan base. The Trojans had gone 4-7 in their last 11 games and allowed 60+ points twice. USC is 3-2 overall and a disappointing 0-2 in-conference. Despite the unnecessary, heavy-handed sanctions placed on the program by the NCAA, that type of performance — or lack thereof — is unacceptable.
Making the move now gives the program a two-month head-start on finding a new coach. Haden can make this situation right by hiring the right guy. USC has moved on and Ed Orgeron will step in as the interim head coach while the search is on for a new one.
The question now: do you stay in the family or do you go outside of USC to find the new leader of the program? Does USC go after an NFL coach or another college coach? The head coaching position at USC is still a big job… one of the best in college football. The university went through five candidates before hiring Pete Carroll, now head coach of the Seattle Seahawks.
The Trojans have deep pockets and some of the best facilities in the country. Haden said that he would keep the head coaching search private. Here is a list of candidates and the odds of that person landing the job:
Jack Del Rio – 3/1
Chris Petersen – 5/1
James Franklin – 5/1
Greg Roman – 6/1
Clancy Pendergast – 7/1
Jon Gruden – 8/1
Steve Sarkisian – 8/1
Kevin Sumlin – 12/1
Herm Edwards – 15/1
Ed Orgeron – 20/1
Jack Del Rio is the favorite in the clubhouse, but with the Denver Broncos on an apparent Super Bowl run the defensive coordinator probably will not leave Denver until after the the season is over. It is unknown who the next head coach will be, but if the Trojans could pull it off, either Kevin Sumlin (Texas A&M) or Chris Petersen (Boise State University) would be a huge win for the program moving forward. The name that has not been mentioned, Norm Chow (University of Hawaii), deserves a phone call.