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Hunt for USC coach will include big names

- Paul Myerberg USA TODAY

Athletic director Mike Bohn says school is committed to “restoring USC to football glory.” Search may have rippling effect in FBS.

The only prospectiv­e candidate for the Southern California opening to issue a hard denial of interest is Jacksonvil­le Jaguars coach Urban Meyer, who gave a terse two- word response to questionin­g on Wednesday: “No chance.”

Given Meyer's history, it may be easy to roll your eyes at the idea that the three- time national champion would remove himself from considerat­ion for any opening, especially for one at the longtime West Coast powerhouse and Football Bowl Subdivisio­n blueblood. Nonetheles­s, it's very hard to picture Meyer stepping away from Trevor Lawrence and his nascent rebuild with the Jaguars.

Rumors will swirl instead around a bevy of notable college coaches, potentiall­y triggering a rippling effect of moves in every one of the FBS leagues and serving as the dominant off- field storyline of the regular season.

Just days after firing Clay Helton, the biggest question in coaching doesn't ask who is an option for USC but instead who isn't – a very short list consisting only of those coaches with a recent national championsh­ip on their resumes.

With so many names pegged as candidates – and the high likelihood that even more pop onto the radar, at least some motivated by the opportunit­y to extend or rework existing contracts – the USC opening will be the thread that links together the biggest coaches and best teams in the chase for the College Football Playoff.

James Franklin has No. 12 Penn State back in the playoff mix after a messy pandemic season. The Nittany Lions' first real test comes Saturday night against Auburn.

Mario Cristobal is one of the hottest names in coaching after No. 4 Oregon upset No. 11 Ohio State on the road, putting the Ducks into the driver's seat in the postseason chase and breathing life back into the Pac- 12.

Luke Fickell brought No. 8 Cincinnati higher in the playoff rankings than any other Group of Five school in the

format's history last season and now has the Bearcats surging into key games against Power Five opponents Indiana and Notre Dame. Fickell's connection to the opening is deepened by his relationsh­ip with USC athletic director Mike Bohn, who previously held the same position at Cincinnati.

Despite last weekend's disappoint­ing loss to No. 7 Iowa, the massive gains made by No. 15 Iowa State has made 41year- old coach Matt Campbell one of the trendiest contenders for any major opening on the college and NFL levels.

Among current assistant coaches, Clemson offensive coordinato­r Tony Elliott and Alabama offensive coordinato­r Bill O'Brien represent solid fallback options given each coach's reputation: Elliott as a key piece of the Tigers' dynasty and O'Brien as a ready- made program builder given his outstandin­g work across two seasons at Penn State.

Even among retired coaches, that USC could gauge the interest of Bob Stoops could could raise the scrutiny on Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley, who has thus far avoided any comparison­s to his predecesso­r in leading the Sooners to four straight conference championsh­ips and three playoff berths.

“I want to be exceptiona­lly clear: Our university and its leadership are committed to winning national championsh­ips and restoring USC to football glory,” Bohn said.

There is obvious attractive­ness in the position, particular­ly given the school's major investment in the program since Bohn's arrival in 2019; USC has spent millions to entice stronger assistant coaches and upgrade its recruiting efforts. Added to the Trojans' 30- mile talent base and national draw, this investment bolsters the argument for USC being considered one of the top five jobs in college coaching.

For the Trojans, however, taking aim at many of the defining figures in the sport comes at a possible cost: How can USC land a coach with a team in championsh­ip contention when his season may extend deep into December and January with high stakes?

At this point, predicting where the search eventually lands would be pure conjecture – and it might be an equally greater stretch to say USC will nail the landing after a run of missed hires since Pete Carroll's departure in 2009, though Bohn may succeed where others have failed.

What's certain is that USC will stand at the center of the national conversati­on despite the Trojans standing well outside the playoff picture two weeks into the regular season. That same conversati­on will embroil coaches and programs in the playoff hunt, bringing unwanted distractio­ns and attention as coaches preach the importance of remaining focused on the task at hand.

At some point, every name under considerat­ion will have to answer: Are you interested in USC? The debate may come to define the course of the 2021 season.

 ?? KIRBY LEE/ USA TODAY SPORTS ??
KIRBY LEE/ USA TODAY SPORTS
 ?? FROM LEFT, CRISTOBAL BY KIRBY LEE, FRANKLIN BY MARK ALBERTI AND CAMPBELL BY USA TODAY SPORTS ?? Among the College Football Playoff contending coaches who might get USC’s attention are Oregon’s Mario Cristobal, Penn State’s James Franklin and Iowa State’s Matt Campbell.
FROM LEFT, CRISTOBAL BY KIRBY LEE, FRANKLIN BY MARK ALBERTI AND CAMPBELL BY USA TODAY SPORTS Among the College Football Playoff contending coaches who might get USC’s attention are Oregon’s Mario Cristobal, Penn State’s James Franklin and Iowa State’s Matt Campbell.
 ?? KEN RUINARD/ USA TODAY SPORTS ?? Offensive coordinato­r Tony Elliott, right, has helped build a dynasty at Clemson with head coach Dabo Swinney.
KEN RUINARD/ USA TODAY SPORTS Offensive coordinato­r Tony Elliott, right, has helped build a dynasty at Clemson with head coach Dabo Swinney.

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