USC coaching search: What we’re hearing and things to consider

An update of sorts on the USC coaching situation after a bunch of phone calls, with some background on the timing (and secrecy) of the firing, potential candidates who have been mentioned to the On3 national staff, the potential salary and info on recruiting and NIL.

No leak of info

First word of the firing came from USC itself, which is sort of startling in this day and age. Yes, there has been an extensive amount of speculation about Clay Helton’s status, but saying “Helton is on the hot seat” is vastly different than saying “Helton will be fired in the wake of the Stanford loss.” There was no leak regarding USC athletic director Mike Bohn’s decision. Bohn had made it clear to his inner circle that he wanted to be able to announce the move on his terms.

Don’t expect a quick hiring

The idea that Bohn will make a quick hire is … well, it is wrong. No sitting coach is going to say, “Well, I have a really good team, but I am leaving right now to take over at USC.” Firing Helton now simply puts Bohn at the front of the line in terms of finding a new coach; yes, UConn’s Randy Edsall already has stepped down, but the pool of candidates for USC and UConn does not overlap. At all. USC is a truly premier job, and now every potential coach knows it is open and can adjust his thinking accordingly. Think of it this way: Firing Helton two games into the season means USC now can turn on the “vacancy” sign and it will be on for a while. And one likely reason for the timing of the firing: USC administrators obviously had decided to part ways with Helton, but if you don’t jettison him now, you run the risk of USC finishing strong and potentially making it tougher to fire him. 

Top candidates

During On3’s early conversations with sources around the college coaching world about potential fits, the names that have come up most have been Penn State’s James Franklin and Cincinnati’s Luke Fickell, with Iowa State’s Matt Campbell and Oregon’s Mario Cristobal also being mentioned. Bohn hired Fickell at Cincinnati, so that is a big connection. But Fickell (and Campbell) are Midwest guys, and making the jump from Cincinnati (or Iowa State, despite some of its uniforms sort of looking like the Trojans’) to USC would be massive. Fickell’s work at Cincinnati has been impressive, and while recruiting at Cincy is vastly different than recruiting at USC, Fickell is a former Ohio State assistant (and interim coach), so he knows how it works at truly big-time programs. Campbell would be more of a risk in that regard, as he was coach at Toledo before Iowa State. At the same time, Campbell has made Iowa State truly relevant nationally, and, frankly, that might be tougher to do than win a national title at USC. As for Cristobal, while people bring up his name, a lot also quickly point out that he really has it going on at Oregon. And remember that Oregon has played for the national title twice in the past decade (after the 2010 season and after the 2014 season). Plus, Cristobal and his staff already have a big-time recruiting presence in SoCal, and as long as the Ducks win, that figures to remain the case. Franklin’s name seemingly is associated with every “big” job that comes open, though his current job certainly is a big one, too. His recruiting chops would seem to be a good fit at USC, and, hey, the guy won relatively big at Vanderbilt, which is nothing short of a miracle.

Other candidates

One positive of firing Helton early is that Bohn and his helpers can scour the coaching landscape, both in college ball and the NFL, for the right fit. There certainly are NFL coordinators (and maybe even a head coach) who would be greatly intrigued by the USC job. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Tuesday that NFL sources expect Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bienemy to emerge as a candidate for the job. Bienemy isn’t a USC grad (he starred at Colorado), but he is from Los Angeles (he went to Bishop Amat High in La Puente) and the ability to talk about his roots and flash his Super Bowl ring could be a huge recruiting boost in SoCal. There are two NFL defensive coordinators who are USC alums — Washington’s Jack Del Rio and Green Bay’s Joe Barry — but neither seems likely to be a legit candidate. There’s also former Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops, who reportedly was the object of Bohn’s desire before. And almost every FBS coach would listen if USC called; now, listening and being interested are different things, but USC is one of the truly elite jobs in college football. Elite jobs come with built-in disadvantages, too, so not everyone would be interested. But the bottom line is that Bohn will have no shortage of candidates.

USC is willing to pay

Money shouldn’t be an impediment. USC’s interim coach is Donte Williams, who had been the secondary coach; he is the highest-paid position coach in the nation and makes more than probably three-quarters of the coordinators in college football. USC isn’t going to break the bank unnecessarily, but the money figures to be quite good for the new coach and his staff. Helton made a shade less than $5 million. The new guy will make more; it’ll be a question of how much more.

Recruiting base for USC

The importance of this cannot be overstated: USC can recruit within 30 miles of its campus in Los Angeles and build a powerhouse (though getting enough elite linemen would be an issue). The L.A. area easily is one of the top-five recruiting areas in the nation and probably is in the top three. The key is keeping those guys home, which is what John McKay, John Robinson (at least in his first go-round) and Pete Carroll did while they were at USC. Not surprisingly, each of those guys won a national title. Too often of late, elite prospects from SoCal have left the area — for the likes of Oregon and Oklahoma as well as various SEC locales. When he is hired, the new coach will say all the right things about keeping the good players home, but he and his staff actually have to follow through.

NIL

What should make it easier to follow through is the NIL potential for star players at USC. Being a college basketball or football star in Los Angeles always has come with all the trappings of a quasi-pro athlete. That often created a challenge for college athletes trying to operate within the confines of the NCAA bylaws. But with NIL, what was long an eligibility minefield has become a goldmine for athletes. In a city of stars, opportunities to monetize one’s brand are virtually boundless amid a landscape of influencers, agents and kingmakers. Winning championships can make you a must-see attraction, much like USC was 15-plus years ago when celebrities like Snoop Dogg and Will Ferrell would attend practice. To be a college athlete with the wow factor of a Reggie Bush in that market? The NIL discussion begins with seven-figure deals. “An electrifying USC football player on a winning team in the country’s second-biggest market, it’s the perfect combination,” Blake Lawrence, co-founder and CEO of Opendorse, told On3. “When USC is back on top in football, their star players will undoubtedly be near the top of any NIL marketability chart.” Malik S. Jackson, a sports attorney with Jacksonville-based Smith Hulsey & Busey, counsels clients on NIL compensation matters. Once USC consistently wins again, Jackson said, its athletes will have NIL opportunities leveraging access to 5.7 million households in the Los Angeles market and more than 50 Fortune 500 companies in California, and with the offices of Gen Z-relevant companies like Snapchat, for instance, conveniently located fewer than 12 miles from campus. In L.A., opportunities involving Hollywood elements, apparel sales and digital categories will drive NIL value exponentially.

(On3 senior national writer Matt Zenitz and national college sports business writer Eric Prisbell contributed to this report.)