NEW USC COACH SENDS SHOCKWAVES FROM THE PAC-10 TO THE SEC
In less than 72-hours, Pete Carroll resigned at USC, much to the shock of the Trojan faithful & was introduced as the Seattle Seahawks new head coach this afternoon. USC A.D. Mike Garrett was left in a lurch, trying desperately to find a new coach before his 16th ranked recruiting class bails on their commitment to the Trojans. He tried Jeff Fisher, no sale, Mike Riley of Oregon State, no thank you, Jack Del Rio said "thanks but no thanks", Chris Peterson of Boise State fame said he's happy in Idaho, Herm Edwards said no to an interview & finally this afternoon Steve Mariucci decided to say no way. Then this evening I'm watching "American Idol" & the A&M-Kansas State game, ESPN breaks in with the news that USC had a new coach. I must say my jaw dropped when I read the graphic proclaiming Lane Kiffin as the new Trojan coach.
Kiffin's bringing his dad, Monte, to run the defense & Norm Chow to be offensive coordinator. Chow had held the same job with crosstown rivals UCLA until tonight. Remember that ugly finish to the USC-UCLA game last November? Kiffin swiping Chow off Rick Neuheisel's staff will only increase the friction between the schools. They always had a good crosstown rivalry, but now it could become Alabama-Auburn, Mizzou-Kansas or OU-Texas ugly. Kiffin also brings Ed Orgeron, another sought after defensive coach, with him from Tennessee. Kiffin had been the offensive coordinator with USC in 2006. He left Carroll to go north to become the Raiders' head coach. That didn't last long since he didn't want JaMarcus Russell & Oakland owner Al Davis did. He was very unceremoniously canned at mid-season in 2008. Very shortly after the '08 season ended, he was signed to a 5-year deal to run the Tennessee Vols program. One & done at Knoxville as he fled back west tonight.
Kiffin ruffled a lot of feathers in the SEC in one short year. He was twice censured by the conference for some out of line remarks made about Urban Meyer. There is a current NCAA investigation into recruiting practices at Tennessee while Kiffin ran the show. Eleven players left the program before the season began & then at mid-season, 3 of his highly touted freshman class were arrested after a holdup at a Knoxville convenience store. Nu'Kesese Richardson was dismissed from the team & the other two were suspended indefinitely. The Vols finished with a 7-5 record a received a Chick Fil A Bowl bid & were crushed by Virginia Tech 37-14.
There are those who believe Kiffin is both a great recruiter & a competent offensive coordinator. But his many detractors think he is a buffoon, clueless about many NCAA regulations & when to keep his mouth shut. I fall somewhere in the middle. Where Kiffin looses almost all his credibility is the way he swooped into Knoxville, promising the world to Vol players, administration & fans. In less than a year he's gone, actually leaving the program in worse shape than he found it.
Now Tennessee officials have to put the program back together for the second time in less than a year. My advice to the search committee would be "hire locally." Pick someone from the SEC, with current or past experience in this conference. This program was all about stability, Kiffin was just the 3rd coach in 30 years. But I doubt you'll see them hire another West Coast flake like Kiffin. In the "be careful what you wish for" department, Phil Fullmer isn't looking so bad now, huh Vol fans?
Kiffin's bringing his dad, Monte, to run the defense & Norm Chow to be offensive coordinator. Chow had held the same job with crosstown rivals UCLA until tonight. Remember that ugly finish to the USC-UCLA game last November? Kiffin swiping Chow off Rick Neuheisel's staff will only increase the friction between the schools. They always had a good crosstown rivalry, but now it could become Alabama-Auburn, Mizzou-Kansas or OU-Texas ugly. Kiffin also brings Ed Orgeron, another sought after defensive coach, with him from Tennessee. Kiffin had been the offensive coordinator with USC in 2006. He left Carroll to go north to become the Raiders' head coach. That didn't last long since he didn't want JaMarcus Russell & Oakland owner Al Davis did. He was very unceremoniously canned at mid-season in 2008. Very shortly after the '08 season ended, he was signed to a 5-year deal to run the Tennessee Vols program. One & done at Knoxville as he fled back west tonight.
Kiffin ruffled a lot of feathers in the SEC in one short year. He was twice censured by the conference for some out of line remarks made about Urban Meyer. There is a current NCAA investigation into recruiting practices at Tennessee while Kiffin ran the show. Eleven players left the program before the season began & then at mid-season, 3 of his highly touted freshman class were arrested after a holdup at a Knoxville convenience store. Nu'Kesese Richardson was dismissed from the team & the other two were suspended indefinitely. The Vols finished with a 7-5 record a received a Chick Fil A Bowl bid & were crushed by Virginia Tech 37-14.
There are those who believe Kiffin is both a great recruiter & a competent offensive coordinator. But his many detractors think he is a buffoon, clueless about many NCAA regulations & when to keep his mouth shut. I fall somewhere in the middle. Where Kiffin looses almost all his credibility is the way he swooped into Knoxville, promising the world to Vol players, administration & fans. In less than a year he's gone, actually leaving the program in worse shape than he found it.
Now Tennessee officials have to put the program back together for the second time in less than a year. My advice to the search committee would be "hire locally." Pick someone from the SEC, with current or past experience in this conference. This program was all about stability, Kiffin was just the 3rd coach in 30 years. But I doubt you'll see them hire another West Coast flake like Kiffin. In the "be careful what you wish for" department, Phil Fullmer isn't looking so bad now, huh Vol fans?
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