USC Trojans

Mostanra egész sok infót megtudtak kint az edzéskeresés mizériában:

- Tom Herman elfogadta volna a USC HC pozícióját, csak annyit kért, hogy ne a konf. döntő hetében legyen a bejelentés, mert megígérte a játékosoknak, hogy semmi nem fog történni a héten és maximálisan koncentrálni akart a meccsre. A döntő után lehetett volna elvégezni minden apróságot, ám a vezetés nem akart addig várni. (ez valami egészen szánalmas, Pat Haden többet ártott az utóbbi pár évben az egyetemnek, mint amennyi pluszt valaha is hozott).

- Helton találkozott Santa Clara-ban a volt DC, jelenleg 49ers LB coach Clancy Pandergasttal, akinek felajánlotta hivatalosan is a megüresedett DC posztot, de CP (egyelőre) nem fogadta el az állást, az NFL-ben akarna maradni.
A DC posztra ezekután további jelöltekhez is eljutottak már, a neveket egy kivételével nem hozhatták nyilvánosságra. Egy nevet tudni, akivel felvették a kapcsolatot, ő pedig Dave Aranda a bowl ellenfél Wisconsin DC-a. Dél kaliforniai kötődései vannak, ha jók az infók nem is nagy fizuja van (500k) és hajlana is a váltásra. Örülnék neki nagyon, folyamatosan jó munkát végzett a hideg Wisconsinban. Tavaly volt a Packersnél is interjún, de mást választottak vmilyen posztra.

- OC poszt továbbra is up in the air státusz. Továbbra is mondogatják Helton tesóját Tysont szeretnék idehozni, de felvetődött a Stanford OC és ass HC Mike Bloomgren neve is, akit már Kiffin is akart OC-nak annó. Nehéz lenne elhozni az biztos. Én megelégednek bőven Tysonnal is, remek OC, emellett special team (ő edzette Gostkowskit), QB coach, TE coach is volt már sikerrel. Mellettük még Pep Hamilton és az Eagles QB edzőjének Ryan Day neve felkapottabb. OL posztra vmi komoly nevet szeretne a stáb, egyben run game coordinator poszttal is egybekötve.

- Recruiting: a hétvégén lesz az early enrolle-k hivatalos vizitje. Csatlakozik hozzájuk a korábbi UCLA commit, Oluwole Betikus 5* DE, aki valószínűleg szintén ee lesz és egyre nagyobb az esély a megszerzésére. 3 éve játszik amerikai focit, nigéria származású a srác és elképesztő adottságai vannak. A Serra HS-ba jár és imádják az edzői kiemelkedő munkamorálja és tehetsége miatt. Az elmúlt 2 évben 3 5* Serra játékos is csatlakozott a csapathoz (Adoree', John Houston és Rasheem Green) utóbbival nagyon jó kapcsolatot ápol Wole.

- Sark vs USC vs everybody: Megvizsgálták a USC ügyvédei a Sark kirúgást már akkor amikor megtörtént, de eléggé magabiztosak voltak. 2 óriási hiéna fogja képviselni Sarkisiant, aki a hírek szerint egy peren kívüli megegyezésre és jó nagy summa pénzre számíthat. Ez Amerika.

ez Amerika wazz

 twitter.com/nathanfenno/status/673920251294191617

 twitter.com/nathanfenno/status/673922459481997312

Coach Helton meghozta a szükséges döntéseket és a következő edzőket küldte el:
Wilcox DC, Heyward DB, Wilson DL, Connelly OL edzők vesztették el tegnap állásukat.
OC és DC is kell tehát az új stábba. Egyelőre nem szivárogtak ki nevek, egyedül a korábbi DC Clancy Pendergast esetleges visszatérése került fel a témák közé.

Holiday Bowl a Wisconsin ellen december 30-án

Pass-heavy spread offense ugyan, de nem a Leach-féle Air Raid, hanem a Petrino-féle pro-style, amit a WKU futtat.
baggio

ahogy olvasom, ez a támadófilozófia inkább a HC-hoz köthető, a kisebbik Helton egy Tom Hermanhoz fogható, Power Spread dolgot szeretne kivitelezni.
Georgia, Florida, LSU, USC érdeklődik iránta.

Pass-heavy spread offense ugyan, de nem a Leach-féle Air Raid, hanem a Petrino-féle pro-style, amit a WKU futtat.

Ryan Abraham és Gerard Martinez (scout.com) a USC-s témákban leginkább otthon levő médiások összedobtak egy "emergency" podcastot.
Íme az ott elhangzott, fontosabb dolgok:
- Miért volt ekkora csend az edzőkereséssel kapcsolatosan?
- Nagyon valószínű, hogy 2 név volt szinte csak a listán. Az egyik egy NFL edző (John Harbaugh) volt a másik pedig Helton. Harbaugh ügynökével volt több találkozó, de interjú nem volt az edzővel. Több telefonhívás volt. Továbbá pár támogatóval találkoztak Pete Carollal is, de nem tettek ajánlatot neki. Amit gondolni lehet, hogy Haden teljesen jól érezte magát a Helton választással. Mondjuk személy szerint kíváncsi vagyok, hogy mit csinálnak, ha a UCLA-től is kikaptak volna, akkor ki lesz az edző. Nem volt szükséges most edzőt kinevezni, lehetett volna várni, áma a toborzás miatt sem akarták túl sokáig húzni, illetve úgy gondolják, hogy ezzel nagy momentummal mennek neki a Stanford elleni PAC12 döntőnek (sztem a meccset legalább 2 td-nyi különbséggel nyeri a Stanford).
- Milyen lesz Helton?
A régebbi idők USC-s támadósorát akarja újra látni. Run first team. Viszont jelenleg nincs OC, amit meg kell oldani. Szerintük meg tudja oldani Helton, hogy nagyobb nevű OC jöjjön, akinek átadná a play hívást is, mert nincs akkora egoja, mint Sakrnak vagy Kiffinnek. Megemlítették Helton tesóját, aki a Western Kentucky egyetem OC-a és élénken érdeklődnek iránta más, nagyobb egyetemek. (Ők ha jól tudom air raid támadófilozófiát követnek). Továbbá én még bedobnám Pep Hamilton nevét is (akinek szintén nem örülnék).
- Mi lesz a stábbal, ki maradhat?
A forrásaik azt mondják, könnyen lehet, hogy csak Tee Martin és Marqise Tuiasasopo marad. Sok változást várnak a stábban. De csak a szezon végén jöhetnek ezek a változások.

Kelly-vel nem volt interjú és nem is érdekelte a munka, mert ő az nfl-ben képzeli el a jövőt. Nem beszélt senkivel, nem kapott e-mailt senkitől aki USC-s érdekeltségű.
JDR-t megkérdezték, hogy mit szólna a dologhoz, nemet mondott (teljesen megértem).
Hue Jacksont (Bengals OC) akarták interjúztatni, egyedül az ő neve derült ki eddig, de nem volt jó az időzítés.
Állítólag több interjú is volt (nem feltétlen hiszem el és mások sem).

A stábban lesznek változtatások, sztem a DC Wilcox és a DB coach Heyward fog távozni. Sirmon LB coach maradásában biztos vagyok, egyrészt az LB-k fejlődnek a keze alatt, másrészt piszok jó toborzó. A DL coach Chris Wilson is szerintem maradni fog. DC posztra nem lepődnék meg, hogy ha Clancy Pandergast térne vissza. Vele volt az utóbbi években a legjobb a D. Jelenleg a 49ers LB edzője.
A támadó edzők szerintem maradnak. Nem lepődnék meg ha Tee Martin már nem WR coach lenne, hanem OC. Én örülnék egy új OL coachnak is, mert Connelly nem győzött meg semennyire sem.
Tommy Robinson és Kennedy Polamalu nevei vetődtek fel, hogy visszatérhetnek, illetve a UCLA-től elbocsájtott Adrian Klemn OL coach. Jó lenne egy ST coach is, mert nagyon gyenge volt idén és tavaly edző nélkül a speciális alakulat.

Azt mondják, hogy a kisebb HC fizetés miatt, nagyobb pénz jut majd pozíciós edzőkre, de kíváncsi vagyok ki akar majd Helton alatt dolgozni.

Én a magam részéről nem értek egyet a kinevezéssel (sőt nagyjából hasonló szinten kiabáltam, mint a Philly druker csoki csávó szokott mostanság). Múlt héten már lehozták, hogy John Harbaugh-val megállapodás van, de úgyfest nem jött össze a dolog. Ha már Helton mellett akarták letenni a voksot, a 2 hátralevő meccs, de legalább a Stanford elleni Pac12 döntőt megvárhatták volna.
A játékosok, a recruitok mindenesetre nagyon örülnek a kinevezésnek. Ami stabilitást adhat a programnak, amire már nagyon nagy szükség van.

Nem lett volna rossz a Kelly féle dolog, de én örülök Helton hosszabbításának.

Kíváncsi leszek, hogy mennyit fog változtatni a stábon.

Along with Chip Kelly, USC reached out to Jack Del Rio to gauge his interest. He said he was staying with Raiders.

 footballscoop.com/the-scoop-2/sunday-november-29-2015/

 footballscoop.com/news/usc-names-clay-helton-full-time-head-coach/

Szerkesztette: Béczkó

Clay Helton

USC Coaching Search Candidate Chip Kelly
Habi

Csak azt ne
(igen, végigolvastam, de ne!)
bergerdani

ha hinni lehet a scout.com usc-s stábjának, akkor a jövendőbeli HC már elfogadta az ajánlatot és nem Chip Kelly-nek hívják. Jövő héten jöhet a bejelentés.
Mondjuk én elnéztem volna Kelly-t, nagyon gonosz belegondolni, hogy mit művelt volna itt. De ha a hírek igazak, nagyon-nagyon örülni fogunk a bejelentésnek.

USC Coaching Search Candidate Chip Kelly
Habi

Csak azt ne
(igen, végigolvastam, de ne!)

USC Coaching Search Candidate Chip Kelly

The USC head coaching search is beginning to heat up with NFL teams dropping out of the playoff hunt and college coaches positioning themselves for big raises.
When Steve Sarkisian was fired by USC in October, one name was associated with the Trojans head coaching vacancy before any other. Philadelphia head coach Chip Kelly is three years into a five year deal with the Eagles, but after a 45-17 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Sunday, the former Oregon Ducks coach may have his wings clipped.
Last spring, Kelly was criticized for his unpredictable, if not erratic personnel moves. Those moves have not benefited Philadelphia in the win column as the Eagles currently stand 4-6 on the season. Kelly hasn’t had a losing season as a head football coach -- ever. The Eagles won 10 games in 2013 and 2014, while Kelly never won less than 10 games in a season in Eugene.
At Oregon, Kelly was 46-7, going 3-2 in bowl games. He coached in one national championship game, losing to Auburn 22-19. Kelly isn’t the type to walk away from a challenge, and after garnering influence in personnel decisions with the Eagles, several sources have a hard time seeing him returning to college willingly.
But the City of Brotherly Love may be the stage for a battle of wills. Tuesday, ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter said, “The momentum and signs seem to be piling up against a Chip return to Philadelphia. I think both sides are sick of each other.”
That comment can be construed as more opinion than news. But the same sources that see Kelly staying in Philadelphia also say, if there is a college job he has coveted, it’s the head coaching position at USC. There are very few potential coaching candidates for USC that have proven to be more successful at the college level than Kelly.
Like most ultra successful head coaches, Kelly has philosophical beliefs that extend beyond the football field. Pete Carroll coined the mantra, “Win Forever,” while Kelly embraced “Winning The Day.”
Kelly was 3-1 as a head coach versus USC at Oregon, outscoring the Trojans 197-141 on those days. Kelly believes culture wins football games, and there are those inside and outside of the football program that believe a change of culture is necessary at USC.
“Culture will beat scheme every day.”— Chip Kelly, Forbes Magazine
To win forever is to view success long term, while to win the day is to focus on short term goals. Two mottoes that could not be different at face value, yet both really speak to the importance of consistency on and off the football field.
LEADERSHIP

Outsiders often describe the 51-year-old head coach as an introvert and reclusive. Those closer to Kelly on a day-to-day basis describe him as laid back, but full of energy and enthusiasm. While opinions vary on the enigma of Kelly, his coaching style is analytical and detail oriented.
Kelly is a coach who embraces details and dives head first into the process of building a successful football program step-by-step.
“I think too many people see too far down the road. You can talk about championships all you want. But if you don’t take care of what you are supposed to take care of today, it really doesn’t matter what your long-term goal is.
“Everybody talks about the big picture and they neglect to look at what the small picture is. It’s an accumulation of things on a daily basis that gets you to where you are a year from now.” — Chip Kelly, SJ Magazine
Kelly has been criticized in Philadelphia for choosing his system over his players. But Kelly’s system is more than just X’s and O’s, terminology and weight room mottoes. Kelly empowers his players by building trust in the simple process of improving each day, ignoring the the negative connotation that comes along with being a micromanager.
From nutrition to the relationship between veteran players and newcomers, Kelly constantly contrasts and compares results in order to streamline expectations and accountability within the locker room. In this respect, Kelly leads his teams by holding true to the process his players have a part in developing. There are no four letter laden tirades or emotional outburst meant to keep his players and staff on edge.
Kelly is positive, upbeat and hands on with his players in practice, always aware of the minutia overlooked from drill to drill. “Play the game within the game,” he says. Quarterbacks don’t just complete passes in practice, they aim to place the football directly in the wide receiver’s face mask. Kelly leads by encouraging small victories and allowing those victories to accumulate like a snowflakes on a cliff’s edge. A simple nudge in the right direction sets course an avalanche that discards detractors and buries distractions.
GAME PLANNING

Kelly is a tactician, and a candidate who is truly system driven by reputation. As noted, his system goes beyond X’s and O’s, but that’s not to say Kelly does not relish strategy. Kelly’s system is the no huddle, run-spread offense. At Oregon, the offense was designed around the read option game. In Philadelphia, his system is similar to the one USC uses now.
The offense is built on running the football out of the shotgun. However, while play action fakes have the element of a zone read, the quarterback rarely runs the ball by design. The option elements of the offense are usually check down passes based on the defense’s reaction to the run fake. The Eagles haven’t had a running threat at quarterback since Nick Foles replaced Michael Vick as a starter in 2013.
Thus, it would be presumptuous to assume USC freshman quarterback Sam Darnold would start over redshirt sophomore Max Browne with Kelly as head coach. What is safe to assume is that players like Adoree Jackson, Ronald Jones and Dominic Davis would be focal points to its success.
Kelly has also made the tight end a key part of the offense, both in the screen game and vertically. Philadelphia’s favorite personnel grouping is 11 personnel. The Eagles will use some two-by-two formations, but again, Kelly will mask his personnel by using dual running backs and tight ends in the slot or even outside the hashmarks. Kelly also uses a lot of tackle over formations to disguise personnel groupings. Kelly’s offensive playbook has evolved quite a bit since his days at Oregon.
Of course, his play design is still built on the concept of forcing the defense to play 53-yards wide in space. He wants to spread the defense out and gash them with the running game. But in terms of personnel use and play calling concepts, Kelly is not married to any one way of doing things.
“We run the See Coast offense. If we see something and we like it and we think it fits, we’re going to run it. The Philadelphia Eagles run the See Coast offense. Let’s run that today and we’ll go from there.” — Chip Kelly
In his four seasons at Oregon, the Ducks scored 44.7 points per game. The Eagles are currently ranked No. 8 in yards per game; finishing No. 5 in 2014 and No. 2 in 2013. This is the first year under Kelly the Eagles are not top five in scoring.
Kelly’s exploits in the offensive side of the ball are well noted. Defensively, Oregon, like Philadelphia, has struggled to keep up. On average, Oregon ranked top five in the Pac-12 under Kelly in total defense, but often had trouble matching the physicality of teams with power run games.
To play offense at a break neck pace, Oregon’s defense was sometimes sacrificed along the way. On the field for an exorbitant amount of possessions, the Ducks would often rotate in 20-30 defenders per game. Depth, along with scheme, painted Kelly’s defense as soft. One could argue Kelly’s offense is his best defense.
Opposing teams are often forced to abandoned their offensive gameplans to keep up with the scoring barrage Kelly led teams mount. The pressure to score each possession leads to turnovers, digging the opposing team’s offense an even bigger hole.
Kelly’s teams predominately run a variety of three man defensive fonts, although the physical profile of his players on defense is more intriguing than the scheme. Oregon — then and now — recruit tall, lanky defensive lineman. While most defenses covet 300-pound plus interior defensive tackles, Kelly would often field linemen in the 6-foot-6 range at around 270-pounds. Even on offense, Oregon rarely carried more than three or four 300-pound linemen on their roster. This also played toward the perception of Kelly valuing finesse over power.
RECRUITING

On April 16, 2013, the Oregonian reported Kelly received an 18-month show-cause penalty by the NCAA Infractions Committee.
That ruling, which would potentially limit Kelly in a recruiting capacity, expired Dec. 25, 2014 according to CBS Sports Dennis Dodd. Kelly would still have to show before the COI if he returned to college to coach, but his "failure to monitor" violation would not be considered serious enough to inhibit him as a recruiter.
Kelly seeks out a specifically kind of athlete for each position. While he may not be the gregarious salesman Steve Sarkisian was, Kelly brings his eye for detail with him in evaluating talent. Oregon could not recruit step-for-step with USC, UCLA or even Cal most years when Kelly arrived as an offensive coordinator from New Hampshire. However, he helped find players like Kiko Alonzo, Taylor Hart, Marcus Mariota, Kenyon Barner, Ifo Ekpre-Olomu etc. and plugged them into his system with great success.
One can only imagine the juggernaut Kelly could have with USC’s talent level at his disposal. And in terms of recruiting offensive skill players, Kelly’s adoption of pro-style passing concepts since entering the NFL would only help to attract more high profile players. Preparation for the league is a deciding factor among many blue chip athletes. If there was a coach that could execute the type of offense Steve Sarkisian attempted to implement at USC, it’s Chip Kelly.
Of course, that is to assume better athletes would automatically make Kelly’s offense that much more unstoppable. Kelly may very well steer away from the plethora of four and five-star recruits USC can accumulate. Kelly has strong strategic philosophies, and the best players from a rankings standpoint may not be the best players for a particular system. Just because Kelly could recruit superior talent at USC doesn’t mean he would.
Having said that, with consecutive top recruiting classes lined up, Kelly could field much deeper teams at USC. That depth, particularly on defense, could change the dynamic of his scheme. Kelly also has six coaches on his current staff that coached or played for him in college. That does not include linebacker coach Rick Minter, quarterback coach Ryan Day and offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland, who all have experience recruiting at major college programs in the last five years. Kelly is the only NFL coaching candidate with a staff that could transition to college immediately.
REALIZING

Kelly would want total control over the USC football program. The “country club atmosphere” that some Trojan football alums have been openly critical of may clash with Kelly’s attempts to establish a winning culture. USC athletic director Pat Haden, who involves himself in almost every aspect of the football team, would not be hiring Kelly to coach the team, he would be hiring him to help manage the entire program.
“I had never been a head coach before Oregon, and so when I became a head coach I asked a million questions: ‘How do you do this? How does the training room operate?’
“That wasn’t under my domain when I was the offensive coordinator. I just wanted it to be explained to me – what the protocol is for anything that can touch the football team. From there, you develop what you want and what your philosophies are going to be.” — Chip Kelly, SJ Magazine
Kelly wants accountability, and that is not limited to his football players and assistant coaches. At the same time, with Kelly’s recruiting transgressions at Oregon, USC may be hesitant to give him free reign over all football operations.
And then there is the issue of money. Kelly currently makes $6.5 million annually with the Eagles. Unless Philadelphia fires him after the season, which most sources still feel is unlikely, Kelly will require a buyout plus roughly $8 million a year to walk away from the pro game. That’s more than double what USC was paying Steve Sarkisian. USC has that money to shell out, but the Trojans haven’t come close to paying top dollar for a head coach in a major sport since Pete Carroll won back-to-back national championships.
True, USC may have to compete with the NFL for ticket sales in the near future, and eight win seasons aren’t going to pay for the Trojans’ $270 million renovations to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Defense wins championships, but a Chip Kelly led offense at USC would be draw interest from even the most passive L.A. sports fan.
Kelly did reportedly purchase a house in New Jersey a few doors down from Eagles quarterback Sam Bradford over the summer. Bradford, however, is renting and it’s doubtful he will be in Philadelphia next season. But that may be another reason why Kelly feels he can turn things around for the Eagles. With Bradford out of the picture, Kelly can pursue Colin Kaepernick, who the 49ers will trade or cut this off season. If Kaepernick isn’t appealing as a dual-threat quarterback, Robert Griffin III is languishing in Washington.
As stated before, Kelly isn’t one to run from a challenge. Even with Eagles fans calling for his resignation, he hasn’t flinched. But while challenges mount in Philadelphia, they also remain unresolved in college. Kelly fell short of winning a national championship at Oregon before going to the NFL, so unlike Pete Carroll, the college game still holds unattained goals and accomplishments.
For Kelly, it may simply come down to fit. He can give the NFL the good ole college try next season, or he can return to the college game and try to revive a familiar foe that much of the country fears as a sleeping giant. As Ken Goe, who covered Kelly’s Ducks for the Oregonian, stated before USC fired Steve Sarkisian, “I know this: Kelly becoming USC's coach is a nightmare scenario for the rest of the Pac-12.” The move would be a nightmare for USC opponents, but perhaps it's also just a dream for USC fans.

különböző pletykák, szivárogtatások azt engedik sejtetni, hogy az NFL-ből érkezik az új edző, méghozzá a Chip Kelly, John Harbaugh, Sean Payton hármasból.

Hírek:
- Cam Smith és Lamar Dawson számára is véget ért a szezon. Ezzel a két kezdő középső LB-ét vesztette el a csapat. Az újonc Smith vezeti csapaton belül a szerelések és int-ök listáját. ACL szakadást szenvedett, de még nem műtötték meg. Optimális esetben a felépülését 8-9 hónapra teszik, szóval augusztusra remélhetően felépül. Dawson sérülésével véget ért egyetemi karrierje.
- Su'a Cravens zsinorban a 2. héten is megnyerte a Lott Impact Player of the Week címet
- Pat Haden AD lemondását rebezsgetik egyre inkább. Ugye lemondott már a PO bizottságban betöltött helyéről, most pedig könnyen lehet, hogy egészségügyi problémái miatt lemond az AD posztjáról is.
- Edzőkérdésben továbbra is nagy a csend (leginkább a fenti sorok miatt). Sokan rebezsgetik, hogy ha Helton megnyeri a következő 2 meccset (@Oregon, vs UCLA) akkor marad. Ugye ez az első PAC12 döntőt jelentené az egyetemnek.
- A Harbaugh vonal továbbra is él, de már PC nevét is bedobták újra, hogy beszélgetnek a boosterekkel a visszatérésről.
- Amennyiben Les Milest kirúgnák (szerintem nem fogják) akkor a scout.com USC-s stábja szerint egyből a lehetséges jelöltek listájára kerülne.
- Houston-Memphis meccsen voltak kint USC-s boosterek.
- Alább pedig a Clay Helton bemutató:

As the USCFootball.com Head Coaching Hot Board heats up, we examine each leading candidate in depth with analysis on why they would fit at USC, and why they may not.


The USC head coaching search enters week No. 5, but there are those inside the program that believe athletic director Pat Haden isn’t looking very far for a new head coach.

Sources have indicated for the past couple of weeks that interim head coach Clay Helton has become a favorite to be named the Trojans next head coach. However, those statements often come with two stipulations. One, USC has to win its next two games against Oregon and UCLA. Two, Pat Haden has to be the one hiring Helton.

With rumors abound of Haden potentially resigning as athletic director due to health concerns, the head coaching search could see a sharpe pivot in Heritage Hall. But regardless of Haden's role in the search for a new head coach, Helton being able to beat Oregon and UCLA back-to-back would certainly add to his resume. As candidates go, Helton’s resume lacks many of the components that make names like John Harbaugh, Chip Kelly and even Tom Herman popular among USC fans.

Helton coached at both Houston and Memphis before arriving at USC as an assistant under Lane Kiffin in 2010. By 2012, he was promoted to passing game coordinator and then offensive coordinator. Helton spent 10 years at Memphis — three as a offensive coordinator for the Tigers. His 2006 and 2007 offenses were ranked among the top 30 nationally.

Helton is a quarterback coach by trade, having played quarterback at Auburn and then Houston. In six seasons at USC tutoring quarterbacks, Helton has helped Cody Kessler set the Trojans’ season record for completions (315), completion percentage (69.7) and passing efficiency (167.1).


“It’s been tough, these guys have been pushed to the limit. Thank God for this guy (Clay Helton). He’s kept us together. He preaches family and we’ve stuck together.” — USC quarterback Cody Kessler after beating Utah

LEADERSHIP

The 43-year-old interim head coach has never been a head coach at another university. His first opportunity to lead a team came in the 2013 for the Las Vegas Bowl, where the Trojans defeated Fresno State 45-20. Helton’s father, Kim, spent more than three decades coaching in college, the CFL and the NFL. The son of a coach, Helton understands the motivational aspects of the game and is known for speaking in mottos.

Charismatic with a touch of Texas twang, Helton has a sincerity to his message. As a motivator, Helton coaches through encouragement and positivity. In fact, Helton rarely criticizes or raises his voice in frustration on the practice field, which in itself can raise the cynical ire of the media.

Helton has always been the good cop on the USC coaching staff, praising his head coach and speaking through cliches. Now, Helton is accountable for the Trojans success and failures. Through it all, his attitude and drive to have the Trojans play as a brotherhood has won Helton favor among his players.


“We definitely want to keep him here. We’ve talked to the young guys, and they love him. We all love him. We want to keep him here. That’s what we’re playing for — the future.” — USC senior running back Tre Madden

Helton has a bachelor's degree in mathematics and interdisciplinary science from Houston.

GAME PLANNING

Helton came to USC after coaching running backs, wide receivers and quarterbacks at Memphis. Most coaching candidates we have profiled bring with them an established system and playbook. Helton is unique in that he is presently running his system at USC. Or at least, that is the assumption.

Helton’s roots are based in the run and shoot offense, although he has affectively run a spread offense with pro-style passing concepts at USC. However, the current system USC runs is really Steve Sarkisian’s incarnation. What Helton would do differently going forward as head coach is unknown. He could continue to run the exact same offensive system USC has now, which has seen its share of success, or go to something new. Seeing that Helton cut his teeth at USC under Lane Kiffin and Sarkisian, it is unlikely the play book would change significantly.

Helton prefers quarterbacks that can pass over those that run. While USC has zone read option looks in its running game, Helton has been hesitant to use designed runs at the quarterback position. This would make USC redshirt sophomore Max Browne the obvious successor to Cody Kessler as the Trojans’ starting quarterback next season. It may also clearly define what type of quarterbacks USC recruits moving forward.

But more than system, staff retention would be an even more complicated matter. Helton is working with Sarkisian’s assistant coaching staff, and while his coaching connections may be more limited than other candidates for the job, he will be pressured to make changes. USC’s defense, while criticized early in the season, is now statistically among the best in the conference in several categories, including rush defense, total defense, interceptions and scoring defense.

On the other hand, USC is only No. 9 in the conference in total offense. The Trojans are No. 7 in pass offense and No. 8 in rush offense. Surprising statistics, seeing that most Trojan fans would like to see more coaching turnover on the defensive side of the football than the offensive side. The Trojans’ most dominant defense in recent years came with Clancy Pendergast as defensive coordinator in 2013. Pendergast is currently a linebackers coach for the San Francisco 49ers.

Helton has been an offensive coordinator with teams that have run both 4-3 and 3-4 defensive fronts, so his preference is less about system and more about coaching personnel. Of course, as on the offensive side of the football, emphasis on certain aspects of Helton’s game plan may result in a staff shake up at several positions. Meanwhile, with Helton being on the low end of the coaching candidate pay scale, USC would have more money toward hiring assistant coaches.

But it is important to note, at one time, the media lauded Steve Sarkisian’s move to hire Justin Wilcox, Peter Sirmon, Keith Heyward and Tosh Lupoi at Washington. It was considered a dream team staff of great recruiters and up-and-coming coaches. Without a head coach in place that establishes a culture of consistency and accountability, a good assistant staff only goes so far.

RECRUITING

Helton is a good recruiter — diligent and personable. Most of his bigger signings came at the quarterback position, although under Lane Kiffin, Helton was also in charge of recruiting the Bay Area for USC. For the past two years, USC has recruited by position. Meaning, Helton has been responsible for recruiting the quarterback position exclusively.

On that front, USC has seen several top quarterback targets in the 2016 and 2017 classes commit elsewhere. With Steve Sarkisian also playing a big role in quarterback recruiting, it’s not fair to place the total blame on Helton. In the recruitment of Glendora (Calif.) three-star quarterback commit Matt Fink, Helton and Sarkisian were clearly on different pages. Helton was not aware of Fink’s scholarship offer from USC until Sarkisian broke the news to the senior quarterback in his office last spring.

Sources say USC gave quarterbacks Shea Patterson, K.J. Costello and Tate Martell similar mixed messages throughout their recruitments. The divide between Helton and Sarkisian often centered around mobility. Helton prefers pocket-passers while Sarkisian became more enamored with mobile quarterbacks.

Thus far, the Trojans have maintained the same recruiting strategy they used under Sarkisian. Whether Helton would continue that strategy as head coach next year remains to be seen, but it’s an approach which has been successful for USC the past two recruiting cycles. Simply being more decisive in recruiting quarterbacks would make USC more effective in signing top talent at that position moving forward.

As it stands now, USC has the nation’s No. 17 recruiting class with 14 commitments. Most of the Trojans’ commits have been openly in favor of Helton being retained as head coach. USC did have two de-commitments after Sarkisian was fired. One came from Ann Arbor (Mich.) four-star linebacker Daelin Hayes, who USC is not expected to pursue further. The other de-commitment came from Torrance (Calif.) five-star linebacker Mique Juarez, who USC is still heavily recruiting.

The retention of certain assistant coaches and an overlap in recruiting strategy would be beneficial toward USC signing another top 10 class in 2016. However, there is an argument to be made that Helton as head coach further enforces the perception of instability within the program. Like other inexperienced head coaching candidates, Helton would have to prove himself as a winner at USC before speculation and conjecture about his future would cease.

Steve Sarkisian arrived at USC on the coaching hot seat after never winning more than five conferences games at Washington. If Helton wins out this season, he will have taken USC back to the Rose Bowl. If he simply beats Oregon this weekend and UCLA the next, he will be 7-1 with a Las Vegas Bowl win as head coach. That would be six Pac-12 wins, which is one more than Steve Sarkisian ever had at Washington.

However, one good partial season will not temper the angsts of USC fans or recruits. The failures of Lane Kiffin and Steve Sarkisian will haunt their former offensive coordinator turned interim head coach until he can string together multiple season of double digit wins.

REALIZING

USC is not starting with a clean slate in hiring Clay Helton. That has its advantages an its disadvantages. Helton was hired by Lane Kiffin, who USC fired midseason and retained by Steve Sarkisian who USC fired midseason. In essence, athletic director Pat Haden would be promoting a coach hired by two people he unceremoniously fired.

Fair or not to Helton, that is a tough pill to swallow for Trojan fans who want to break away from the failures of the past. At the same time, Helton is not the same coach or person as Kiffin or Sarkisian. Helton has no external experience as a head coach, but he has experienced many ups and downs at USC. He knows the terrain, and is winning games this season under less than ideal circumstances. Helton has galvanized this year’s USC football team when many anticipated a total collapse.

However, USC took a chance on young, unproven coaches in Kiffin and Sarkisian mainly because of their association with the football program’s successful under Pete Carroll. That translated knowledge did not result in Rose Bowl victories or national championships. But make no mistake about it, USC would be changing course in hiring Helton. Instead of hiring an unproven coach because of his association to past success at USC, Haden would be promoting Helton in spite of his association with past failure.

As the USCFootball.com Head Coaching Hot Board heats up, we examine each leading candidate in depth with analysis on why they would fit at USC, and why they may not.


The USC head coaching search enters week No. 4 since the firing of Steve Sarkisian and things are easily quiet.

Sources have been adamant since the search began that USC is looking for a candidate with head coaching experience, while fans add that coach have a proven track record of success. On the college level, few coaches have a better track record than TCU head coach Gary Patterson.

Patterson has been considered a long shot to leave TCU since he yawned at the Texas Longhorn’s head coaching vacancy two years ago. As with Baylor head coach Art Briles, it would surprise many if Patterson left the state of Texas to coach, let alone ended up at USC. Patterson is 140-46 as a head coach, which is a record only Bob Stoops can match in the Big 12. But much of Patterson's success came before TCU made the jump to a Power 5 conference.

Patterson took over as head coach in 2000 at TCU when Dennis Franchione left for Alabama. From 2000 to 2012, Patterson built the Horned Frogs into a power in Conference USA and then the Mountain West. TCU’s defense was ranked among the nation’s best three years running from 2009, 2010 to 2011. In 2010, TCU would finish 13-0 and No. 3 in the BCS.

Patterson has won AP Coach Of The Year, Eddie Robinson Coach Of The Year and Walter Camp Coach Of The Year twice. After going 7-6 and 4-8 his first two seasons in the Big-12, Patterson led TCU to a 12-1 record in 2014 with a 42-3 win over Ole Miss in the Peach Bowl.


“Defensive coaches, No. 1, never get many chances to be head coaches. I’m one of these laser-eyes you see. Most people know me that three hours on TV on Saturday.

“Gary’s that guy that grew up in a town of 175 people from western Kansas. It’s about people, it’s about kids’ lives, it’s about growing doing all of those kind of things. My wife says she loves Gary, she’s not sure about Coach P either.” — Garry Patterson, Dallas Morning News

LEADERSHIP

The 55-year-old head coach has a fiery personality that goes unabated on the sidelines. Patterson coached with a poker face his first few years at TCU, but as his teams lost games and Patterson found himself on the hot seat, he unapologetically changed his approach. Patterson is now often described as brash and outspoken.


“I tried to be that guy when I first started as a head coach. Kinda stoic, quiet. I think my teams played like that and I was 2-2 and they were already ready to fire me as a head coach and I said, ‘well, if I’m going to go down, I’m going to go down in my way.” — Gary Patterson

Patterson played linebacker and safety at Kansas State, working his way up the food chain as a linebacker coach at small programs like Tennessee Tech, UC Davis, Cal Lutheran and Pittsburg State. As Patterson likes to say, he took the “low road” to being a head coach. Several of his early positions reunited Patterson with former Wildcat teammate, Dennis Franchione. Patterson was hired as a defensive coordinator by Franchione at New Mexico before following him to TCU.

But it was Pete Carroll, a name more familiar with Trojan fans, that gave Patterson his most notable compliment. After visited TCU on his Win Forever tour in 2011, Carroll met with Patterson and his staff for a four hour coaching workshop.

“He is an example of exactly what we’re preaching about,” Carroll said. “About finding out who you are and what you’re all about and then figuring a way to make that come to life for your coaches and your players.

“He gets it from A to Z, how to deliver the message of a philosophy and something that is absolutely representative of who he is. “In doing so, he’s been consistently…at the top of his game and has brought TCU to a point where they are absolutely one of the top [teams] of the college football world.”

As a leader, Patterson is comfortable in his own skin and cuts to the point. Patterson hasn’t just changed the culture of TCU football, he has helped build it from scratch. Patterson describes himself as demanding, and has said that players play for or in spite of their coach.

GAME PLANNING

Patterson is a defensive minded coach with a very unique background. Coaching at New Mexico before landing at TCU, he developed his 4-2-5 defensive scheme out of necessity. With more Air Raid offenses proliferating the mid-major college football landscape, and the Lobos having few traditional linebackers on their roster, Patterson decided to field a base personnel package that emphasized speed over size.

This 4-2-5 is not a traditional nickel sub package with four defensive linemen, two linebackers, two safeties and two cornerbacks. Instead, it’s a personnel package of three safeties used in a single high formation. TCU will use a single free safety in the middle of the field, with two rover safeties flanking two middle linebackers. TCU calls these rovers their strong and weak safeties. In this system, Su'a Cravens would be a strong safety, which acts as a linebacker, defensive back hybrid in the 4-2-5.

Patterson calls his defensive front stunts and blitzes separately from his coverages. In fact, Patterson breaks his defensive calls into three groups. First is the front, which consists of the defensive line and two linebackers. Then he has the away side grouping, which will be a cornerback, his free and strong safeties. Finally, Patterson has a read side for the other cornerback and his weak safety.

This is a scheme which relies on blitzes and stunts on almost every play to confuse and disrupt an up-tempo offense's flow. With both safeties near the line of scrimmage, this defense gives the appearance of an eight man front while still having the personnel of a sub package. It’s a defense meant to disguise zone defenders from blitzers.

Plugging USC’s roster into this defensive scheme is tricky because of the Horned Frogs smallish front. The defensive end and the strong safety positions would be key in the transition. In this system, the strong side defensive end plays in the six-technique, head up with the tight end. The weak side end is in a loose five-technique -- playing the outside shade of the offensive tackle. TCU’s defensive ends can play from a two-point or three-point stance depending on their technique. The Horned Frogs only have three defensive ends on their roster weighing more than 265-pounds.

Porter Gustin would fit in at one defensive end spot, while the other defensive end would likely be a bigger lineman like Rasheem Green. TCU does not flip their defensive ends by formation strength. The safety trio in this defense would mostly likely have Chris Hawkins at weak safety, John Plattenburg at free safety and Marvell Tell or Leon McQuay at strong safety, assuming Su’a Cravens goes pro. The strong safety position would ideally fit the physical profile of Elk Grove (Calif.) four-star prospect Lamar Jackson. This position is like a glorified WILL linebacker in the 4-3, but with better coverage skills.

In that respect, this defense isn’t all that different than USC’s big nickel package when Cravens, Hawkins and Plattenburg are all on the field together. The Trojans used this personnel package in the fourth quarter against Arizona last weekend. As a base defense, it lessens the need for 300-pound defensive linemen and tall, rangy linebackers. At the same time, it puts more emphasis on finding safeties who can support the run and pass.

Offensively, Patterson is running the same up-tempo spread offense that many other Big 12 teams use. While that’s a bit of a generalization, TCU uses a ton of two-by-two sets with 10 personnel. TCU currently uses a lot of speed and read option with quarterback Trevone Boykins. With Andy Dalton at the helm, TCU ran plenty of four and five receiver sets, but still maintained a top 10 rushing offense. Patterson’s defense are built to stop the spread, so his offenses run the spread.

How these schemes would fair in a conference with Stanford, and to a lesser extent run-spread teams like Utah and Oregon, is open to debate. The Big 12 simply does not have the variety of schemes and personnel groupings used in the Pac-12. But that’s not to say Patterson cannot adapt. Over the last 10 years, Patterson is 7-2 in bowls games, with a win over Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl. More impressively, his losses to Boise State and Michigan State were by a combined total of eight points.

Patterson is one of the only coaches in the modern era of football to marry a bevy of Air Raid passing concepts with a great defense. In 2009, TCU had the nation’s No. 7 ranked offense and the nation’s No. 1 ranked defense. In 2010, Patterson fielded the nation’s No. 1 total defense again, while ranking No. 12 in total offense. The Horned Frogs were No. 10 in rush offense and No. 5 in rush defense. But again, this all took place while TCU was in the Mountain West and not the Big 12.

RECRUITING

Patterson has been recruiting Texas for more than a decade and his ties to the state are very strong. TCU has begun to expand their recruiting footprint to Florida and Louisiana, but Texas is where a vast majority of TCU’s players come from. While the Dallas-Fort Worth area is obviously a focal point, TCU does an excellent job of recruiting Houston as well.

Patterson himself is recognized as a solid recruiter, although his strength is evaluation and development more than sales. Hiring a coach with such strong ties to another talent rich region would give USC unbelievable reach. From a system standpoint, Patterson would have his pick of personnel, which would likely morph his scheme both offensively and defensively.

TCU currently has 15 commits for 2016. The Horned Frogs have the nation’s No. 28 recruiting class, which is rated third in the Big 12. The fact that 28th in the nation lands third in the Big 12 is an eye opener. In contrast, Texas is rated No. 48 nationally with nine commitments for 2016. TCU traditionally finishes behind Texas, Texas A&M, Oklahoma and Baylor regionally in recruiting, so these rankings will likely shift. However, it shows that TCU is being recognized for finding good players, which in return, is drawing more good players to the program.

Patterson's perceived fit as a head coach in the Pac-12 may be more of a question. While some Trojan fans may wonder whether Patterson would "get SC," it's fair to wonder if USC would get Patterson.

REALIZING

Patterson sings country music, plays guitar and comes from rural Kansas. While Fort Worth isn’t a small town, it isn’t Los Angeles. Patterson talked about fit and coaching moves to AFCA Weekly a few years ago.


“If you’re not a good fit for your team, if you don’t catch on and you’re not similar to the constituent group that makes up the team, then it’s not going to work, “ he said. “I don’t care what offense you run or what your defense is. I don’t care how good of a coach you are.

“You have to look past money, facilities and the way it looks on TV. You’ve got to find a place where you can do something that nobody’s ever done before and make sure you have an opportunity to be successful.”

Something else to consider is that Patterson's annual salary represents more than 5-percent of TCU's athletic expenditures. Only Nick Saban makes a larger percentage for his university. Patterson has built much of the TCU football program people know today. That control maybe worth the millions of more dollars USC could pay him.

Patterson balked at the Texas Longhorns head coach vacancy, and as he explicitly says, money and the lure of a bigger program doesn’t make him tick. At the same time, how much farther can he take TCU? At this point, 17-years into coaching at TCU, Patterson is going head to head with Baylor for conference prestige.

TCU is not Texas or Oklahoma, nor will they be in the in the foreseeable future. Every coach has a competitive urge to compete against the best, and while TCU has certainly had success, they’ve also been on the outside looking in of the national championship picture. That would not happen at USC. Of course, seeing that Dennis Franchione has been a big influence on Patterson in coaching, Franchione’s move from TCU to Alabama may also resonate. Franchione took the Crimson Tide from a 3-8 team under sanctions to a 10-3 team in two years.

However, Franchione resigned abruptly from Alabama to take a job with Texas A&M despite the offer of a 10-year extension from the Tide. Leaving no bridge unburned, Franchione’s departures from TCU and Alabama didn’t come without backlash. He would eventually resign from Texas A&M as well. Franchione’s foray into big time college football did not pan out and it’s something Patterson likely considers with every new job offer. That is, of course, if he actually considers a new job offer.

Majd intéznek egy olyan stábot meg AD-t, aki megcsinálja helyettük/nem várja el ezeket.
Habi

csak ez nagyon nem így működik
baggio

a HC a legritkább esetben megy toborozni. Kvázi csak az in-home vizitek idején, az meg január-február eleje. Többit a stáb intézi. Pár telefon hívás van még ezen kívül és viszont látásra (a videós elemzéseket még idevehetjük). Tehát ez pont így működik.Habi

 ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61xdpFoZHBL._SX322_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg

épp Orgeron benne a főszereplő, ajánlom elolvasásra
baggio

azt tudom, hogy szoktál rendelni külföldről könyvet. Amazonról a legjobb? Mert ezt a könyvet már korábban kinéztem. Vicces, hogy betetted 😊 Viszont az biztos, hogy ennél többet nem csinálhat a HC, ezt szabályozzák rendesen. In home, telefon, hivatalos/nem hivatalos vizitnél kis beszélgetés megengedett, illetve a suliban találkozhatnak csit-csetre. Viszont biztos frankó a könyv, Coach O nagy művész toborzásban.
Habi

írd meg PM-ben a címedet, én pedig elküldöm
amúgy igen, amazonról szoktam rendelni

Majd intéznek egy olyan stábot meg AD-t, aki megcsinálja helyettük/nem várja el ezeket.
Habi

csak ez nagyon nem így működik
baggio

a HC a legritkább esetben megy toborozni. Kvázi csak az in-home vizitek idején, az meg január-február eleje. Többit a stáb intézi. Pár telefon hívás van még ezen kívül és viszont látásra (a videós elemzéseket még idevehetjük). Tehát ez pont így működik.Habi

 ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61xdpFoZHBL._SX322_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg

épp Orgeron benne a főszereplő, ajánlom elolvasásra
baggio

azt tudom, hogy szoktál rendelni külföldről könyvet. Amazonról a legjobb? Mert ezt a könyvet már korábban kinéztem. Vicces, hogy betetted 😊 Viszont az biztos, hogy ennél többet nem csinálhat a HC, ezt szabályozzák rendesen. In home, telefon, hivatalos/nem hivatalos vizitnél kis beszélgetés megengedett, illetve a suliban találkozhatnak csit-csetre. Viszont biztos frankó a könyv, Coach O nagy művész toborzásban.

Majd intéznek egy olyan stábot meg AD-t, aki megcsinálja helyettük/nem várja el ezeket.
Habi

csak ez nagyon nem így működik
baggio

a HC a legritkább esetben megy toborozni. Kvázi csak az in-home vizitek idején, az meg január-február eleje. Többit a stáb intézi. Pár telefon hívás van még ezen kívül és viszont látásra (a videós elemzéseket még idevehetjük). Tehát ez pont így működik.Habi

épp Orgeron benne a főszereplő, ajánlom elolvasásra

Majd intéznek egy olyan stábot meg AD-t, aki megcsinálja helyettük/nem várja el ezeket.
Habi

csak ez nagyon nem így működik
baggio

a HC a legritkább esetben megy toborozni. Kvázi csak az in-home vizitek idején, az meg január-február eleje. Többit a stáb intézi. Pár telefon hívás van még ezen kívül és viszont látásra (a videós elemzéseket még idevehetjük). Tehát ez pont így működik.
Kelly helyett meg a győzelmei szoktak beszélni (egyetemen). A USC más kávéház, ott többet kell beszélni a boosterekkel, ezért sem látom azt, hogy ő jönne. Ha kirúgják viszont nem fog otthon ülni, amikor itt elkérhet 7 millió felett évente. Max 1 év után visszamegy. Bobbal ugyan ez a helyzet.

Majd intéznek egy olyan stábot meg AD-t, aki megcsinálja helyettük/nem várja el ezeket.
Habi

csak ez nagyon nem így működik

Harbaugh visszajött, 7 milliós körbe került, Saban mellé, tehát annak a hírnek is volt valóság alapja. Evidens, hogy Kelly is csak így jönne vissza. Márpedig ha kirúgják, vki úgyis bekínálja majd neki. Az nem lett leírva, hogy vissza is fog jönni. Sőt szerintem speciel előbb lesz a Titans edzője, mint a USC edzője.
De mivel a fan base-ből sokan írták, hogy Kelly, Kelly, Kelly gondoltam ami hírt találok erről azt beírom.
Abban is biztos vagyok, hogy BOB is ha ki lesz rúgva (szintén esélyes), akkor nem pihenni fog, hanem jön vissza az NCAA-be. Nem szeretnek parolázni, meg gyerekeknek ígérgetni, megértem, csak ha más lehetőség nincs, tuti, hogy jönnek szépen vissza mindketten. Majd intéznek egy olyan stábot meg AD-t, aki megcsinálja helyettük/nem várja el ezeket.

Tavaly is jól bejutottak a rájátszásba. Jah, nem.
Tegnap éjszaka ment USC-s q&a a scout.com oldalon az ottani adminokkal, akik belsős informátorokkal rendelkeznek és csak a USC-ről tudósítanak (fizetős is a bentlét). Onnan szemezgettem. Az ottaniak meglátása, hogy a most kijött rangsor extra motivációt fog jelenteni Pattersonnak. De úgy is lett írva, hogy felerősödhet, nem kész tényként kezelve. De szerinted itt mi extrém dolog még? Mind adja magát. Ha noname twitterező emberek írnának ilyet, azt nyilván én sem tenném be, de itt azért kicsit más helyzetről van szó.
Habi

"Chip Kelly csakis akkor jönne vissza az egyetemi foci világába, ha a legjobban fizetett edző lenne és nagyon hosszú szerződést kapna."

Jim Harbaugh-ról ugyanezt írták mondjuk michigani kinevezése előtt, de amúgy is, Chip maga jelentette ki, hogy nem akar újra egyetemi edző lenni belátható időn belül (mert BOB-hoz hasonlóan nem szereti a toborzást és a boosterekkel, iskola vezetőivel való parolázást).

Amúgy se szeretem a pletykákat és a ha-val kezdődő mondatokat nem tartom hírértékűnek, de ilyen esetekben ezeket kifejezetten károsnak ítélem meg, mert olyan képet ad az NCAA iránt nem behatóan érdeklődőknek, ami nem igaz, vagy épp erősen szubjektív az érzelmi kötődés miatt. A USC-nél ugyanaz az arrogancia van ilyen téren, mint a többi nagy programnál (na meg persze a komplett NFL-nél, mikor cfb edző szerződtetése vetődik fel), hogy ők bárkit meg tudnak szerezni és senki nem mondd nekik nemet, csak a megfelelő árat kell belőni. Közben meg a HC ügynöke machinál csak, hogy aktuális kenyéradójánál kiharcoljon egy fizetésemelést - erre a legjobb példa Saban esete a Texas-szal.

Szerkesztette: r.baggio