USC Trojans

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 nyilávn én sem tenném be, de itt azért kicsit más helyzetről van szó.

Ezek a pletykák honnan vannak? Már nem azért, korábban is írtam, hogy ezek többsége mese habbal, de itt pl. vannak extrém dolgok is... Az még ok, hogy kitudódhat, hogy Harbaugh felesége LA-ben akar élni, na de az első cfc rangsort fél napja se hirdették ki, gondolom Patterson azóta elpanaszkodott a helyezés miatt mindenkinek. Az ilyen fanfikció, semmi más.

Hírek:
- JuJu-t jobb gyűrűs újját megműtötték. Valószínűleg játszhat szombaton az Arizona ellen.
- Claude Pelon újra edzett, kérdéses hétvégi játéka
- Nem volt még hivatalos interjú egy edzőjelölttel sem
- Több belsős hír is kiszivárgott John Harbaughról. Sark kinevezésekkor is bejelntkezett az ügynöke, de már késő volt. A felesége LA-ben akar élni. Tesója tavalyi váltása tetszik neki nagyon. Hajlanak az interjúra. A héten bye week van, ha sikerül eldönteni, hogy ki interjúztassa, nem kizárt a dolog. Hivatalos megkeresés nem volt.
- Szintén belsős infó, hogy Chip Kelly csakis akkor jönne vissza az egyetemi foci világába, ha a legjobban fizetett edző lenne és nagyon hosszú szerződést kapna.
- tavaly az LSU-t megbüntették, mert olyan korai beíratkozót jelentettek be ősszel, aki később decommitolt és máshova írt alá. Daelin Hayest is bejelentette a USC, mint korai beíratkozó, de Sark kirúgása előtt nem sokkal decommitolt. Büntetésre nem számíthat a USC a bejelentés miatt, mert az SEC-nek külön szabálya van erre a bejeltős mókára.
- Patterson (TCU) hajlik az interjúra és ez felerősödhet, látva az új CF rangsort. Az első számú indok, hogy itt könnyebb bejutni a rájátszásba.
- (sajnos) Chuck Pagano is egyre inkább lépked fel a listákon, mint jelölt...

The USC head coaching search is headed in its first week as the Trojans come off a 31-41 loss to rival Notre Dame.

With many teams, college and pro, in midseason, the interest levels of top candidates is still difficult to gauge. The Baltimore Ravens website produced a “nothing to see here” blog entry last week stating head coach John Harbaugh was not considering the USC head coaching job.

But with the Ravens off to a 1-5 start for the first time in franchise history and Harbaugh having some superficial contact with USC during the Trojans’ last coaching search, he remains a candidate for the job.

Harbaugh is 82-46 overall in Baltimore and 10-5 in the post season with a Super Bowl XLVII victory over the San Francisco 49ers, who were led by his younger brother, Jim. John Harbaugh is a different coach than his brother.

John, relaxed and easy going, is often described as a “players coach” for his even-keel approach to the game. He is a leader and a motivator, but not in a divisive manner which wears on his players and his assistant coaches.


“Do whatever you can to help others be their best and see where that takes you,” says Harbaugh. “But, it really shouldn’t be about where it takes you. It’s where it takes us. What do we have a chance to accomplish together? Can we build something together that is special and has a chance to last?”

LEADERSHIP

Harbaugh, 53-years-old, is affable, yet his experience in dealing with unique off field issues would prepare him well for college football.

In 2000, All Pro linebacker Ray Lewis was involved in a murder trial which cast a shadow over the Ravens organization. Last year, Ray Rice was released from the Ravens and later suspended indefinitely by the NFL in a nasty domestic violence incident. This past summer, the Ravens were also indirectly involved in Deflategate.

Emails from the Indianapolis Colts to the league office revealed that the Ravens actually tipped the Colts off about potential football tampering at Gillet Stadium in New England. Indeed, John Harbaugh has dealt with his fair share of distractions in big markets and handled each issue without reproach.

Specifically in the Ray Rice incident, there were some close to Harbaugh who felt he was hung out to dry by the Ravens’ management. Harbaugh still proved to be the face of the franchise, providing stability, sensibility and accountability.

Sanctions are over at USC, and the rebuilding has begun. A program with a storied tradition, USC football doesn’t have to reinvent itself, but it can no longer attempt to build on to the legacy of Pete Carroll with more blocks for the Jenga tower. To an extent, that is editorializing the state of the program, but USC has been shooting from the hip with a slew of program derailing events in recent years.

Pete Carroll had a philosophy to always compete, which was later developed as his Win Forever concept. That philosophy was bigger than a 12 game schedule. Harbaugh himself has a life philosophy for his players about winning. He lives by the philosophy of (W.I.N.) What’s Important Now. The tenants are, Be Honest, Do One More Thing, Learn To Follow, Take Care Of Today, Be An Encourager And Be Yourself.

“Be yourself because everybody else is taken,” says Harbaugh.

USC football players and personnel have heard too much of one thing and seen another in recent years. USC needs an honest, original approach moving forward.

GAME PLANNING

Harbaugh is from a football family, with his dad (Jack) and brother both having been successful college coaches. That factors in with hiring good assistant coaches and using connections to self evaluate a coaching staff.

Schematically, Harbaugh doesn’t hold to any single defense or offense. In fact, Harbaugh has never been a defensive or offensive coordinator in his coaching career. He has been a special team coordinator, which one could argue, has inherent upside.

Unlike a defensive guru or offensive genius as head coach, Harbaugh won’t scare off any good coordinators by insisting on calling his own plays or dictating what scheme USC runs. Speaking of scheme, the Ravens run what many USC fans call a “5-2” defense, although it’s really a hybrid version of a 3-4 defense.

Under Harbaugh, the Ravens have run several different fronts, including some traditional 4-3 looks. What the Ravens use now is a 3-4, which gap wise, is actually a 4-3 under. This is what Ed Oregon and Clancy Pendergast ran at USC in 2013. USC’s current defensive scheme is two gap based and more in line with a traditional 3-4 front.

On offense, Baltimore has run through a myriad of offensive coordinators and schemes, although each not venturing too far from the single back pro-style offense. The Ravens set franchise records last season with 409 points scored and 5,838 yards with Gary Kubiak as offensive coordinator.

Under Marc Trestman, Baltimore has struggled. But when it comes to NFL offensive playbooks, less is more in college no matter who the coach is. Harbaugh was a defensive backs coach with the Philadelphia Eagles, so he is associated more with being a defensive coach at heart and his teams take on that personality.

RECRUITING

As mentioned, Harbaugh’s personality and presence would give USC instant credibility on the recruiting trail. That big, fat Super Bowl ring wouldn’t go unnoticed either.

Recruiting wise, Harbaugh’s ties are mainly in the Midwest. While his brother coached at San Diego University before moving on to Stanford, John’s experience in college is made up entirely of Midwestern schools like Western Michigan, Pitt and Cincinnati.

That is a negative as Harbaugh will beholden by some good assistant coaching hires to set him the the right direction on the recruiting trail. Harbaugh shouldn't have many problems selling his brand of football to recruits, but evauating high school athletes as opposed to college athletes is something Harbaugh hasn't done in almost a decade. Granted, this was not an issue for Pete Carroll, who relished the opportunity to pick and choose the players he wanted on his team freely without the restrictions of a draft. John's brother, Jim, has certainly proven to be a very good judge of talent at the college level.

REALIZING

Harbaugh won’t be fired by the Ravens this season regardless of how many games they lose. He will have to want to coach at USC and make that move willingly. Furthermore, already swinging a $7 million price tag, USC will have to flex its booster muscle and prove the program is all-in with this next hire. Only Alabama's Nick Saban and John's brother, Jim, are in the $7 million club at the college level.

College football is full of winks, nods and unscrupulous recruiting tactics. Harbaugh is all about sportsmanship and integrity, so that aspect of the job may scare him away from college football altogether. That’s ignoring the toll recruiting takes on a coach’s free time, although head coaches are not on the road for May evaluations and can only have one in-home visit per recruit.

Harbaugh has never coached in the Pac-12, never been a head coach in college nor has he any current assistant coaches on his staff with extensive ties to the West Coast. That’s a potential hurdle in recruiting and a whole new staff will take time to gel regardless of how good each coach is individually.

Without carrying an offensive or defensive coordinating title in the past, Harbaugh doesn’t really have his own system from a schematic standpoint. With there being more turnover with college football coaching staffs, USC would be at the mercy of its playbook changing every few years as coordinators leave for head coaching jobs. That in itself could hurt the continuity and make it more challenging to string national championship runs together.

Finally, even if USC was to lure Harbaugh away from the pro game, there is no guarantee he would not jump back to the league for a shot at another Super Bowl. Although, winning one already makes that less likely and every coach USC hires has the potential of leaving for the NFL if they return the Trojans to the national championship hunt on an annual basis

The USC head coaching search doesn’t have to look very far this week with Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham bringing his No. 3 ranked Utes to town Saturday.

Whittingham said Tuesday that he “would not speculate on speculation” and was focused on beating USC Saturday. How Utah plays against USC may make all of the difference to Trojan fans.

Rarely has one school hired a head coach from another school it has defeated in the same calendar year. A good showing by Utah Saturday in the Coliseum will have Trojan fans clamoring for Whittingham’s hire.

Whittingham is 91-43 at Utah and 27-23 since joining the Pac-12. Specifically against USC the last four years, he is 1-3. Whittingham was a defensive coordinator at Utah for 10 seasons under Ron McBride and Urban Meyer before taking over as a head coach in 2004. Whittingham actually co-head coached the Utes’ win over Pitt that year in the Fiesta Bowl.

Whittingham has coached safeties, defensive line and linebackers while at Utah. Whittingham played linebacker at BYU and USFL with a brief stint with the Los Angeles Rams as a member of the 1987 replacement squad.

Whittingham has the disposition of a linebacker. Quiet, almost stoic in his coaching approach, he has a tough, no-nonsense nature about him. There are no flowery, superfluous quotes from Whittingham floating around on the Internet about life and how it extends to the football field.


“We’ve talked about David and Goliath going at it before, this ain’t no more David and Goliath. This is two giants going at it. Lets get it done!” — Kyle Whittingham before a 62-20 win over Oregon

LEADERSHIP

Whittingham, 55-years-old, has a blue-collar mentality. His calm, quiet demeanor in front of the cameras and microphones gives way to a fiery vocal leader in the locker room.

The Ute football team has suffered no significant off field issues in his tenure, which reflects on the type of program Whittingham runs. But it also speaks to the market he is in and the lack of scrutiny placed upon his football program as well.

The spotlight on USC football is seven days a week, 365 days a year. And while Whittingham has never dealt with the distractions that attempt to penetrate the inner-circle of the USC football team, he would not be the cause of those distractions either.

USC doesn't need Hollywood with this hire, it needs a strong, smart winner who over-performs.

USCFootball.com Columnist and Beat Writer Dan Weber on Whittingham:

“Personality wise, he reminds you of John McKay. Just one example: a couple of years back when Utah didn't have a special teams coach the way their staffing worked out, Whittingham just said he'd do it himself. Result: Utah has had the nation's best special teams the last couple of years."

Whittinhgam has a bachelor’s degree in educational psychology and a masters in professional leadership.

GAME PLANNING

Whittingham’s father, Fred, also coached at Utah as a defensive coordinator before handing the reigns over to Kyle at age 35. Whittingham’s coaching ties are more or less centric to Utah, BYU and Utah State. In fact, it seems like every year or two Utah has a new offensive or defensive coordinator from the Mountain Region.

This ties into why Whittingham would likely accept a job offer from USC. Brian Johnson, Norm Chow and Dan Christensen were all offensive coordinators at Utah in recent years, but left for bigger jobs and more money. Johnson as a quarterbacks coach to Mississippi State, Chow to Hawaii as a head coach and Christensen to Texas A&M as a coordinator. Whittingham also lost defensive coordinator Kalani Sitake to Oregon State this past off season after a publicized contract dispute.

Whittingham began going to a co-coordinator system in order to keep continuity within the Utah offense. At the moment, Utah has implemented a run-spread offense similar to what USC uses. That is, 90-percent shotgun formations with occasional runs and play action out of the pistol formation.

Utah will use an in-line tight end with an H-back in many formations, varying its 12 personnel packages with two tight ends or an in-line tight end with a flexed receiver as a wing. Outside the quarterback position, the Trojans current starters on offense would fit into Utah’s current scheme seamlessly.

Utah scored 62 points on Oregon in Eugene earlier this season with 10 minutes to go in the fourth quarter. The Utes have a three-headed monster game planning with co-coordinators Jim Harding, Aaron Roderick and assistant head coach Dennis Erickson. Unlike USC, Utah will run quarterback Travis Wilson by design out of the shotgun.

Wilson has 279-yards rushing for three scores on 45 carries. In each of his last four seasons Whittingham has had a pocket-passing quarterback that can run the ball. On paper, Utah’s scheme would fit Trojans freshman quarterback Sam Darnold more than USC redshirt sophomore Max Browne. Coincidentally, Wilson hails from San Clemente High School, the alma mater of Darnold.

This season, the Utes have outscored their opponents 52-22 and 61-35 in the third and fourth quarters of games. That is with a schedule that includes Michigan, Oregon, Cal and Arizona State. USC, with two cakewalk blow outs to start the season, are outscoring opponents 42-33 in the third quarter and being outscored 36-41 in the fourth quarter.

Defensively, Utah has run a 4-3 front with various under alignment wrinkles. Whittigham uses three standard linebackers in its base defense, although similar to a hybrid 3-4 front, the Utes identify four positions as linebackers in their defense. Former defensive coordinator Gary Anderson, now head coach at Oregon State, labeled his middle linebacker a MAC, his weak side linebacker a Rover, his strong side linebacker a STUD and his LEO or rush end as an open end.

Utah’s open end will often play in a two point stance as a defensive lineman and is the most athletic of the front four. Earning the moniker, Sack Lake City, Whittingham’s defenses are tough and opportunistic. It’s not a defense that blitzes every down like Arizona State. Utah’s pass rush is often sourced to an attacking, brutish defensive line.

This is where Whittingham is getting more from less. Utah has seven former defensive linemen playing on NFL rosters and none of which were rated higher than a three-star out of high school. Playing a 4-3 front, USC would move defensive ends like Noah Jefferson to the three-technique defensive tackle position. Players like Rasheem Green and Christian Rector would likely play base end, or strong side defensive end in this system.

RECRUITING

Whittingham has been recruiting much of the same territory as USC for the past decade. Whittingham is not a flashy recruiter, and Utah has built its program on players often picked over by USC, UCLA and even Cal. The Utes do occasionally dip into Florida and Texas for recruits. Whittingham currently holds four commitments from prospects in the Sunshine State.

Whittingham’s recruiting classes have always had a heavy representation of Polynesian players. Depending on the make up of his staff, he would undoubtedly want to continue to cherry pick Utah and hit Hawaii on the recruiting trail in addition to signing the best local Polynesian talent in California. Everyone wants to recruit the Southeast for good interior defensive linemen, but Whittingham has been able to field some great defensive fronts recruiting the Western Region.

The junior college ranks are where Whittingham may have to adjust his recruiting tendencies. Of Utah’s current 24 commits, seven of those players come from junior colleges. That includes two defensive tackles. Getting junior college players enrolled academically has always been a challenge at USC, so while Whittingham may put more emphasis on recruiting the juco ranks, it may prove futile.

REALIZING

Whittingham will earn $2.6 million in 2015, with automatic $100,000 increases annually through 2018. With USC not having to pay Steve Sarkisian the remainder of his contract, USC should not have much trouble paying Whittingham's buyout from Utah.

The biggest question revolving around this candidate is "fit." Whittingham played at BYU and has coached at Utah almost his entire career. Living in Los Angeles in itself would be a change, but the type of players he would coach would also present different challenges than he is accustomed to. As the NCAA said, USC is a high profile school with high profile players, and Whittingham previously turned down an offer to become the head coach at Tennessee in 2010.

Whittingham would bring a different narrative to the USC locker room, but will it command the respect of the NFL Draft picks in waiting that litter the Trojans roster? We know Whittingham, who is married into Su'a Cravens' family, has reportedly said that if he had USC's players, he'd never lose.

But that talent is a double-edged sword. For every Juju Smith-Schuster, there is a five-star that wants the royal treatment his freshman year at USC. Whittingham has a system built for the overachiever, but USC is clearly underachieving. Will Whittingham be able to sniff out the five-star head cases of each recruiting cycle, or will he be seduced by the temptation to simply out-talent his competition?

Having said that, recruiting at USC will not be the challenge. Developing that high profile talent with a buy-in philoshopy that both inspires and relates will be what faces Whittingham down at USC. Whittingham has an 8-1 bowl record despite his assistant coaches being poached by other programs each January.

That suggests two things. One, Whittingham has done an excellent job cutting through coaching turnover with a single narrative his players believe in. Two, Whittingham's teams are improving with more practice time, thus more coaching. Being able to finally hire top assistants and keep them may be be the hidden variable that allows Whittingham to excel beyond expectations.

Edző pletykák:
- Harbaugh érdeklődik a munka iránt, de hivatalos megkeresés még nem történt.
- PC-t megkeresték már hivatalosan is, egyre több hír terjeng arról belsős körökben, hogy el lehet mozdítani Seattle-ből, de nem lesz egyszerű, mert szereti az NFL légkörét.
- Wittingham a hétvégi vereségével állítólag könnyen kiszállhat a versenyből, de erről csak a beatwriterek írtak
- Mora megkeresését elutasították a donorok, hiába jöttek olyan hírek, hogy jó ajánlat esetén átjönne
- Chip Kelly longshot
- Kevin Sumlin longshot
- Tom Herman neve felmerül a Miami és a South Carolina esetében, mindenképpen interjúztatni akarják (top3 edzőjelölt lévén)
Róla itt egy remek profil és interjú. Engem nagyon meggyőzött ebben a profilban és idei munkájával. Remekül választ pozíciós edzőket és koordinátorokat. ( www.sbnation.com/college-football/2015/9/16/9329945/tom-herman-houston-cougars-football-offense-defense)
- floridai írók szerint Jim McElwain is célpont, még úgyis, hogy most nevezték ki (nem hinném, hogy legit esélyes lenne)
- Fuente-t (Memphis) is interjúztatni akarják (érdekes lesz a Houston-Memphis meccs USC-s szempontból is)

Nálam Harbaugh és Herman a top2 magasan.
Mellékelve Herman elemzése a scout-ról:

The USC head coaching search enters its second week since the firing of Steve Sarkisian.

While a majority of USC fans are pushing for a “proven” head coach to take the reigns of the football program, Houston Cougars head coach Tom Herman is proving why he is considered a hot commodity among the possible candidates for the job.

Herman came to Houston after helping to lead Ohio State to a national championship as an offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach under Urban Meyer. That is an achievement in itself, but considering that the Buckeyes were forced to start three different quarterbacks on their way to that undefeated season, Herman was awarded the Broyles Award, given annually to the nation's top assistant coach.

Before being hired by Meyer in 2012, Herman was an offensive coordinator under Paul Rhoads at Iowa State for three years. He got his start coaching in Texas for a decade as a receivers, quarterbacks coach and then offensive coordinator at various schools like Rice, Texas State and Sam Houston State.

On Dec. 15, 2014, Herman was named head coach by the Houston Cougars. Since then, Herman has led the Cougars to a 7-0 record, averaging 47.5 points a game while allowing 20 points on defense. Houston currently has the nation’s No. 7 rush offense and is No. 30 in pass offense.

Defensively, Houston is top 15 in scoring defense and sacks nationally. The Cougars are also No. 9 nationally in rush defense.


“For winning championships, for getting rings on fingers, I know how to do it. It ain’t by walking. It ain’t by putting your toes in the green. It’s by doing everything perfectly.” — Houston head coach Tom Herman

LEADERSHIP

Herman may not have much experience as a head coach, but he is 40-years-old, which by Mike Gundy’s definition, is a man. All jokes aside, Herman stresses detail in his team’s preparation and is a vocal leader.

Houston is often thought of as finesse program that relies heavily on passing the football, but Herman has instilled a hard-nosed mentality and openly challenges his players with that competitive mindset in practice.

Herman is not your typical pass-first quarterback coach turned head coach. While Herman helped develop three very good signal-callers at Ohio State, his run-spread option scheme also requires some physicality from the quarterback position.


“We want every defense to have to account for the quarterback in the run game and allow us to equate numbers or at least get numbers close to equal as we can in the run game. So that's kind of our philosophy.” — Tom Herman while at Ohio State

Herman grew up an only child raised by his mother. Without a father figure in his life, he depended on the mentorship of his football coaches as a youth. Born in Ohio, Herman spent his formative years in Simi Valley (Calif.) and eventually went to college at Cal Lutheran University, where he was All-Southern California as a wide out.

With Herman setting out to be a coach while taking graduate assistant jobs in Texas, his wife, Michelle, stayed in Los Angeles and supported the two of them. In addition to earning a B.S. in Business Administration from Cal Lutheran, he would get his masters degree in education while he was a graduate assistant from the University of Texas.

Although he will garner comparisons to former USC head coaches Lane Kiffin and Steve Sarkisian because of his youth, Herman worked his way through Division I-AA schools before being hired as an offensive coordinator by Rice in 2007. Herman started at the bottom, and while he is on the fast track to a big-time job now, his approach to coaching reflects the grind it took to have the opportunities now staring him in the face.

GAME PLANNING

As stated above, Herman uses the same spread option offensive system at Houston as Urban Meyer does at Ohio State. Obviously, Houston doesn’t have the physical capability to own the line of scrimmage like the Buckeyes, so although the Cougars use many of the same formations, Herman’s play calling relies on more motion and misdirection.

Herman is inheriting a team that was built to pass, pass some more, and then set up the pass with more passes. Art Briles and Kevin Sumlin established the Air Raid offense at Houston, which Tony Levine then attempted to continue running until he was fired.

Houston now runs an up-tempo offense that features plenty of shotgun formations. However, instead of using personnel groupings of four and five wide outs on every play, Herman is using 11 personnel with a tight end. The Cougars often use their tight end as a H-back wing, occasionally cross blocking from motion.

Like at Ohio State, the H-back in this offense is a fullback, tight end hybrid. Houston will also use various pistol formations with the H-back shifting from a wing position to the Nevada pistol train set as a lead blocker. With the Cougars roster heavy on small, quick wide receivers, Herman is still a couple of years away from being able to use the power off set counter trey formations that Urban Meyer uses with the Buckeyes.

Herman has continued to rely heavily on the read option at Houston. Designed runs by the quarterback have been a big part of his offense since his days at Iowa State, so there is little doubt that system requirement would carry over at USC.

In fact, there's a chance a player like Jalen Greene, who moved from quarterback to wide receiver last summer, would move back to quarterback in an effort to develop more athleticism at that position. USC freshman quarterback Sam Darnold may also flourish in this offense, but he would be the closest thing to a pocket passer Herman has coached in years.

Seven games into the 2105 season, Houston quarterback Greg Ward Jr. has 1,734 yards passing and 10 touchdowns. But Ward is also the team’s leading rusher with 677 yards and 15 touchdowns on the ground. Ward was recruited by most schools to play cornerback out of high school. Herman isn’t just using a quarterback who can run in his offense, he’s using an athlete to take snaps. Outside of the quarterback position, only slight shifts in recruiting would likely occur under Herman on offense.

The slot position would continue to spotlight players like Adoree Jackson, who have the ability to both run and catch out of the backfield. USC’s outside receivers would continue to be key run blockers in the offense, while the fullback and tight end position would merge.

On defense, Houston currently uses a hybrid 3-4 scheme. Under Briles and Sumlin, the Cougars’ defense ranked in the nation's top-50 in total defense just once while finishing below 100 four times. Levine improved those stats slightly, but not as much as Herman’s staff has this season. Houston’s defensive roster is still loaded with smallish linebackers better suited for a 3-3-5 stack scheme.

Still, Houston’s defense is causing turnovers and getting sacks with a lot of blitzing from those small, yet quick linebackers. Of course, much of the credit for that has to be given to Cougars defensive coordinator, Todd Orlando. Ohio State runs a base 4-3 defense, so Herman has no single defensive scheme he prefers. However, it is notable that Herman’s offensive scheme is not sacrificing his defense’s ability to play aggressively.

RECRUITING

Herman is from Southern California, although his coaching ties are all based in Texas. Much of Herman’s current staff is from Texas with a number of them having spent most of their coaching careers in Texas, so while additions to the USC staff like defensive line coach Oscar Giles or offensive coordinator Major Applewhite may increase the Trojans pull in the Lone Star State, Herman would have to reach further for coaches with knowledge of the West Coast recruiting trail. Being so young and having never coached in the region, that may be a challenge.

In terms of personnel, dual-threat quarterbacks and scramblers would become a priority in recruiting for Herman. A quarterback like Bishop Gorman junior Tate Martell would once again become a prime target for USC. Herman’s eye for talent is an unknown at this point. While some may give him credit for Ohio State’s three headed monster at quarterbacks, he did not actually recruit any of those players.

Herman was a good recruiter at Ohio State, landing a handful of Scout 300 prospects from Texas for the Buckeyes in his three seasons as offensive coordinator. But with so little recruiting data as a head coach, it’s hard to analyze the development of his system from the ground up. Houston does have a commitment from Westfield five-star defensive tackle Ed Oliver, although that pledge is predicated on assistant coaching ties.

REALIZING

Herman is unproven. While he carries himself like a seasoned head coach and has the makeup of a great leader, he is embarking on his first season in the American Athletic Conference. Houston’s meeting with Memphis and Justin Fuente in November will draw national attention, but will it prove either coach is actually ready to lead a program like USC back to national prominence? Fuentes has a win against Ole Miss under his belt and two more seasons as a head coach.

The hirings, and subsequent firings, of Lane Kiffin and Steve Sarkisian will cast a cloud over any young up-and-coming offensive minded coaches taking over at USC. Fair or not, recruits and fans alike will be skeptical of Herman until he wins a Pac-12 title. With an offensive system that relies on a quarterback that can run the read option, Herman may not be able to have the immediate success at USC he has had at Houston.

Herman also has few recruiting ties out west. And while recruiting well at USC is much easier than at Houston, Herman has no Super Bowl, national championship or bowl trophies to point to in head to head battles with other major programs. Again, credibility will have to be earned at USC when USC needs credibility now.

Herman has the potential to be the next Urban Meyer, to which USC would benefit from cheaply for the next five or six years without the NFL being a realistic option for the young head coach. His buyout from Houston is $2.25 million, but his annual salary this year is only $1.3 million. While Herman’s system may take time to implement, and recruits may be skeptical, the upside to his success is extremely high.

The fact is, Herman was a very good recruiter at Ohio State, and outside a move away from a dying breed of pocket-passers and fullbacks, his system is balanced enough to attract talent at every position. On the other hand, many former USC football alums feel that recruits come to USC to prepare for the NFL. Thus, running a pro-style system on offense recruits itself.

Indeed, it’s not just youth or perception that make Herman a challenging hire for USC athletic director Pat Haden. It’s how much different Herman is as a coach from Kiffin and Sarkisian that makes him both a good candidate and a big gamble.

Nagyon durva
 www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-usc-haden-20151024-story.html

JuJu nem pofázik, Ő büntet. Remek srác.
Szép győzelem volt, lehet pont a jövendőbeli coach ellen.

szép győzelem volt a hajnali, de számomra a leggyönyörűbb dolog mégis Smith-Schuster stiff-armja volt.
 espn.go.com/blog/pac12/post/_/id/93676/juju-smith-schusters-stiff-arm-silences-trash-talking-utah-cb
eddig is bírtam ezt a gyereket, ezután pláne 😊

Szerkesztette: markny

ezt is kár volt kihagynom, ahogy elnézem, nagy offenseparádé volt. A védelem érthetetlen, se a 75 yardos passzt, se a 20+-os td-futást nem tudom értelmezni. De ekkora szarban már annak is örülök, hogy nem let blowout.

sajnos nagyon jó idén az Irish...

Ezért nem találom a 30 for 30 részeket. Én mindig itt kerestem őket:  noonkick.com/category/30-for-30/

 www.youtube.com/watch?v=cPC5USfnjA8
baggio

felkerült a teljes rész, érdemes mielőbb megnézni, mert hamar le szokták szedni az ilyet
 www.noonkick.com/trojan-war/

USC Coaching Hot Board
Lead Coaching Candidates: Helton | Kelly | Whittingham | Harbaugh | Herman | Mora | Patterson

Clay Helton | USC Interim Head Coach | Record 1-0 | Age 43
BIO: Clay Helton, a Houston (Texas) native, has 15 years of college coaching experience on the offensive side of the football. Having coached running backs, wide outs and quarterbacks, Helton came to USC in 2010 from Memphis where he served as offensive coordinator. In 2007 and 2008, his offenses were among the best in school history and ranked in the Top 26 nationally in total offense.

Why Helton is a Candidate

Clay Helton is 1-0 as USC interim head coach and 1-0 in bowl games, with a 45-20 win over 11-1 Fresno State. As offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at USC, he has directed Cody Kessler to season records for completions, completion percentage and passing efficiency. Kessler has also tied season marks at USC for TD passes with 39 and 300-yard passing games. While it may not be his job to lose, Helton has an opportunity win over fans with wins.

UPDATE: Oct. 12 (12:15 p.m.)
USC interim head coach Clay Helton addressed the media Sunday with Athletic Director Pat Haden. Helton then tweeted, "I'm honored to be coaching this special group of student athletes. We look forward to making our Trojan Family proud!" USC subsequently announced that parents would be allowed to attend practice again for the first time since fall camp.

Trending: Down
Profile: Check

Chip Kelly | Philadelphia Eagles Head Coach | Record 22-15 | Age 51
BIO: A New Hampshire native, Chip Kelly has 25 years of experience coaching nine different positions in all phases of the game. As an offensive coordinator for New Hampshire, his teams averaged more than 40 points in his final four seasons. In his four seasons at Oregon as head coach, his teams averaged 44 points a game. Kelly would go 46-7 overall, while going 3-2 in bowl games.

Why Kelly is a Candidate

Kelly's up tempo spread option offenses were almost unstoppable at Oregon. Kelly knows the Pac-12 landscape both on the field and on the recruiting trail. Kelly was able to sign a handful of top recruits over USC and UCLA while at Oregon, but as the Trojans head coach, he would have a pick of the litter for a majority of blue chip athletes on the West Coast. The transition from the NFL to college would be minimal, and his offense at Philadelphia is similar to the offense Steve Sarkisian tried to implement at USC.
UPDATE: Oct. 13 (1:15 p.m.)

On April 16, 2013, the Oregonian reported Kelly received an 18-month show-cause penalty by the NCAA Infractions Committee. The rulling, which would potentially limit Kelly in a recruiting capacity, expired Dec. 25, 2014 according to CBS Sports Debbis Dodd. Kelly would still have to show before the COI if he returned to college to coach, but his "failure to monitor" violation is not considered serious enough to inhibit him as a recruiter.
UPDATE: Oct. 13 (2:25 a.m.)
NFL Network National Reporter Albert Breer @albertbreer tweeted last week, "Chip loves the NFL but has long been said to have eyes for the USC job." Philadelphia is 2-3 on the season, but coming off of an impressive 39-17 win over the New Orleans Saints Sunday.

Trending: Up
Profile: Check

Kyle Whittingham | Utah Head Coach | Record 90-43 | Age 55
BIO: Whittingham, a California native, has coached every position on the defensive side of the ball. A member of the LDS, Whittingham came to a fork in the road in 2004 when his alma mater BYU offered him a head coaching job at the same time Utah did. Whittingham, already at Utah as a defensive coordinator, stayed with the Utes and co-coached the Fiesta Bowl win over Pitt with Urban Meyer.

Why Whittingham is a Candidate

Whittingham's demeanor off the field at Utah may be what's needed at USC as much as his success on the field. He runs the Ute program with a blue collar approach and is described by many on the Utah beat as "low-maintenance" and "even-keel." However, when defensive coordinator Kalani Sitake left Utah for Oregon State over a reported contract dispute, questions were raised about how long Whittingham would stay in Salt Lake. Whittingham has made due with Utah currently rated No. 5 in the nation. Half of the Utes roster is made up of California natives, so Whittingham not only is familiar recruiting the state, but is also developing talent picked over by USC, UCLA, Cal and others.
UPDATE: Oct. 14 (7:15 a.m.)

In a story first published in December, 2014, sources familiar with the situation told The Salt Lake Tribune that the relationship between Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham and athletic director Chris Hill was severely fractured over the pay of his assistant coaches. A source said Hill's failure to keep Sitake on staff made Whittingham feel that Hill was trying to "sabotage his program."

Trending: Up
Profile: Check

John Harbaugh | Baltimore Ravens Head Coach | Record 83-46 | Age 53
BIO: John Harbaugh, born in Ohio but raised in Michigan, established himself through the college and pro ranks largely as a defensive backs and special teams coach. Unlike all of the other coaches listed on the hot board, Harbaugh never retained the title of an defensive or offensive coordinator. Still, Harbaugh has a 10-5 postseason record with the Ravens, including a Super Bowl ring.

Why Harbaugh is a Candidate

Charismatic, yet composed, Harbaugh has handled the pressure of coaching in a big city for the past 15-years of his career. And during his time with the Ravens, Harbaugh has dealt with the offseason issues of Ray Lewis, Ray Rice and Deflategate without distraction. In terms of high level success, personality and character, Harbaugh checks a lot of boxes for USC. Although he has no obvious ties to the West Coast, Harbaugh comes from a coaching family with connections all over college and pro football.
UPDATE: Oct. 14 (10:15 a.m.) TRENDING

A source at USC tells USCFootball.com that John Harbaugh had been in contact with the Trojans administration indirectly in 2013. With the Ravens off to their worst start in years (1-4), there is buzz around Heritage Hall that talks with Harbaugh this go-around could lead to a formal interview and a potential job offer.

Trending: Up
Profile: Check

Tom Herman | Houston Head Coach | Record 5-0 | Age 40
BIO: Tom Herman, who grew up in Simi Valley, got his first break at Rice as an offensive coordinator. He would then coach at Iowa State in that same capacity until joining the Buckeyes as a quarterbacks coach and coordinator under Urban Meyer. After helping Ohio State to a national title last year, Herman was awarded the Broyles Award, given annually to the nation's top assistant coach.


Why Herman is a Candidate

Herman is young, and has the least experience of any coach listed, but he is also considered one of the hottest names in college football. Houston is currently undefeated and ranked in the top 25 in both pass offense and run offense -- ranking sixth nationally in total offense. Moreover, Herman was instrumental in developing two backup quarterbacks while winning a national championship at Ohio State. Herman is from Southern California even though he was born in Ohio, so he has recruited the region under various staffs.
UPDATE: Oct. 13 (6:15 p.m.)

Herman told the Houston Chronicle Tuesday that his main focus is on the Cougars winning a championship and not on job offers from other schools. “We’re going to make sure it’s not a distraction because it shouldn’t be," said Herman.

Trending: Up
Profile: Check

Jim Mora | UCLA Head Coach | Record 33-12 | Age 53
BIO: Jim Mora, son of retired NFL coach, Jim E. Mora, is a Los Angeles native. Mora got his coaching start as a GA at his alma mater of Washington. He then rose through the NFL assistant coaching ranks as a defensive backs coach. Mora would serve as head coach for the Atlanta Falcons from 2004-2006 going 32-24. Mora was hired by UCLA as head coach in 2012 after working at the NFL Network.


Why Mora is a Candidate

What better way to cripple your crosstown rival than to steal their primary asset? Mora has already shown he can win in the Coliseum, and has spearheaded a new football culture at UCLA. The son of the most successful NFL coach to never win a playoff game, Mora has been around football his entire life and knows the business side of the game. A move from UCLA to USC would be controversial, but it would still allow Mora’s parents, who live in Palm Springs, to attend every home game as they do now. Mora has a good relationship with Pat Haden, as his daughter got an official tour of the USC campus from the athletic director before she became a Trojan student.
UPDATE: Oct. 13 (2:15 p.m.) TRENDING

A source at USC tells USCFootball.com Monday that while Jim Mora being openly courted by USC would be surprising, it would not be out of the question. Sources at UCLA indicate that although Mora is under contact until 2020, he would be willing to listen to USC if a job offer was in play.

Trending: Average
Profile: Check

Gary Patterson | TCU Head Coach | Record 138-45 | Age 55
BIO: Gary Patterson is originally from Kansas, where he played at K-State as a linebacker and safety. Patterson has 33 years of coaching experience bouncing around several small programs as a defensive backs coach and defensive coordinator. Patterson took over as head coach in 2000 at TCU when Dennis Franchione left for Alabama.


Why Patterson is a Candidate

His awards for coaching are almost too many to list. In 2014 alone, Patterson won 14 Coach of the Year honors, including the Bear Bryant, Walter Camp and AP awards. Patterson has not only taken TCU from a mid-major to an annual playoff contender, he has done so while competing against Texas, Texas A&M and Oklahoma for recruits. Patterson is a defensive coach by trade, but his teams in recent years have been exceptional offensively. TCU is currently ranked top five nationally in total offense.
UPDATE: Oct. 13 (12:31 p.m.)

Sources in Texas tell USCFootball.com that serious interest from Gary Patterson regarding the Trojans job opening would be "a surprise to most in the Big XII." When Texas approached Patterson about the Longhorns opening, the TCU coach was disinterested and ultimately turned off the Texas' administration early on in the search.

Trending: Average
Profile: Check

OTHER CANDIDATES

Jimbo Fisher | Florida State Head Coach | Record 63-11 | Age 50

Originally from West Virginia, Jimbo Fisher would seem like an odd fit on the West Coast, but after a recent divorce from his wife, sources indicate that he may be open to leaving Tallahassee for a fresh start. Fisher won a national championship at FSU in 2013 and had the Seminoles back in the College Playoffs last year. Fisher, a quarterbacks coach by trade, is 4-1 as a head coach in bowl games.


Dan Mullen | Mississippi State Head Coach | Record 50-33 | Age 43

Dan Mullen, originally from New Hampshire, came to Mississippi State from Florida, where he was Urban Meyer's offensive coordinator from 2005-2008. Before that, Mullen was Meyer's quarterback coach at Utah. For several weeks last season, Mississippi State was No. 1 in the country. That's quite a feat considering MSU was 5-7 when he arrived in Starkville. That earned him AP SEC Coach of the Year honors. Mullen's offensive line coach and run game coordinator was considered a top candidate for the offensive line coach vacancy at USC last season.


Bob Stoops | Oklahoma Head Coach | Record 172-45 | Age 55

After a stunning loss to Texas this season, Bob Stoops isn't the hottest name among the proven head coaches in college football. However, with a national championship and eight Big XII titles to his name, Stoops winning percentage is impressive. Only 8-8 in bowl games, the big question is whether Stoops could get over the big game hump at USC. Many Trojan fans still remember USC putting 55 points on Stoop's Sooners in the Orange Bowl.


Kevin Sumlin | Texas A&M Head Coach | Record 33-11 | Age 51

The ship for Kevin Sumlin seems to have sailed, although sources say USC is still a destination the Alabama native speaks fondly of. Before arriving in College Station, Sumin went 35-17 at Houston. Sumlin has run various versions of the Air Raid offense and has worked primarily as a wide receivers coach in his 25-plus years of coaching. Hiring John Chavis as defensive coordinator this past offseason, Sumlin may have finally found a defense that can compliment his offense.


Justin Fuente | Memphis Head Coach | Record 22-20 | Age 39

Justin Fuente is a hot name among job openings nationally despite having a .500 record at Memphis in his fourth season stay as head coach. Fuente comes from TCU, where he was co-offensive coordinator and running backs coach. Fuente was named an Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year award finalist after Memphis went 10-3 beating BYU in the Miami Beach Bowl. He is originally from Tulsa (Okla.).


Dino Babers | Bowling Green Head Coach | Record 12-8 | Age 54

Dino Babers is 35-15 overall as a head coach, coaching at Eastern Illinois for two years before moving on to Bowling Green. Babers has coached running backs, wide receivers, special teams and quarterbacks in his 30 year career, with three different stops at Pac-12 schools. Babers has been an offensive coordinator under Dick Tomey and Dennis Franchione. He was an assistant head coach for UCLA under Karl Dorrell and a recruiting coordinator under Art Briles at Baylor for four years.


Pete Carroll | Seattle Seahawks Head Coach | Record 91-66 | Age 64

With salary cap issues looming for the Seahawks, there are rumblings in Seattle that Pete Carroll may be growing somewhat tired of the business side of the pro game. Carroll, coming off of back-to-back Super Bowl appearances, led USC to three straight national title appearances and seven straight Pac-10 championships. But can you ever go home again? Five months after Carroll's depature for Seattle, USC was hit with harsh sanctions, which the program is just now trying to recover from. Carroll's return to USC would have some Trojan fans dancing in the streets, while others may feel uneasy about the move.

Sark mester alkoholproblémái csak mostanában jöttek elő a válása miatt, vagy két évvel ezelőtt is tudott volt? Utóbbi esetben ugyanis még érthetetlenebb számomra, miért nem maradt akkor Orgeron.
berger90

nem volt köztudott, de már a Washingtonnál is pletykáltak róla

 soundcloud.com/the-audible/1012-full-leinart-what-usc-must-do-now-after-steve-sarkisian-mess

Sark mester alkoholproblémái csak mostanában jöttek elő a válása miatt, vagy két évvel ezelőtt is tudott volt? Utóbbi esetben ugyanis még érthetetlenebb számomra, miért nem maradt akkor Orgeron.

a scout oldalán be vagyok regelve USC-s témákra. Frankó, mert rengeteg belsős hír került ki. Most például csúcson jár az oldal fórum részlege, az edző kérdés van napi témakörön.

A boosterek az éjszaka folyamán találkoztak, ahol nem csak az új HC volt a témakör, hanem Pat Haden helyzete is. Az ottani jelentések szerint 95%, hogy nem Haden fogja kiválasztani az új edzőt, ergó őt is kirúgják nem sokára.

Decemberig kell megtalálni az új edzőt, a támogatók pedig egy már bizonyított, karakteres edzőt akarnak (azonban interjúztatni akarják ettől függetlenül a Houston új edzőjét Tom Hermant).

Amit kint írnak a belsősök:
- Chip Kelly azért ment el Oregonból, mert utálja a toborzást és a boosterekkel való jópofizást. Ha ki nem rúgják, nem jön. De a USC december előtt már új edzőt akar, ezért sem hiszem, hogy Kelly jönne.

- Sumlin érkezése terítéken van, őt elit körbe gondolják a támogatók, azonban eléggé kérdéses, hogy áttenné-e a székhelyét. Mindenesetre én örülnék neki.

- Pat Fitzgerald (Northwestern) is meglepően populáris választás lenne a támogatók között.

- Nick Saban ügynökénél is be fognak próbálkozni, rá azért igazán kicsi az esély, de frankó lenni, tekintve, hogy 2016-os nyitó meccs lesz a Cowboys Classicon a Bama-USC (plusz hát legenda).

- Jack Del Rio és Jeff Fisher érdekes USC kötődés miatt (JDR imádja az új állását, Fisherre ha kirúgják lehet lenne esély, remélem azonban nem jön össze). De itt is él, hogy decemberre meg kell legyen az új edzőnek.

- Kyle Wittingham (Utah) talán a leginkább emlegetett név most. Csendes, nyugodt edző, aki már 2 veretlen szezont is összehozott. Jó kapcsolatot ápol a polinéz gyökerekkel rendelkező játékosokkal és magával a rendszerükkel is (ez nagyon fontos) és pokolian jó edzőnek tartják, nem is alaptalanul.

- Gary Patterson (TCU) lenne a következő top5 név, Ő azonban állítólag nem nagyon hajlandó elhagyni Texast. Gondolom azért meg lehetne győzni. $

- Bob Stoops is felkerült a listára. Régóta van Oklahomában, úgy gondolják, hogy most hozható lenne.

- A támogatók pedig a Ravens jelenlegi edzőjét, John Harbaught akarják leginkább.

Jelenlegi OC/DC nem lesz edző, ez biztos (Kirby Smart kihúzva)

Ezek a jelenlegi hírek, de először úgyis az (új) AD személyét akarják tisztázni.

már Schefter is foglalkozik az üggyel, állítólag Kelly és Sumlin a legesélyesebb a HC poszt betöltésére
markny

Egy jó tanács: edzői pletykákkal nem szabad foglalkozni, a sz@rkeverés iskolapéldája, mikor egy neves program keres HC-t. A USC esetében különösen vicces lesz, hogy pl. bedobják majd szinte ugyanazokat a neveket, akik kevesebb mint két éve kategorikusan elutasították még a pletykát is, Sumlin mondjuk pont ilyen.

Schefter meg NFL insider ráadásul, az NCAA-vel annyira vakon van, hogy michigani végzősként fogalma se volt (vagy legalábbis nem akarta elfogadni/beismerni), hogy Harbaugh elhagyja a Wolverines kedvéért a profi ligát.

már Schefter is foglalkozik az üggyel, állítólag Kelly és Sumlin a legesélyesebb a HC poszt betöltésére

Sark már meg is kezdte a rehabot tegnap este.
Gyógyuljon meg.

USC Trojans ‏@USC_Athletics
USC athletic director Pat Haden announces the termination of Steve Sarkisian as head football coach

Közben már olyan pletyka is terjed, hogy az edzői stáb egyes tagjai szerint Sarkisian nem volt teljesen józan az Arizona State elleni meccs alatt. 😊
vassadi

Mondjuk szerintem annyira nem vicces a szenvedély betegség.

Sajnos több USC forrás (booster+játékos) is megerősítette, hogy tegnap reggel is részeg volt Sark, ezért küldték haza. Most vált el, azt írta egy orvos, hogy már augusztusban meg kellett volna kezdenie a kezeléseket és semmi keresni valója nem lett volna már az egyetemen, mert beteg. Többen megerősítették azt, hogy a tavalyi WSU meccs után, úgy berúgott, hogy kidőlt a repülőn (páran le is fotózták). A Cal elleni meccsen pedig meglepődtek még a játékosok is, hogy mennyi pia volt a kísérő kocsiban. Szerintem ebben Pat Haden is belebukik, elképesztően rossz húzás volt a 2 évvel ezelőtti Sark kinevezés.

Daelin Hayes 5* LB, aki az 55ös mez következő tulaja lett volna, már decommitolt is.

Clay Helton lesz az átmeneti edző, biztosan új edző érkezik a szezon végén. Max Tuerk ACL szakadás, vége az idényének.

Sarkisiannak meg jobbulást, sajnos mást nem lehet kívánni.

Szerkesztette: Habi

Közben már olyan pletyka is terjed, hogy az edzői stáb egyes tagjai szerint Sarkisian nem volt teljesen józan az Arizona State elleni meccs alatt. 😊

ó csak kiderült, hogy Détárit szerződtette le a USC tavaly, nincs itt semmi látnivaló...

#USC Coach Steve Sarkisian was absent from practice. Pat Haden arrived and could to address media.
hmm...

 www.youtube.com/watch?v=cPC5USfnjA8