USC Trojans

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

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.