No one would accuse USC of being the best-run athletic department in the country. And no one would accuse the Pac 12 being the best-run conference . But somehow Lynn Swann is the nation’s highest-paid athletic director and Larry Scott is the nation’s highest-paid commissioner. You can thank Max Nikias for being involved in both decisions although he had a lot of help when it … Continue reading Dept. Of Inequality
USC accepted only 11 percent of the 66,000-plus applicants this year. But while it can be a tough place to get into, it seems almost impossible to leave. Max Nikias was president but resigned. So now he is President Emeritus at USC. I’ve heard he has a new office at the Tutor Campus Center. Wanda Austin replaced Nikias as interim president. When new president Carol … Continue reading Morning Buzz: USC Can Be A Tough Place To Leave
This tweet from USC athletics is in poor taste. A picture with a USC football player and the words “Avenge the fallen” seems over the top. Did someone die? UPDATED: Apparently this is copying a comic-book movie poster. Well, unless you are a 13-year-old boy, how many people get it? Most will not. So it’s still bad taste. Comeback season. #FightOn pic.twitter.com/S76U6gWkie — USC Trojans … Continue reading USC Tweet Of The Night
I was a little surprised USC had former senior vice president Todd Dickey go on radio station KPCC today to defend the naming rights deal for the Coliseum. Dickey is technically an emeritus (like Max Nikias!), which means he still works as a consultant, but I would think an athletic dept. official could handle this. Maybe they are all too scared to make public comments … Continue reading USC Afternoon Notes
A coach from a Big 12 school laughed when I asked him why Clay Helton takes so long to offer scholarships to some top Southern California prospects. USC offered cornerback Clark Phillips of La Habra last week. He is a 4-star prospect in USC’s backyard and already has 36 offers including Alabama, Clemson, Oklahoma, Ohio State, LSU and Notre Dame. “I don’t know why he is … Continue reading A Big 12 Coach Likes Clay Helton
Here is USC offensive line coach Tim Drevno talking about the Air Raid offense after Tuesday’s practice: “We go so fast that we slow down blitzes. It’s really about wearing the defense down.” Isn’t this what you would hear from any spread-offense coach too? I wonder if Drevno ever suggested to Jim Harbaugh that he run the Air Raid when Drevno was the offensive coordinator … Continue reading Beware Who Explains The Air Raid Offense
InsideUSC with Scott Wolf 