FOOTBALL

USC Morning Buzz: Coaching Carousel Spinning Out Of Control

The coaching carousel is totally out of control this morning.

Here’s some of the speculation: Pete Carroll to the Chargers; Jim Harbaugh to the Raiders; Bill Belichick to the Falcons/Commanders/Titans.

Meanwhile, as Dan Lanning rumors to Alabama heat up, you might wonder why he is so hot?

College coaches say Lanning is a maniac to work for, as the staff pretty much works 24/7. He might wear them out but they are working 365 days a year.

That is the same reputation Nick Saban had at Alabama. Lanning also supposedly has a photographic memory, which impresses people who spend time around him.

  • Two years ago, Lincoln Riley’s name would have been thrown onto a list of candidates if the Alabama job opened up without a second thought . Today, forget it.
  • USC can’t even beat Washington State at the Galen Center? I know all the injury excuses but still . . .

Thanks, Enfield!

90 thoughts on “USC Morning Buzz: Coaching Carousel Spinning Out Of Control”

  1. Belichick will land somewhere, Harbaugh would be a FOOL to work for Davis, the ownership of the Chargers is dumb enough to hire PC, Lanning to Bama is a real possibility.

    The Oregon St DL went to FSU not USC so I guess we won’t get anymore pineapple head jokes today

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  2. Harbaugh to the Raiders is a good fit were Davis to yield GM decisions to him but CHI might be an even better move for him. Does anyone believe Spanos is going to 1. pay a top end coach a top end salary and 2. cede control of GM levers to said hire? Not likely but a top name would demand such\. Are the Spanos’ happy being the eternal traffic BOT in LA?

    Saban got real frustrated with NIL – his ‘retirement’ might accelerate an overhaul of NIL that all head coaches would welcome.

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      2. Looks like Justin Fields might become sacrificial trade bait. He addressed the fans and media as if his days were numbered in Chicago. Justin made it clear he wanted to stay.

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  3. It has been reported that Lanning has already been seen in Tuscaloosa. Don’t really get this one. Lanning is inexperienced with only two years as a head coach. He has made some real blunders at game management and lost twice to a Washington team with inferior talent.

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      1. I figured Dabo too and thought he’d even campaign for job too (alum, get out of ACC, etc). Probably like Riley he’s a year or two too late.

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  4. Lanning’s body of work is very limited. He might be the shiny object but he lacks a proven track record to be hired at Bama. IMO, he’s pedestrian without Phil’s money to buy him the talent.

    Kiffin is the logical choice!

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    1. Maybe, but I’d bet Bama is going to ask Saben about any ex coach he had under him and if he thinks they can do the job, he and Kiffin had a rocky relationship for awhile.

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    2. Kiffin the logical choice? Yeah, and maybe Alabama can hire that other clown J.K. McKay to once again be his babysitter seeing how Kiffin hasn’t outgrown the need for one yet. Oh wait, that didn’t work out to well the last time

      USC SPORTS

      At USC, J.K. McKay is still Pat Haden’s go-to guy

      BY BILL DWYRE

      AUG. 20, 2010 12 AM PT

      FacebookTwitterShow more sharing options

      J.K. McKay says he is not George Orwell, this is not 1984, and he is not Big Brother watching over Lane Kiffin.

      “That’s not how I see it,” McKay says, “and not how Lane sees it, either.”

      Then McKay smiles, something happening a lot these days at USC’s Heritage Hall.

      “Yes, Lane has been something of a lightning rod,” McKay says. “My job is to keep him off ‘SportsCenter.’ We’ll look up at the TV screen at that little scrawl across the bottom and I’ll say, ‘See, you’re not there. Way to go.’”

      It was barely a month ago that McKay picked up the phone in his Century City law office. On the other end was his lifelong friend, Pat Haden.

      “I remember exactly what I said,” McKay says. “You’re going to do what?”

      Within an hour, McKay had left the law firm of Jeffer, Mangels, Butler and Marmaro and returned to the winning sports combination of Haden and McKay. Haden would be USC’s new athletic director and McKay would be his associate in charge of the football program.

      “I was an easy convert,” McKay says. “This is a lot more fun than being a lawyer.”

      I hope Alabama hires Kiffin, that move should ser the Tide back about 10 years

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  5. Before Wolf used his typical “Thanks Enfield” after still another SC loss
    it was suggested that Wolf “Guess we won’t have to worry about Wolf ridiculing his pal Enfield with Enfield doing a good job of it himself”

    I mean, Wolfie, it is against the law to mess with a corpse

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      3. It’s not a crime in DC. Special handlers have been doing it since Jan 20, 2021 and will be for 375 more days.

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    2. NOBODY beats a dead horse like Wolf, NOBODY.

      Enfield needs to go after this season, he isn’t a good coach or developer of talent, sound familiar ?

      Wolf should say THANKS HADEN !

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      1. karma: “NOBODY beats a dead horse like Wolf, NOBODY.”

        I recall when he went on a 13-day rant obsessing over Bohn leaving USC. The guy was locked in and could not focus on anything else. Really Bizzare!

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      2. …as long as it’s drawing over 50 hits, Scott keeps running the play…
        #It’sTheAmericanEthic,Gabby:”IfItSells,SellIt”

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  6. What’s going on here? None of Scott’s sources(voices in his head) are offering up any inside information. I am sure we will get another National Enquirer moment from Scott real soon…….wait for it!

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    1. Ya, either a pac12 coach or an ex-USC coach will be giving him a call with great info that just happens to fit into his schtick.

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  8. DaBoer is going to either Michigan or Alabama. Not sure if Lanning will go to Alabama, the buyout on him is really high.

    Lanning has the intensity to win that is needed. He will recruit his butt off and require his staff to do the same. But maybe he just uses this to get more money from Oregon.

    Could it be Norvell to Alabama?

    None of this will impact USC directly, except that Washington will probably lose DaBoer and that will mean the program suffers. I think Riley needs to turnaround USC and in 2 years will head to the NFL and D’Anton will be our next head coach. Riley wants to spend more time with his family, the NFL provides a better lifestyle.

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    1. Bama will pay Lanning’s buyout, DeBoer would go to Michigan doubt Bama even asks him. Lanning can recruit to Bama easier than he can to Oregon same for DeBoer.

      If Lanning leaves it does impact USC in a positive way, they won’t have to compete or recruit against him in the Big 10.

      NO WAY Lynn is the next USC coach, NO WAY, the coach from Dakota would be a more likely hire than Lynn, he’s actually been a head coach and a successful one, though with USC these days, Lynn would be the box check hire , oy vey.

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      1. Head coaching experience is often overrated. Look at Lanning. When Oregon hired him nearly everyone on this board scoffed at it. If USC had hired him, everyone would have been savage. Now he is being considered as the guy to lead the top program in the country.

        I know I am extrapolating with Lynn, but that is my guess of how things turn out. Riley hired Lynn as the DC, not Entz. There is a reason. D’Anton is going places, but will only leave SC for a head coaching position and I think Riley wants to turn around the program and then head out the door to the NFL.

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      3. Lynn would not go to from college DC to nfl HC. He may go to nfl DC. Lanning has a bottomless pit of money to recruit with, hell even you could recruit like crazy with that cash. His coaches are salesmen, good ones. What they don’t do is coach up, strickly on talent level. DeBoer can flat out coach a football team.

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    2. comparing the NFL with college!

      “My schedule [at Oregon], the day the season was over was a lot worse than my schedule here” in Philadelphia, Kelly said. “Because, you know, you’re planes, trains and automobiles recruiting from Sunday night until Friday afternoon and hustling back and practicing, getting a practice in Friday afternoon, practice Saturday, practice Sunday, get back on a plane and fly around the country chasing down recruits.

      “Maybe a misconception is when you’re a college coach and the last game is done and then the bowl game comes, you don’t have a month off. I would argue my schedule was more hectic from a recruiting standpoint than it was here. So I’m looking forward to being in the office every day and watching tape. That is the fun part of our job.”

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      1. Gee Chipper, maybe that’s why you failed at Philly ? Lazy fat fuck, most pro coaches sleep in their offices all week. They do get more time off because they don’t have to recruit, but their in season game prep is brutal.

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      4. That is what Riley wants, but the NFL wont take him until he turns around USC. So he probably told his wife, 2 more years and I am out and we can live a normal life.

        The D’Anton hire (and other defensive coaches) will be seen as Riley’s masterstroke.

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    3. If LR goes to the nfl and Lynn doesn’t there is something wrong. I don’t think LR will go nfl and that Lynn will. If they both go, promote Entz to HC.

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      1. Well they’re getting a good one that has a clue about how to tackle…Hook ‘Em Horns!

        LOL!

        ‘Ol Mule Shoe misses the boat again…another swing and a miss for that Bozo

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  10. Scooter,

    I think SC has gone as far as they can with Enfield. He will be in the tournament and then gone in the first round. Things have to change. SC plays too passively. they need more physicality under the board. I don’t know anything about basketball and this is my opinion.

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      2. When it comes to Enfield it’s all you clowns do is complain. At least he gets his Ladies of Troy invited to the dance. Maybe he should leave, then you Bozo’s can all go back to being wallflowers which is what you deserve to be.

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  11. Patriots and Belichick part ways after 24 seasons. It was one hell of a run for the franchise, perhaps never to be duplicated. Where is Belichick’s future?

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    1. That old fool has been waahed up for a few years now. No doubt some inept franchise will save him from being put out to pasture which is where he belongs

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      1. Belichick has to be the luckiest coach in the world. Take 2 guys from the Belichicks teams(Tom Brady and Adam Vinitieri) and his record wouldn’t have been very good at all.

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  13. From the interwebs this am…about the replacement for Saban:

    Monday Jan 8, 2024 Nick Saban informed the Staff that he was retiring.
    Wednesday Jan 10, 2024 Dan Lanning was in T-Town.
    Wednesday Jan 10, 2024 Nick Saban informed the Team that he was retiring.

    Nick Saban has approved the hiring of Dan Lanning.AD
    Greg Byrne will be making an official announcement in the next 24 to 72 hours.

    The Reason for Saban’s Retirement? Terri Saban has been diagnosed with Dementia.

    #IfTruePrayersForTerri.

    My Mom Died From Dementia And I Wouldn’t Wish It On My Worst Enemy

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  16. You never want to be the guy who takes the job after a legend goes. See: Gene Bartow following John Wooden’s retirement. Kiffin made that mistake trying to step into PC’s shoes – would he try that again?

    One thing is for sure: whoever comes after Riley won’t have that problem.

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  17. Phil Knight literally placed a money printer in the OU’s football coaches office for incidentals ( like 5* recruits ). Lanning is not going anywhere.

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  19. & Pete to the Bolts… ok Scott, 2 big takes from the vaunted “Wolf Insiders”. This is the beginning of the end for Enfield BTW unless he miraculously makes the tournament.

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  20. Lanning, being the first name to come up will automatically not become Alabama head coach. Dabo is still a very good coach, he didn’t forget how to do it. Clemson just hasn’t got the money to compete yet. Kiffen has matured and is a capable HC. Lanning has no real record, hell even Mario was a great recruiter at Oregon, now look at him. Alabama won’t fall for fluff around Lanning. It is all a wild ass guess at this point.

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  21. According to a source, DeBoer is the front-runner to take over for Saban. He recently hired agent Jimmy Sexton. If you follow college football enough, you’d know Sexton specializes in the SEC and is Saban’s agent. DeBoer can be in the middle of all of the SEC coaching circles with Sexton as his agent

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    1. DeBoer was the guy I wanted to come to USC. At that time nobody had heard much about him. His winning percentage is incredible. And the guy does coach up.

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      1. I just read the NCAA has just handed down their first NIL sanctions to Florida St. football. The ball is starting to roll, and I see more teams facing penalties.

        It’s about time!

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  23. I have to give Jen credit for sniffing this guy out and hiring him. What’s his win percentage like over 90%……He sure has coached up his players. Let’s see how long Washington can keep him. The money getting thrown around for a quality coach is getting ridiculous.

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