USC Football

USC is still in search of a permanent head football coach after firing Clay Helton earlier this season, but the school has yet to find its top candidate. The Trojans might scratch one more name off of their list.

Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Anthony Lynn dismissed rumors of being linked to the USC job opening on Thursday.

"No, I haven't spoken with USC at all," Lynn said. "My focus is 1 million percent right here with the Detroit Lions."

Lynn's name began floating around earlier this week after Jim Trotter of NFL Network reported that USC boosters reached out to the former Los Angeles Chargers head coach. Trotter also reported that Lynn would be interested in the position.

"My sister graduated from USC. I have half my family’s in California," Lynn said Thursday. "A lot of guys I played with went to USC, so of course those guys have talked to me and that’s flattering."

Lynn, a former NFL running back, went 33-31 in four seasons at the helm of the Chargers. He coached Los Angeles to a Wild Card win on the road in his second season for his lone playoff win. Lynn was fired by the Chargers after going 7-9 last season, despite ending the year with a four-game win streak.

Lynn was asked whether he would consider taking the USC job after the end of this season but he said he hasn't looked that far ahead, saying, "Right now, I don’t even have enough time in the day to think about something like that, you know?"

Detroit is currently 0-3 and has the 21st-ranked scoring offense in the NFL. Despite the early-season woes, Lynn reiterated that he's fully committed to the Lions and he's focused on his job as offensive coordinator.

"I love what coach [Dan] Campbell and [GM] Brad Holmes are doing, the Ford family, and I love the grit in our players, I love this fan base," Lynn said. "We want to win for these people and we’re going to build a consistent winner here, but this is where my focus is right now."     

Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin recently had to relive arguably the nadir of his coaching career.

During an appearance on the Dan Patrick Show, Kiffin discussed the current vacancy at USC and said he's committed to leading the Rebels.

He added he recently traveled to the airport at which then-USC athletic director Pat Haden fired him in 2013. He said it was "very eerie" and "a little bit strange" to fly into the airport on a recruiting visit to Los Angeles.

In the years after his firing, Kiffin has made light about the end of his USC tenure.

As the 46-year-old explained, he has also seen his career bounce back nicely since leaving the Trojans. 

He won a national championship as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Alabama. His contributions also helped to reshape the Crimson Tide's attack, thus helping them maintain their perch atop college football.

Kiffin also compiled a 27-13 record in three years at Florida Atlantic before taking over at Ole Miss. The Rebels head into Saturday's game against Alabama with a 3-0 record, a No. 12 ranking and a possible Heisman Trophy contender in Matt Corral.

It's a sign of his and USC's divergent fortunes that Kiffin could plausibly be a candidate to succeed Clay Helton in L.A. Everybody had their fun when reading about how Haden dismissed Kiffin, but look who's having the last laugh now.

Jaxson Dart impressed during Saturday's game against Washington State, but it may be some time until he returns to the field.

Keely Eure of 247Sports reported he will "be out for an extended period of time" due to a torn meniscus he suffered in the 45-14 win. He underwent minor surgery for the injury.

Dart was only in the game because starting quarterback Kedon Slovis suffered a neck injury.

The freshman, who arrived at USC as a 4-star prospect and the No. 10 overall quarterback in the class of 2021, per 247Sports' composite rankings, set the school's record for passing yards in a debut with 391.

He finished 30-of-46 passing for four touchdowns and two interceptions in the blowout victory and didn't hesitate to launch throws downfield and fit passes through tight windows on underneath routes.

The question is who will be under center for the game against Oregon State this coming Saturday now that Dart is sidelined.

Eure noted Slovis returned to practice this week, which could put him on track to play. If he doesn't, look for freshman Miller Moss to draw the call. Moss was also a 4-star prospect and the No. 12 overall quarterback in the class of 2021, per 247Sports' composite rankings.

Moss has not yet thrown a pass in his collegiate career.

The Trojans will be expected to win regardless of who is lined up at quarterback against a Beavers squad that lost the season opener to Purdue and picked up victories over Hawaii and Idaho.

USC quarterback Kedon Slovis exited his team's game against Washington State on Saturday with an injury. Jaxson Dart took over behind center.

Matt Zemek of Trojans Wire provided more details.

"Kedon Slovis took a nasty hit in the first quarter of the Trojans' game at Washington State on Saturday," Zemek wrote.

"He winced in pain. He seemed to be experiencing discomfort in his neck area. He had to go to the medical tent for a brief while after taking the hit."

Washington State defensive end Andrew Edson sacked Slovis on third down of USC's first series.

After the Cougars scored a touchdown on their first possession, Dart came out in place of Slovis to start USC's second drive with 6:03 remaining in the first quarter.

As Adam Grosbard of the Orange County Register reported, Slovis threw on the sideline with his helmet on after exiting the tent.

However, per Keely Eure of USCFootball.com, Slovis eventually put on a parka and was seen on the sidelines without his helmet.

It looked like USC would have to go to a third quarterback after Dart took a helmet to the knee in the first half. As Grosbard noted, Dart was "moving very, very gingerly" and "flexing his knee between every snap."

Dart had a brace on his right knee and was seen flexing it before the second half, but he stayed in the game, per Grosbard.

Slovis, a junior, completed 53 of 80 passes for 487 yards, three touchdowns and one interception in two-plus games this season.

Dart is a 4-star quarterback ranked No. 69 overall among class of 2021 prospects in 247Sports' composite rankings. He attended Corner Canyon High School in Draper, Utah.

The USC football team was involved in a scary moment while traveling to its road game against Washington State.

After its flight landed Friday, the plane tipped backward on the tarmac, per Kyle Bonagura of ESPN. Coaches and staff members were still on the plane, though players had already departed. No one was injured.

According to Bonagura, the incident happened after the grounds crew failed to put the plane's tail stand in place.

The grounds crew was able to level the plane to allow the rest of the passengers to leave safely.

USC is set to face Washington State at 3:30 p.m. ET Saturday in its first road game of the season.

The Trojans are coming off a 42-28 loss to Stanford that led to the firing of head coach Clay Helton. Donte Williams took over as interim coach and will look for his first win in the Pac-12 battle against the Cougars.

USC football and Penn State head coach James Franklin reportedly have "mutual interest" regarding the Trojans' head coaching vacancy after Clay Helton was fired Monday.

Dan Patrick reported the news Wednesday on his show:

The Trojans entered the 2021 season ranked 14th in the Associated Press poll and with hopes of competing for the Pac-12 conference title, but their chances of meeting that goal took an early hit with a 42-28 home loss to Stanford on Saturday.

By Monday, USC athletic director Mike Bohn announced he'd decided the lack of progress despite the additional resources given to help the program compete for championships meant "those expectations would not be met without a change in leadership."

Bohn added the athletic department would immediately begin a nationwide search for Helton's replacement while elevating assistant Donte Williams to handle the role on an interim basis.

"We will actively and patiently pursue a coach who will deliver on the championship aspirations and expectations we all share for our football program," Bohn said. "With our storied history, our talented roster, and the major investments we've made in the infrastructure of our football organization, I'm optimistic that we are better positioned right now than we have been at any other time in the past decade to recruit the best and right leader for USC."

Helton, who joined the Trojans staff in 2010 as a quarterbacks coach and held several different roles before being named head coach in 2015, finished his tenure with a 46-24 record and a 2-3 mark in bowl games.

Meanwhile, Franklin has led the Penn State program since 2014. Rumors have swirled about potential exits in the past, both for other college jobs and a possible NFL jump, but none have come to fruition as he's guided PSU to a 62-28 mark across seven-plus seasons.

His $6.7 million base salary from the Nittany Lions in 2020 ranked eighth among college football coaches, but his full contract details aren't known, per USA Today.

Franklin, a 49-year-old Pennsylvania native, shrugged off speculation about USC on Tuesday.

"As you know, I can't stand any form of distraction," he told reporters. "I'll discuss this today with our leadership council so that we can make sure all of our energy is on our preparation for Auburn."

The 10th-ranked Nittany Lions are set to host the 22nd-ranked Tigers at Beaver Stadium on Saturday in one of the marquee matchups of Week 3.

Penn State's status as a potential College Football Playoff contender could complicate USC's pursuit of Franklin if it's looking for a new head coach to take over midseason.

J. Brady McCollough of the Los Angeles Times listed seven other active head coaches—Boston College's Jeff Hafley, Iowa State's Matt Campbell, Minnesota's P.J. Fleck, Cincinnati's Luke Fickell, Rutgers' Greg Schiano, Kentucky's Mark Stoops and Utah's Kyle Whittingham—as among the "first calls" for USC following Helton's departure.

The Trojans haven't provided a timetable for their coaching search to conclude.

Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy could be a target for USC in its head coaching search, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. 

Bieniemy was a star at Colorado but attended high school in Southern California. Schefter reported he has indicated privately that leading the Trojans is "one of the only college jobs that might interest him."

USC is looking for a new coach after firing Clay Helton on Monday in the wake of a 42-28 loss to Stanford. Yahoo Sports' Pete Thamel listed off a pool of candidates who could potentially succeed Helton, though Bieniemy was absent from the group:

Despite being the architect for the NFL's most explosive offense, the 52-year-old has yet to get the opportunity to coach his own team in the league. Many have used him as an example of the difficulty Black coaches face being hired as head coaches.

"I think it’s discouraging, to say the least," said Bieniemy’s agent, Brian Levy, to Yahoo Sports' Terez Paylor in January 2020. "We’re really trying to find out what the standard is, and every year the standard changes. We’re just trying to swim against the current."

Schefter reported in February 2020 that Colorado contacted Bieniemy about his interest in leading the program after Mel Tucker was hired by Michigan State, but he withdrew from consideration shortly thereafter.

Because of his profile, Bieniemy would be an excellent hire. Prior to joining Kansas City, he made stops at Colorado and UCLA, eventually serving as the Buffaloes offensive coordinator in 2011 and 2012.

However, the Associated Press' Ralph D. Russo questioned whether the timeline makes sense for the Trojans given how long they'd have to wait before they could make this move official:

Bieniemy's desire to be a college head coach is unclear as well, especially if USC is expecting the replacement for Helton to stick around for the long haul. Bohn may not want a coach whom he fears could bolt in a few years for the NFL that would put the Trojans right back at square one.

Cincinnati head coach Luke Fickell has dismissed rumors linking him with the vacant USC job.

"Look, I don't talk to anybody—I barely talk to my own family during the season," he said Tuesday. "So I wouldn't ever talk about it, nor would I even answer a phone call or anything like that. ... It's nothing but distractions if people allow it to be, and for us it can't be."

USC athletic director Mike Bohn announced Monday the Trojans were moving on from Clay Helton. CBSSports.com's Dennis Dodd reported shortly thereafter the program intends to pursue Fickell.

The 48-year-old is one of the more obvious candidates for USC to target.

He worked his way up the ladder at Ohio State to become the co-defensive coordinator and was on the staff for two national championship-winning teams with the Buckeyes. 

At Cincinnati, Fickell inherited a program that went backward under Tommy Tuberville and turned the Bearcats into one of the best teams outside of a Power Five conference. They went 9-1 in 2020 and nearly took down Georgia in the Peach Bowl.

Fickell and Bohn have an existing relationship as well since Bohn was the person who hired Fickell at Cincinnati following the 2016 season.

USC suffered a 42-28 loss to Stanford in its second game, a result that Bohn clearly felt warranted a change in direction. By firing Helton, now, though, the Trojans put a lot of candidates in a precarious spot.

It seems unlikely that any coach who's currently employed will take the USC job in the middle of the season. As a result, anybody who's plausibly in the picture is potentially facing months of Trojans-related questions and speculation.

Fickell has plenty of reasons to stick around at Cincinnati. The Bearcats have quickly become a consistent winner on the gridiron, and their profile is due to climb in the years ahead with the Big 12 formally extending the school an invitation.

In many ways, going to USC would be a step up because it's one of the bigger single brands in college football. But the Pete Carroll era obscured how the Trojans weren't a perennial title contender in the years preceding and following his tenure.

The heights USC enjoyed under Carroll have now created a gap between what many fans expect and what the team can realistically achieve in the short term. It wouldn't be surprising if Fickell didn't want to take that on.

Until Bohn officially announces the Trojans' next head coach, this probably won't be the last time Fickell has to publicly distance himself from the position.

USC is firing head football coach Clay Helton after the team's 42-28 loss to Stanford on Saturday.

Athletic director Mike Bohn confirmed the decision on Twitter on Monday:

Associate head coach, cornerbacks coach and defensive pass game coordinator Donte Williams has been promoted to interim head coach.

Helton addressed the decision on social media, saying he was "forever indebted" to the players he coached:

Helton, 49, took over as the team's interim head coach in 2015 for the fired Steve Sarkisian, leading the Trojans to a 5-4 mark the rest of that season. During that campaign the interim tag was removed and Helton was given the full-time job following an extensive coaching search.

That decision has proven questionable. The Trojans have gone 45-24 under Helton since 2015, winning one Pac-12 title under his watch. USC played in the Pac-12 title game last season, losing to Oregon, 31-24. Oregon was only in the game after North Division winner Washington had to abandon the game for COVID-19 reasons.

But the final straw for USC was reportedly Saturday's blowout loss, a disappointing result for a Trojans team loaded with talent that came into the 2021 season with high expectations:

It had become pretty clear that a change was needed at the program. The common refrain from many pundits close to the program was that Helton is a good man, but a bad fit as the head coach:

As for potential replacements, Pete Thamel of Yahoo Sports speculated on some names USC could look into when it fires a full-time replacement for Helton after the season:

As USC seeks a return to the days of Pete Carroll's dynasty at the school, getting the next head coach right will be crucial. Lane Kiffin, Sarkisian and Helton have proven to be less-than-inspired hires.

College Football Hall of Famer and former USC All-American running back Sam Cunningham died Tuesday, his alma mater announced. He was 71. 

USC said Cunningham's cause of death was pending. 

Cunningham was a three-year player for the Trojans (1970-72), rushing for 1,579 yards and 23 touchdowns in his college career. He was an All-American selection in 1972. 

He also played a role furthering civil rights in college sports. As USC noted, "As a sophomore in 1970, his 135-yard, two-touchdown debut performance in the Trojans' season-opening 42-21 victory over Alabama in Birmingham provided a catalyst for the integration of college football in the South."

“What they saw was the future," Cunningham told ESPN's Ted Miller in 2016 about Alabama's Legion Field crowd. "Their team was eventually going to be integrated.”

"Sam Cunningham did more to integrate Alabama in 60 minutes than Martin Luther King did in 20 years," Alabama assistant coach Jerry Claiborne said at the time.

And Los Angeles Times columnist Jim Murray wrote a piece entitled, "Hatred shut out as Alabama finally joins the Union" following the contest. 

While that game has been mythologized throughout the years—Cunningham downplayed those myths, telling Miller the contest wasn't even televised and its impact "marinated over the course of 30 or 40 years"—there's no doubt it was an incredibly important moment for college football. 

Along with being a College Football Hall of Famer, he is also in USC's Hall of Fame and a legendary figure in the football program:

Following his college career, Cunningham played nine seasons for the New England Patriots, rushing for 5,453 yards and 43 touchdowns. He was enshrined in the team's Hall of Fame in 2010.