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USC Football: Top 10 coaches in program history

By Quinn Douglas

LOS ANGELES, CA - DECEMBER 05: Coach Pete Carroll of the USC Trojans leads his team to the field prior to the start of the NCAA college football game against Arizona Wildcats at the Los Angeles Coliseum on December 5, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - DECEMBER 05: Coach Pete Carroll of the USC Trojans leads his team to the field prior to the start of the NCAA college football game against Arizona Wildcats at the Los Angeles Coliseum on December 5, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images) /
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TEMPE, AZ – SEPTEMBER 28: Head coach Lane Kiffin of the USC Trojans looks on during the college football game against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Sun Devil Stadium on September 28, 2013 in Tempe, Arizona. The Sun Devils defeated the Trojans 62-41. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
TEMPE, AZ – SEPTEMBER 28: Head coach Lane Kiffin of the USC Trojans looks on during the college football game against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Sun Devil Stadium on September 28, 2013 in Tempe, Arizona. The Sun Devils defeated the Trojans 62-41. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /

9. Lane Kiffin: 2010-2013

Career Record: 28-15

The number nine coach on the list maybe a headscratcher to some, but considering the situation he inherited, did pretty well. Lane Kiffin played quarterback for three years at Fresno State before becoming a grad assistant for Jeff Tedford before his senior season. Kiffin then spent a year as a grad assistant at Colorado State. In 2000, he made the jump to the NFL becoming an assistant for the Jacksonville Jaguars for a year before arriving at USC.

Kiffin spent five years as an assistant at USC before being hired as head coach of the Oakland Raiders at just 31 years old. He spent less than two dismal seasons before being fired four games into the 2008 season. He was not unemployed long before he was hired as head coach at Tennessee in 2009. In his one year in Knoxville, he led the Volunteers to a 7-6 record before returning USC in 2010.

When Kiffin took over the Trojan’s program had been slapped with NCAA violations and sanctions, severely limiting their post-season opportunities and recruiting. He was able to turn that into a motivating factor, leading the Trojans to an 8-5 record in 2010 and an 11-2 record in 2011. The stage was set in 2012 for a championship run, but the Trojans stumbled to a 7-6 record. Following a mediocre 3-2 start to the 2013 season, Kiffin was fired after a loss to Arizona State.

After USC, Kiffin became offensive coordinator for Alabama and spent four years in Tuscaloosa and helped lead the Crimson Tide to a national championship in 2015. He is currently the head coach at Florida Atlantic University in Conference USA.

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