USC Football: Top 3 candidates to replace the fired Clay Helton

2. Luke Fickell

This is a name that is going to be mentioned a lot in this coaching search and it is easy to see the connection here. Mike Bohn, USC’s current athletic director, is from Cincinnati and hired Fickell at Cincinnati.

Fickell has done a wonderful job with the Bearcats and has them in the top 10 this season after having a near-perfect season in 2020.

Like Campbell, Fickell is known to be a great developer of talent and a great culture guy as well. Cincinnati has had one of the top defenses in the country since Fickell took over and the Bearcats play great football every weekend.

The only concerns I have for Fickell at USC are the same ones that I would have for Campbell. While I think Fickell is a better recruiter than Campbell, USC needs an elite recruiter that can get them back into the top five in the country in that area.

I also don’t know if USC is the kind of job that Fickell would want and if he is holding out for something else. Fickell should be one of the top guys on USC’s short list.