It never seemed like it would actually happen, but the USC football program has finally let go of head coach Clay Helton. It has been speculated about almost since the day that Helton was hired because it did not seem like USC went out and got the best coach that they could and settled yet again for another assistant.
Helton had his good moments for sure and that should not be forgotten in all of this. He stabilized the program and this might be cliche to say at this point, but he’s really great guy that is easy to root for. He won the Rose Bowl in 2016 and a Pac-12 title in 2017 and won a good bit of games, as evidenced by his record.
Where Helton went wrong is the other stuff. USC was consistently one of the most undisciplined teams in the country and that was shown by being one of the most penalized teams in the country and making untimely mistakes in every game. USC was consistently outclassed every time it played a big-time opponent and it never felt like this program was ever going to make it back to the top of college football as long as Helton was the head coach.
To make things worse, recruiting under Helton was slipping and that is not acceptable at USC.
This is a huge hire for USC athletic director Mike Bohn who has not been at Southern Cal for very long and this could wind up being the most consequential hire that he makes. If USC wants to get back to the top of college football, then it needs to nail this hire.
Here are the top three candidates to replace Helton at USC.
3. Matt Campbell
One of the first calls that USC should be making is to Iowa State head coach Matt Campbell.
Campbell has done one of the best jobs in college football by getting Iowa State to Big 12 title contention and even after losing to Iowa this past weekend, the Cyclones are still considered one of the better teams in college football.
Campbell has done a tremendous job at developing big-time talent at Iowa State and is known to be a coach that can build a great culture. Those things are important to building a consistent program that can compete for national titles.
The only concerns that I would have are if Campbell wants the USC job and if he would be a good fit. It has been rumored that Campbell might be waiting for the right NFL or Big Ten job to open up and that’s why he has not left Iowa State. Campbell might elect to avoid the pressure of coaching in LA and opt for something else.
Regardless, Campbell should be on the USC short list of potential coaches.
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.
1. James Franklin
The most realistic big-time target for USC to go after is Penn State head coach James Franklin. I think Franklin is one of the most underappreciated coaches in the country and has done a great job at rebuilding the Penn State football program after its scandals earlier in the decade.
Some will wonder if Franklin would ever leave Penn State, but I think that USC is one of those jobs that is going to be hard to ignore.
Franklin is a great and competitive recruiter and that is one of the things that USC is going to need in order to return to the top of college football. Franklin has the personality to coach in Los Angeles and while it might sound silly, that kinda stuff matters at USC.
I don’t know if he would leave Penn State, but Franklin might look in his own conference at Ohio State and wonder if he is ever going to be able to get past the Buckeyes while in Happy Valley. If not, he should look at USC and really think about if he could ever get this opportunity again.