Del Rio Candidate for USC Coach Opening per Report

[tufsu1]

USC wants Lane Kiffin of UT

[reednavy]

Hmm, all the smart people have stayed away because NCAA sanctions are on the way soon.

Funny that he couldn't even last more than one season in the SEC with that big, cocky mouth of his. Looks like someone is eating some serious crow and bailing back to the West Coast, where he belongs.

[tufsu1]

Funny that he couldn't even last more than one season in the SEC with that big, cocky mouth of his.

I don't think that's it at all....it wasn't going to be long before NCAA sanctions came to Knoxville....so why not go to LA....probation either way.

btw, Steve Spurrier lasted quite a long time at UF with a mouth like that

[JagFan07]

Difference is Steve backed it up on the field.

[reednavy]

Difference is Steve backed it up on the field.

Exactly.

The NCAA investigation underway over USC is more serious right now than what is being reported as a recruiting violation by boosters. They got away with the Reggie Bush scandal, somehow, but karma is coming back. Pete Carroll wouldn't just up and bail if something wasn't going on.

[tufsu1]

Difference is Steve backed it up on the field.

and I think Lane would have over time as well...remember that they almost beat the national champs in Tuscaloosa...reality is this gives UF a few more years of domination over the 'Vols

[JaxNative68]

Lame Kitten would have had a worse season if his daddy wasn't there helping him out.

Eventhough, SI is talking about his going to USC.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/danpatrick/blog/93261/index.html

[reednavy]

reality is this gives UF a few more years of domination over the 'Vols

Are you really so certain about that? How many stars are leaving UF on both sides of the ball for the Draft this spring? Last I counted, nearly, if not over a dozen, all of them starters. You can say how talented the underclassmen are, but until they start and prove it, I wouldn't be so certain. Hell, it isn't even a certainty that Meyer will return next season.

[JaxNative68]

From ESPN:

Tennessee's Lane Kiffin has been named the next head coach at Southern California, athletic director Mike Garrett announced on Tuesday.

Kiffin replaces Pete Carroll, who jumped to the NFL as coach of the Seattle Seahawks.

"This was not an easy decision," Kiffin said in a brief press conference on Tennessee's campus. "I really believe this is the only place I would have left here to go."

The hiring was first reported by ESPN.com.

"We are really excited to welcome Lane Kiffin back to USC," Garrett said in a statement. "I was able to watch him closely when he was an assistant with us and what I saw was a bright, creative young coach who I thought would make an excellent head coach here if the opportunity ever arose. I'm confident he and his staff will keep USC football performing at the high level that we expect."

Kiffin, the former Oakland Raiders coach, led the Volunteers for only one season.

Kiffin has been on the move of late. He was 7-6 in his one season at Tennessee and 5-15 in one-plus seasons with the Raiders before being fired in September 2008.

He was a member of the USC coaching staff from 2001 to '06, first as wide receivers coach and then as offensive coordinator under Carroll.

Kiffin's contract calls for him to pay a $800,000 buyout for leaving Tennessee after only one season.

"Those payments shall be made in monthly installments over a 36-month period," the contract reads. It was not immediately clear if USC would pay any of that sum.

In another part of the blockbuster staff changes, a deal is being finalized for longtime offensive coordinator Norm Chow to return to the Trojans in the same capacity, sources close to the school told ESPN's Shelley Smith.

The current UCLA offensive coordinator held that position with USC from 2001-04. He was also the coordinator at Brigham Young from 1973-99, at NC State in 2000 and with the Tennessee Titans from 2005-07.

Kiffin will bring his father and defensive coordinator, Monte Kiffin, and assistant head coach and recruiting coordinator Ed Orgeron to Southern California with him.

Sources tell ESPN.com's Chris Low that Tennessee wide receivers coach Kippy Brown will be named interim coach of the Volunteers. He had been given the opportunity to follow Kiffin to USC as well.

Orgeron was with the Trojans for seven seasons before becoming the head coach at Mississippi and then an assistant with the New Orleans Saints.

Lane and Monte Kiffin and Orgeron will hold a news conference on Wednesday at 7 p.m. ET in the Heritage Hall Varsity Lounge at USC.

Some USC players were excited about the hiring of Kiffin.

"It's great news," starting quarterback Matt Barkley told ESPNLosAngeles.com's Steve Mason. "I remember meeting Kiff way back on the recruiting trail when I was a freshman in high school. I liked him when I met him. I like that he knows how to live and breathe the Trojan way."

Barkley, who was tapped by Carroll to start as a true freshman and helped lead the team to a 9-4 record and a victory in the Emerald Bowl on Dec. 26, also expressed relief that there will be stability in terms of offensive system.

"It's comforting to know that not a lot is going to change," Barkley said. "Kiff will have his own way of doing things, but I'm glad the offense isn't going to be a whole lot different."

Running back Marc Tyler is also on board.

"This is really good," he told ESPNLosAngeles.com. "Lane is great. He's got a lot of energy. I talked to him and coach [Steve] Sarkisian all the time when I was coming in. This is really good."

When told Orgeron was coming with Kiffin, he said, "Wow, Really? That's awesome too."

Garrett had been quiet about the hiring process until dropping this bombshell.

"Lane brings a lot to the table," Garrett said. "He has a coaching background both in the pros and in the best collegiate conferences. He has a great command of the X's and O's. He is familiar with the Trojan landscape and will be a great representative of our university. He keeps the game fun. And, very importantly, he has proven to be one of the finest recruiters anywhere."

The 34-year-old Kiffin is one of Carroll's top disciples from his nine-year tenure at USC. Kiffin, a former Fresno State quarterback, worked his way up to offensive coordinator in 2005 while also showing impressive recruiting skills.

For two seasons, he shared responsibility for the Trojans' offense with fellow longtime Carroll assistant Sarkisian, who left USC to take over at Washington after the 2008 season.

Although Kiffin's forceful personality didn't make him a beloved figure among players or administrators, he was a key part of the Trojans' best years under Carroll, coordinating their passing game and providing instruction to quarterbacks Matt Leinart and John David Booty.

Kiffin then became Al Davis' unusual choice to take over the Raiders as a 31-year-old coach with almost no NFL experience. He made it through just 20 games before an ugly public firing in which Davis called Kiffin a liar who brought "disgrace" on the Raiders.

Kiffin was the youngest head coach in the Football Bowl Subdivision last season, but he also brought an unwelcome spotlight on the Vols with several minor NCAA violations.

He returns to USC with the school facing a years-long NCAA investigation over events during his tenure as an assistant, including Reggie Bush's final years at the school.

Kiffin was suggested as a candidate immediately after Carroll's departure became official Sunday, but many Trojans thought he wouldn't be willing or able to leave Tennessee after just one year. Several coaches with USC ties said they weren't interested in the job, including NFL coaches Jeff Fisher and Jack Del Rio and Oregon State coach Mike Riley.

Monte Kiffin will lend his defensive acumen to a school that annually fielded an impressive defense under Carroll, while Orgeron is likely to return to his role as the Trojans' best recruiter who helped stack Carroll's early USC teams with a dizzying array of topflight talent.

When asked for a comment on Kiffin leaving rival Tennessee for USC, Florida coach Urban Meyer told ESPN.com Tuesday night, "No."

A Florida university undercover police officer, accompanying Meyer at the Florida-Kentucky game, said the coach would have no further comment on the matter.

Meyer was accompanied by his wife, Shelley, and watched the first half of the game in the tunnel area just off the court at the O'Connell Center floor. For most of the first half, Meyer was talking to New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, who also attended the game.

Chris Low covers the SEC for ESPN.com. Information from ESPN.com senior writer Andy Katz and The Associated Press was used in this report.

[mtraininjax]

Lane missed his west coast tan. Oh well, at least Jack is all about Jax.

[copperfiend]

Del Rio wasnt even at the pep rally. If he was I didnt see him.

His radio show on WOKV was at the same time.

[cdb]

Del Rio wasnt even at the pep rally. If he was I didnt see him.

His radio show on WOKV was at the same time.

He still should have been there. He needs to embrace fans more. He certainly isn't getting any new fans with his record.

[tufsu1]

reality is this gives UF a few more years of domination over the 'Vols

Are you really so certain about that? How many stars are leaving UF on both sides of the ball for the Draft this spring? Last I counted, nearly, if not over a dozen, all of them starters. You can say how talented the underclassmen are, but until they start and prove it, I wouldn't be so certain. Hell, it isn't even a certainty that Meyer will return next season.

don't get me wrong...I think the Gators are on the downhill...but they'll still beat UT

[reednavy]

Sure, whatever you say. rollseyes

[JaxNative68]

Did anyone see the cut away to Urban in the stands at the UF basketball game?  While they dad him on screen, he checks his phone and looks up with the biggest s-eating grin.  Probably was getting the text than Lane had taken the job.