Pete Carroll To Seattle And What He Leaves Behind At USC

All signs have pointed to the marriage between Pete Carroll and the Seattle Seahawks to be a done deal. The contract has been reported at 5 years and worth an incredible $35 million. Carroll will also take over as team president, a stated must for any team looking to lure him away from the dynasty he has continued to build at USC. The reasons he is leaving are obvious. First and foremost, there’s the money. Carroll will go from making around $4 million per year at USC to $7 million in the NFL. However everyone who follows sports knows that Carroll could have easily used the Seahawks’ offer as leverage to negotiate a richer contract at USC, though it is doubtful the university would have gone all the way to match the offer from Seattle. So with that, we can gather that Carroll either wanted a new challenge, was scared of future NCAA sanctions that could be imposed on USC for their recruiting violations (most recently with Joe McKnight), or a combination of both.

Regardless of why he left, the bottom line to USC and college football now is that he’s gone. Leaving behind an incredible legacy and one of, if not the most traditionally desired coaching job in the country. This leads me to my next question. How does USC replace Pete Carroll? Ok the names that have been tossed around are fine, but this is Pete Carroll you’re replacing. If you are USC, you cannot afford to get this hire wrong, but with the threat of sanctions, you don’t present the value that you should. The name that is brought up most in connection with the job is Mike Riley, the head coach at Oregon State. Riley is a USC alum and a good coach, he figures to be at the top of the list. Also on that list are Jacksonville Jaguars coach Jack del Rio, Boise State head coach Chris Peterson, and Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh (who just signed an extension with Stanford but those mean nothing in college athletics these days). Of course these potential coaches may have a recipe for disaster if they come to USC and have to deal with the Trojans’ high hopes mixed with the harsh reality of NCAA sanctions.

When USC is winning, there is no better place in the world to coach, but if they are not, the university may be looking for another head coach in just a few more years. Coaches beware.