Kiffin leaves UT to coach USC

**burton2019** · January 12th, 2010, 09:37 PM

lmao......per espn text

**1inStripes** · January 12th, 2010, 09:40 PM

If it ends up being true, its going to get interesting in Knoxville. Killer time with less than a month to national signing day.

**GC-1** · January 12th, 2010, 09:50 PM

According to Volquest it is apparently true. The recruits will be leaving like rats jumping from a sinking ship.

**burton2019** · January 12th, 2010, 09:51 PM

Tennessee's Lane Kiffin has agreed in principle to become the next head coach at Southern California, sources close to the situation told ESPN.com's Chris Low on Tuesday.

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

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

Sources told ESPN Kiffin will bring his father and defensive coordinator, Monte Kiffin, and assistant head coach and recruiting coordinator Ed Orgeron to Southern Cal with him, and wide receivers coach Kippy Brown will be named interim head coach at Tennessee.

Kiffin has been on the move of late. He was 7-5 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 2001-06.

Several presumptive candidates to replace Carroll had dropped out of the running in the 24 hours after Carroll officially announced his resignation. Former USC linebacker Jack Del Rio committed to staying in Jacksonville on Tuesday, while Jeff Fisher and Mike Riley showed no public interest despite their Trojans ties.

The looming shadow of NCAA sanctions likely worried some coaches, but it can't change the fact USC offers an extremely attractive position with everything necessary to succeed right away: a rich local talent base, ample talent already on hand, a glowing history and a large, wealthy alumni base eager to keep winning.

Quarterback Matt Barkley has said that he is staying at Southern Cal despite the departures of the three coaches to which he was closest: Carroll, Jeremy Bates and Steve Sarkisian.

"It's just a great place to be, and a great place to live," he said. "We've got everything going for us."

Athletic director Mike Garrett was thought to be in charge of the search, but the elusive former Heisman Trophy winner has barely spoken in public for months, shying away from any chance of getting trapped into talking about the NCAA's various investigations into his beleaguered department.

Tailback Allen Bradford and Barkley were among the leaders who called a team meeting before the offseason conditioning program began Tuesday, while receiver Brice Butler and Barkley planned to call all of USC's prospective recruits to urge them to stick with the Trojans.

"I would just tell them what my dad told me: 'Don't commit because of a coach, because that can change,'" said Butler, who came to USC from Georgia. "You've got to commit because of a program, and this is USC."

**1inStripes** · January 12th, 2010, 09:53 PM

I wouldnt mind seeing Kippy Brown being given the job completely unless Hamilton can land a proven big time coach.

**R13** · January 12th, 2010, 10:02 PM

Wooooooowwwww. The love is gone now and Vol fans don't have too much to look forward to next year, which wasn't going to be great anyway....I love it!

**yankeebaseball** · January 12th, 2010, 10:38 PM

whats funny, is this is a smart move.
UT has fallen to the wayside in the SEC, Florida and Bama are the SEC hot schools, then LSU.
UT is an after thought. Whats even funnier is all the Tech fans cracking jokes

USC > UT > VT in programs.

you cant argue with that, 2 of those 3 have won natl titles

the one who hasnt starts with V and ends with a T.

USC is the premier team of the Pac 10, Bama and Florida is of the SEC and Texas and Oklahoma is of the Big 12.

**gcdevil22** · January 12th, 2010, 10:48 PM

Originally Posted by yankeebaseball

whats funny, is this is a smart move.
UT has fallen to the wayside in the SEC, Florida and Bama are the SEC hot schools, then LSU.
UT is an after thought. Whats even funnier is all the Tech fans cracking jokes

USC > UT > VT in programs.

you cant argue with that, 2 of those 3 have won natl titles

the one who hasnt starts with V and ends with a T.

USC is the premier team of the Pac 10, Bama and Florida is of the SEC and Texas and Oklahoma is of the Big 12.

the one that starts with a V and ends with a T throttled UT in their bowl game, has a staff that has mostly been in tact for 20 years...doesn't have football and basketball players facing jail time...didn't hire a high profile coach, only to have him bolt after one season...hasn't had to suffer through bowl-less seasons (plural)

and most importantly neither USC or UT have won 10+ games every year for the past 6 years, but they both played someone who has!

**GC-1** · January 12th, 2010, 10:51 PM

It doesn't surprise me Kiffin went to U$C. What does is he went with the hammer possibly ready to fall on the USC FB program. Why do you think the other potentail coaches backed out? And Pete bolted for the NFL? Is that smell Probation?

**1inStripes** · January 12th, 2010, 10:54 PM

Thats what surprised me GC1. The possible probation of USC was what made me feel a little at ease with Carroll leaving.

On a side note, a friend of mine who is a big Texas fan says UT has already been in contact with Will Muschamp. That would be a pretty good pickup I believe.