USC’s Biggest Problem Isn’t Clay Helton: It’s That it Lacks a “Scott Frost”
It’s been a rough year for the Trojans. A year after winning their first Pac-12 Championship, the Trojans entered Saturday’s matchup against crosstown rival UCLA with an unspectacular record of “5–5,” and with many Trojans fans calling for Head Coach Clay Helton’s firing. However, even with many of these calls having begun to air following the Trojans’ 37–17 loss to Texas, it was a little difficult for most fans to give them too much credence. While many were obviously disappointed with the Trojans’ “slow start,” many of these same people (the author included) were calling for Helton’s firing in 2016, when the Trojans started the season “1–3” — but rebounded to win eight straight and claim a Rose Bowl victory over Big 10 Champion Penn State. And, even with the Trojans having suffered a disappointing home loss to Cal last weekend, and Helton having believed it necessary to call a team meeting this past week to assure his players that he would be returning in 2019, many remained hopeful that the Trojans would salvage their season by winning their final two games against rivals UCLA and Notre Dame. However, things took a turn for the worse on Saturday, when USC lost to a “2–8” UCLA 34–27 at the Rose Bowl (the same place where they’d upset Penn State two years earlier).
In many ways, the loss was simply the culmination of a year of unmet expectations for the Trojans. USC quarterback JT Daniels, who entered the season with a tremendous amount of hype following his decision to forego his final year of high school to enroll at USC early and compete for the starting job, finished with “-9” rushing yards — and two crucial interceptions. The offensive line continued to struggle, and UCLA’s Josh Kelley rushed for 289 yards, averaging an astounding “7.2 yards per carry.” The Trojans’ frustration, though, can be best summed up in one play: with UCLA having the ball on USC’s 5-yard line, the Bruins looked to get the ball to wide receiver Theo Howard, who was having a tremendous day. The Bruins’ offensive line, though, struggled to deal with the Trojans’ pass rush, forcing UCLA quarterback Wilton Speight to throw the ball away. Curiously, though, there was a penalty flag thrown on the play, and replay clearly showed USC defensive lineman Brandon Pili punching UCLA offensive lineman Christaphany Murray after the two had become tangled up on the play — giving the Bruins a fresh set of downs inside of USC’s 3-yard line (with Kelley’s crossing the goal line moments later serving as just the latest example of the Trojans “beating themselves”).
Unfortunately, the Trojans’ and Trojans fans’ frustrations may not have reached their apex just yet. Even with the Trojans having dropped to “5–6,” and being at risk of missing out on a bowl game for the first time since before Pete Carroll (not considering the years they were ineligible because of NCAA sanctions), USC Athletic Director Lynn Swann has remained staunch in his support of Helton. To be clear, Helton is not at risk of being fired this year. Even with the Trojans’ 2018 Season potentially ending next week at home against Notre Dame, Helton — similar to Auburn Head Coach Gus Malzahn — received a contract extension in the offseason, extending him through the 2023 Season. Given that USC is a private school, the school doesn’t divulge the compensation of its employees. But, Helton is believed to be receiving around $5 million per year, making his buyout approximately $25 million — not including the buyouts of his assistant coaches and staff. Even at a school as “rich” as USC, that’s a lot of money.
Furthermore, even if the school and its board of trustees were willing to stomach his exorbitant buyout, who do the Trojans hire as their next head coach? Sure, there are some intriguing names out there — Jeff Brohm at Purdue, Dino Babers at Syracuse, and Mike Leach at Washington State to name a few. But, would any of these names really entice the Trojans’ fan base? Would any of these names inspire donors to increase the size (or frequency) of their donations? Unlikely! And, that’s USC’s biggest problem. There is no clear succession plan “post-Helton.” There is no “Scott Frost.”
Frost, who was hired by Nebraska following his success at the University of Central Florida, played quarterback for Nebraska under legendary Head Coach Tom Osborne. Furthermore, he was born in Nebraska, starred at Wood River High School in Nebraska, and served as a graduate assistant at Nebraska. Better yet, Frost was the perfect person to bring new life to a Nebraska fan base that had grown disenchanted. So, naturally, when Frost was announced as the Huskers’ new head coach, fans were excited, and, even with Frost’s Huskers being eliminated from bowl eligibility this season, Frost’s roots give him a credibility that has kept Huskers’ fans engaged, and optimistic about their future.
At the University of Texas, (interim) Athletic Director Mike Perrin faced a similar challenge, as the school looked to find its next “Darrell K Royal” and re-engage a fan base that had grown dissatisfied with Head Coach Charlie Strong and former Athletic Director Steve Patterson. Fortunately, similar to Nebraska, Perrin found his replacement in University of Houston Head Coach Tom Herman. And, although Herman hadn’t played at Texas like Frost, he had served as a graduate assistant there under Mack Brown — in addition to leading the Cougars’ 2015 Team to a “13–1” record, American Athletic Conference Championship, and upset of ninth-ranked Florida State in the Peach Bowl. For Herman to have done all this in nearby Houston gave him an instant credibility among Longhorns’ fans. And, even with Herman’s first year having been difficult, the Longhorns are 8–3, defeated arch-rival Oklahoma in the Red River Showdown, and have a (big) shot of making the Big 12 Championship Game in just Herman’s second season.
And, finally, there’s Mike “the patron saint of mullets” Gundy at Oklahoma State University (“OSU”). Similar to Frost, Gundy grew up in Oklahoma, played high school football in the Oklahoma City area, and attended OSU. Likewise, he quarterbacked the Cowboys to success, posting two ten-win seasons while in Stillwater. Furthermore, he also served as a graduate assistant at OSU under Pat Jones, and later as offensive coordinator under Bob Simmons. And, all those years of service proved critical following Gundy’s first season as head coach, when his team finished with a record of “4–7” — and posted an unremarkable Big 12 Conference record of “1–7.” Fortunately, though, the Cowboys became bowl eligible by the end of Gundy’s second season, and haven’t looked back ever since. Gundy’s roots, though, haven’t just been helpful in building the Cowboys’ program. They’ve also kept Gundy in Stillwater, even when other programs have come calling with more lucrative offers (most recently this past offseason when the University of Tennessee made a strong play for Gundy’s services).
To be clear, the history of a school hiring a former player as its new head coach isn’t spectacular. Many schools have attempted to turn their programs around by simply hiring a former star player, even if that player lacked any real coaching experience. Thus, it should come as no surprise that most of these hires have failed. So, yes, a head coach must be able to coach. But, a new head coach’s ties can buy them the patience necessary as they look to build their program for continued long-term success (which is one of the reasons why Osborne counseled Frost to choose Nebraska over other potential landing spot the University of Florida). But, what’s striking about USC is the lack of potential options to fill its head coaching position with ties to the Trojans. Sure, some will bring up “Jack Del Rio.” And, Del Rio could end up being USC’s next head coach, as his name frequently pops up whenever there’s a vacancy in Troy (and, the beloved Pete Carroll was also a “failed” NFL Head Coach, before resurrecting his career with the Trojans.) But, the list of other potential candidates is troubling: former NFL and Trojans’ quarterback Carson Palmer appears set on becoming his generations’ “Roger Staubach,” Matt Leinart seems to be enjoying his role as an analyst, Mark Sanchez appears to still be intent on attempting to play professional football, and Matt Barkley may have finally found the opportunity he’s been searching for with the Buffalo Bills. Worst of all though, none of these (former) Trojans have any coaching experience. So, barring a surprise hire, Athletic Director Lynn Swann will need to go outside of the “Trojan Family” to find USC’s next head coach, which could mean more of the same dissatisfaction among fans if they’re unable to produce instantaneous results — and more clamoring for another coaching change. Either way, Clay Helton will be back in 2019 — and, likely, longer.
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