Five Candidates To Replace Clay Helton At USC

Clay Helton is likely done at USC. After overseeing a 5-7 season, missing a bowl game and wildly underachieving in his third season, most believe Helton will be gone by Monday. [UPDATE: nevermind; USC AD Lynn Swann has announced Clay Helton is staying at USC.]

After leading USC to the Rose Bowl in his first full season and winning the Pac-12 in his second, Helton and his staff have dropped the ball horribly this season. The Trojans have been undisciplined, uninspired and just flat-out bad all year.

With that in mind here’s a look at five candidates USC athletic director Lynn Swann should consider for the job.

James Franklin, Penn State

While it seems crazy, but there is a ton of smoke around this one. James Franklin has a great job at Penn State, but plenty of rumors over the last few weeks have connected him with USC. Maybe his agent is using the Trojans to leverage a big new contract at his current job, but it’s worth addressing anyway.

Franklin took over a terrible Vanderbilt program and made three bowl games while going 24-15 during his time on campus. That included two 9-4 seasons. In 2014, he moved on to Penn State and after two 7-6 seasons, he won the Big Ten in 2016 and went 11-3 after losing an all-time great Rose Bowl against (checks notes…) USC. In 2017 the Nittany Lions went 11-2 and won the Fiesta Bowl. This season they’ve gone 9-3 and overall he’s 45-20 since arriving in State College.

Here’s the thing about Penn State: it’s a phenomenal job, but in the Big Ten East, it’s probably the third best football program. Franklin’s path to a conference title goes through Ohio State, Michigan and Michigan State every year. USC is clearly the elite program in the Pac-12 and especially the perennially weak Pac-12 South.

The 46-year-old Franklin is an outstanding, energetic recruiter and has the personality to be a star in Los Angeles. He would be an excellent fit at USC if he’s truly interested in moving on from Penn State.

Matt Campbell, Iowa State

While he hasn’t won a division title at Iowa State, Matt Campbell is widely considered one of the great young coaching talents in football. The 38-year-old won MAC Coach of the Year at Toledo in 2015 and Big 12 Coach of the Year in 2017.

Campbell was named the interim head coach at Toledo in 2011, then took the full-time job. He went 35-15 in four-plus seasons and won the West division twice. He then took over a horrible Iowa State program and after going 3-9 in 2016, he took the Cyclones to an 8-5 record in 2017. So far they’re 6-4 this year and ranked in the top 25. He’s also led his team to big-time upsets of No. 3 Oklahoma and No. 4 TCU in 2017 and No. 25 Oklahoma State and No. 6 West Virginia this season.

Campbell is a former defensive lineman at Pitt and Mount Union, but has been an offensive line coach and offensive coordinator as a coach. Given USC’s awful offensive line play over the past few seasons, his background might be a draw.

Despite signing a six-year, $22.5 million extension last season, it would be a no-brainer for Campbell to move on if USC called. That’s a premier job and would be the next step in what looks like a promising young career.

Jeff Brohm, Purdue

Everyone and their brother thinks Jeff Brohm is heading to Louisville, but on Saturday he sounded like a guy who was comfortable at Purdue. While returning to his alma mater would obviously be an attractive move, USC is the kind of job you don’t pass up.

Brohm is just 47 and has already accomplished a lot as a head coach. In three years at Western Kentucky, he led the Hilltoppers to a 30-10 record, including a 22-5 mark and two conference titles in his final two seasons. Purdue was horrible when he took over in 2017 and in two years he’s led them to a 13-12 record and back-to-back bowl berths. He also led the Boilermakers to a huge upset win over No. 2 Ohio State this season.

His background as an NFL player, a quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator make him a strong candidate. Brohm’s offensive system is wide open and he’s done a fantastic job recruiting guys who fit it perfectly.

While Brohm would carry some risk given that he hasn’t fully turned Purdue around yet, the upside he’d bring is undeniable.

Kyle Whittingham, Utah

This would be the ultimate safe choice hire for the Trojans. In 15 seasons at Utah, Kyle Whittinham has posted a stellar 119-59 record and also has an undefeated season to his name. Since joining the Pac-12 in 2011, the Utes haven’t had the same level of success, but he’s topped eight wins five times and has won two South Division titles (including this year). He’s also gone 11-1 in bowl games.

Whittingham is operating at a serious talent disadvantage but somehow still produces really good teams. The Utes are always solid on both sides of the ball and usually produce the best defensive line in the conference. Their offensive lines have been nearly as good. He works so well with the talent he’s given, it would be fascinating to see what he could do with the four- and five-star guys USC routinely hauls in.

While he’s a California native, maybe the 59-year-old Whittingham is just happy where he’s at after all this time. He started his time at Utah as an assistant way back in 1994. He’s never left.

This wouldn’t be the sexiest hire, but it’s not a bad option if others are off the board.

John Harbaugh, Baltimore Ravens

Aside from being a big name, John Harbaugh has been a solid NFL coach for a long time. Since taking over the Baltimore Ravens in 2008, he has posted a 99-69 record, made the playoffs six times and won Super Bowl XLVII. That said, the last four seasons have been a struggle for the Ravens and it’s looking like a new voice may be needed in Baltimore.

The Ravens have missed the postseason in five of the last six seasons, but Harbaugh has been closely tied to the wildly erratic Joe Flacco. It just feels like after 11 seasons, these two sides need a divorce.

Harbaugh would be what a lot of USC fans want: he has a track record of success and he’s also a guy who doesn’t mind having strong coordinators under him. He’s a former special teams coach and is fine allowing his coordinators to run things on each side of the ball while he handles the overall picture.

If he could find himself strong coordinators and a few good recruiters, Harbaugh could be the kind of former NFL coach who has great success in college.