When Pete Carroll was hired as head coach of the USC Trojans, the university received more than a few complaints about their choice. By the end of his tenure, Carroll had brought the team two championships.
Lane Kiffin now holds the high-pressure position in Los Angeles, and the Trojans finished the season just 8-5 – their worst record since Carroll’s first year as coach.
But USC isn’t in contention for a bowl game this year, to the disappointment of USC players and fans everywhere. Does Kiffin have any chance at being as successful a coach as Carroll at USC?
Kiffin was instrumental to the team in his role as offensive coordinator under Carroll, but his time as head coach of the Raiders and Tennessee Volunteers casts doubt upon whether or not he’ll find more success at USC.
He did well in an assistant coach role, but his head coaching experience leaves a lot to be desired.
His one shot as a head coach of an NFL team ended with a 5-15 record, and his time in Tennessee left his team with seven wins and six losses.
After the Trojans defeated their UCLA rivals on Saturday, Kiffin discussed his team’s season.
“It helps. It’s still a disappointment,” Kiffin said. “If you look back, there were so many games that we should have won. So many games that we just handed away. We finish third in the conference and there is some good to that, but obviously that’s well below our standards.”
If a team wants Kiffin to be successful, they’ll need to be patient. He’s not quite ready to take on all the responsibilities that being a head coach entails. Give him time though, and he’ll be holding better records soon.
Kiffin is a young coach, and still has some learning to do before he’s at the level of a Pete Carroll, but with a few more seasons under his belt, Kiffin could someday be just as celebrated as Carroll in the college football world.
Does Lane Kiffin have a chance of being as successful as Pete Carroll? Leave your thoughts below.
