OT: USC fires their OC
http://www.cbssports.com/collegefootball/blog/bruce-feldman/21671010/polamalu-out-as-usc-oc
Just in case Lane thought his DB rating was slippin' he pulls this 2 days after kids sign their LOI. I think Polamalu was Ty Issacs lead recruiter.
February 9th, 2013 at 8:36 AM ^
February 9th, 2013 at 9:09 AM ^
I disagree, keep Kiffin. Hopefully some southern California recruits look UM's way with the tire fire out in LA.
February 9th, 2013 at 9:17 AM ^
February 9th, 2013 at 10:15 AM ^
February 9th, 2013 at 4:27 PM ^
UCLA used to be a quality program year in and year out. A big name. I would like to see it be so again.
February 9th, 2013 at 8:36 AM ^
It's too bad Leon McQuay can't jump off this burning ship. I can't help but wonder if he would have come to UM had he known then all that he knows now.
I wonder a bit about Isaac as well, but with Green and Smith I feel like we're set. However, you can always use more elite playmakers at DB.
February 9th, 2013 at 9:39 AM ^
Why? KP wasn't his recruiter. I get some defenisve players are said but I don't get why that'd make LM more likely to come here.
February 9th, 2013 at 11:55 AM ^
I don't believe he's referring to this situation specifically. He's talking about the big picture.
February 9th, 2013 at 9:46 AM ^
Both had a chance to jump ship and didn't. They can only blame themselves
February 9th, 2013 at 11:19 AM ^
Both Ty Isaac and Leon McQuay-- and their parents -- had plenty of time and resources to discern which college was right for them. If they were as dilligent as they claimed to be, there should be nothing particularly surprising about this move. In fact, as Steve Lorenz put it on Twitter last night, Lane Kiffin firing his OC two days after Signing Day is "the most USC thing ever." The fable of the Scorpion and the Frog has appeared in multiple cultures on multiple continents for literally thousands of years. These recruits and their parents have only themselves to blame if haven't gotten the memo by now,
February 9th, 2013 at 11:54 AM ^
and an even better username.
February 9th, 2013 at 10:29 AM ^
And that Smith and Green are now in the fold. I am going to bet that that duo is going to be a better combo than if Ty was in the backfield.
February 9th, 2013 at 8:38 AM ^
Polamalu, it should be noted, was not USC's play-caller. Lane Kiffin, the head coach, handled the play-calling responsibilities.
Lane is a DB... Plain and simple
February 9th, 2013 at 8:42 AM ^
February 9th, 2013 at 10:47 AM ^
February 9th, 2013 at 11:09 AM ^
February 9th, 2013 at 8:39 AM ^
February 9th, 2013 at 9:19 AM ^
This is where I think kids should be allowed to leave with little penalty when something like this happens. It's BS for them to sign a LOI and bind themselves to that school probably in part due to the coaches there, then have those coaches get fired and they're stuck. Especially the guys that just signed on to USC. I think they should have an opportunity to go elsewhere if they want
February 9th, 2013 at 11:58 AM ^
Hear.
February 9th, 2013 at 8:40 AM ^
Head Coaches follow the same MO as CEO's when they're in trouble. First thing they usually do is fire their VP of Sales (Offensive Coordianator if you will) cause revenue (points) arent where the CEO (HC) thinks they should be.
It's an attempt to buy time by deflecting blame for whatever is going on to subordinates incapable (according the HC/CEO) of following and implementing the HC/CEO's vision properly. Sometimes it works - usually it doesnt.
Kiffin has one more year to get USC back to the days of Pete Carroll IMO. His dad has left the DC job, now Polamalu gets taken out...Lane - you're last man standing.
February 9th, 2013 at 8:41 AM ^
February 9th, 2013 at 8:53 AM ^
So, Polamalu returns to his alma mater in 2010 and helps to construct two Top 30 offenses. At that point, Lane Kiffin comes into the picture, the USC offense becomes middling as Kiffin takes on playcalling duties and Polamalu gets canned two days after NSD and after helping USC land some top talent. The Kiffin Effect at its most classic.
February 9th, 2013 at 1:48 PM ^
Just wait till he replaces him with OJ Simpson out on work release, THEN we'll see the full Kiffin Effect.
February 9th, 2013 at 8:55 AM ^
The players are not happy. http://www.conquestchronicles.com/2013/2/8/3969758/usc-players-react-to…
February 9th, 2013 at 9:36 AM ^
February 9th, 2013 at 9:56 AM ^
Kids these days. I can barely decipher half of what is written.
February 9th, 2013 at 11:44 AM ^
by developing an app that translates Twitter into English.
(in fairness, the tweets in the linked article were actually pretty readable... but I never pass up a "kids today" post on principle)
February 9th, 2013 at 9:01 AM ^
February 9th, 2013 at 9:03 AM ^
We got the better back in Green.. Iaasc and McQuay had to know the mess they were getting into..Unless they didnt see the fall of USC last season..Also, Iaasc didnt have to fullly commit till NSD.. His loss. He could have been a wolverine... I cant stand USC and Kiffin.. I have no idea how that man has a job still..
February 9th, 2013 at 9:31 AM ^
Rant over.
February 9th, 2013 at 9:39 AM ^
February 9th, 2013 at 9:55 AM ^
Seriously. USC is a historical powerhouse that's been an NFL factory. Plus if you're in Michigan, have you looked outside in the past 2 days? KP was also the RBs coach who recruited Issac. I'd be beyond pissed if I were him. This notion that kids committ to a school is BS. Let's say you chose your PhD program based on a professor you want to work with and write you dissertation under, wouldn't you be pissed if he was gone the day after and you had no where to go? This is similar, there isn't a huge difference between USC and Michigan , despite how much we'd like to believe it. At that point kids are choosing based coaches and people, among other factors.
February 9th, 2013 at 11:48 AM ^
February 9th, 2013 at 11:58 AM ^
Actually, that's why they tell you not to pick your program solely based on one professor...
February 9th, 2013 at 9:43 AM ^
Kiffin may have saved his 2013 recruiting class by delaying Polamaly's termination until after NSD, but he also exposed his ethics to future recruits.
His short-term gain this year will serve as a warning to future recruits and give competing coaches a weapon to use against Kiffin in future recruiting.
Rather than hoping Kiffin gets fired, we should hope that he stays at USC and runs their program further into the ground.
As for Ty Isaac and Leon McQuay, they made their choices. Had Isaac committed to Michigan, we probably would not have gotten Derrick Green. A committment from Leon McQuay would have been nice but we still have good depth and talent at safety without him.
Let's move on and focus on those choose Michigan!
February 9th, 2013 at 9:58 AM ^
"His short term gain..." Perhaps. But if the past is any indicator, most high school players don't seem too bothered by ethical shortcomings of coaches.
February 9th, 2013 at 10:08 AM ^
Haden isn't stupid, and he has to know that Kiffin is burning down the house.
February 9th, 2013 at 10:38 AM ^
February 9th, 2013 at 10:50 AM ^
February 9th, 2013 at 11:36 AM ^
I suspect he'd actually be good at it. He has to be a hell of a smooth talker to get hired for so many high profile positions at such a young age.
February 9th, 2013 at 12:46 PM ^
Have you ever seen him speak publicly? He makes a deer in the headlights look like Barney Stinson.
February 9th, 2013 at 11:42 AM ^
"training camps" for high-school kids looking to boost their recruiting profiles. If he brought uber-recruiter and all-around crazy man Ed Orgeron with him, he might have some appeal for a certain portion of the high school recruiting base.
February 9th, 2013 at 12:46 PM ^
February 9th, 2013 at 10:51 AM ^
February 9th, 2013 at 11:33 AM ^
February 10th, 2013 at 9:42 AM ^
Maybe you should have been fired as well?
February 9th, 2013 at 11:21 AM ^
Coincidence with the timing? I think not. Kiffin is the ultimate douche.
February 9th, 2013 at 12:23 PM ^
February 9th, 2013 at 12:31 PM ^
God I hate Kiffen, I live is Cali and just can't believe the shit he does
February 9th, 2013 at 12:44 PM ^
Firing an assistant 2 days after NSD is shady. It seems like he held out so he didn't get even more decommits.
What a douche bag!