Don

January 22nd, 2013 at 9:14 PM ^

Timing is everything... Dantonio benefitted from the RR interregnum, Schembechler benefitted from the horrible decline of every conference school other than OSU, and Mora is going to reap the benefits of Kiffin being Kiffin.

I wonder when Kiffin's trophy wife is going to realize she's hooked to a guy on the downside and dump his ass for some other guy on the way up.

WolvinLA2

January 22nd, 2013 at 9:23 PM ^

I completely agree with your first paragraph.  As for your second, Kiffin's still raking in huge dollars, and she's not getting any younger.  Sure she's hot, but she's in her upper 30s with kids, and he's a millionaire football coach.  She'd have a hard time replacing him, but there are tons of hot blondes in LA who would love to replace her.

sshemes

January 22nd, 2013 at 7:53 PM ^

After he decommitted from SC, he had interest in UM. He looked like a Steve Breaston type playmaker in the all American game. Anybody know what happened with him?

Perkis-Size Me

January 22nd, 2013 at 8:51 PM ^

after this season, i don't see how any kid could want to play for kiffin. minus a pac 12 championship and rose bowl/national title victory, i'd be shocked if kiffin still had his job next year. they've got a lot of talent but if they start losing again, he will not be able to keep that locker room together.

Victor Hale II

January 22nd, 2013 at 8:58 PM ^

So a 4* guy decommits, but what are the odds he will soon be miraculously replaced by a 5* guy? In other words, what or who is the impetus behind this? I'll only be able to enjoy these USC decommitments if Kiffin doesn't somehow find anyone to replace the guys who are forced out, I mean, guys who back out.

WolvinLA2

January 22nd, 2013 at 9:13 PM ^

What are the odds?  Really low.  Since their decommit-apalooza, they've only had one "replacement" and that was McQuay.  But he wasn't really a replacement, he was just a guy who was going to go there anyway.  But they were at 18 commits, and now they're at 13.  The biggest problem is that they were low on DL to begin with and have now lost three very good ones (one of which is a 5 star) and are left with 1 DT and 1 DE, this one year after taking only 3 DL (all DEs).  Just as bad, they only have 2 OL in this class after taking 3 last year, and one of them might be looking elsewhere.

WolvinLA2

January 22nd, 2013 at 9:26 PM ^

SC fans, by and large, don't care about that stuff as much as Michigan fans do.  If they were winning like they were 8 years ago, they wouldn't care about it at all.  If Pete Carroll did that stuff, they wouldn't care.  But because they aren't winning, that stuff gets brought up.  But they are way more pissed about the losing.

That said, I think Pat Haden cares about all that stuff, winning or not.  He's a pretty stand up guy (a guy I'd be happy to have as our AD) so that doesn't help Lane out much.  

Yooper

January 22nd, 2013 at 11:15 PM ^

the mystery is why Haden has been so supportive of Kiffin. The two are total opposites, Haden is a classy guy who has achieved much in his life. Kiffin-not so much. The "lets keep him because he can recruit" notion is crazy-any good coach can recruit at USC. why Haden hasn't jettisoned this guy is a puzzle.

WolvinLA2

January 23rd, 2013 at 11:19 AM ^

Yeah, most of my friends are a little perplexed that Haden has backed him so fervently, but the most common opinion is what has been said here already - that he's riding Kiffin out through the sanctions.  If he lets on that that's his plan, shit will hit the fan.  So he's behind him publicly so that the fans/alums don't freak out and so the next guy has as much talent as possible.  Not a bad move, really, if that's his plan.

NateVolk

January 22nd, 2013 at 11:42 PM ^

USC has 11 players in the rivals top 100.   Michigan currently has 2 with 1 more likely.

Hatcher is barely dust in the wind for that class. 

Let's all deal in facts. Bagging in USC's recruiting, regardless of the likability of their coach, makes everybody on here look lame.

WolvinLA2

January 23rd, 2013 at 12:45 AM ^

I don't think anyone is bagging the class as a whole, just the fact that they keep losing guys (and more are still thinking about it).  Their class is talented, no doubt, but it's small, and lopsided position-wise.  SC is going to have 5-star DBs riding pine while their d-linemen are sucking wind because they have no subs.  

Remember, some of those guys are going to get in trouble, flunk out, bust, or get injured.  That happens.  A couple years ago, USC had three "can't-miss" guys in Kyle Prater, Dillon Baxter and Markeith Ambles, all 5-stars.  Prater was in the injury/bust category (and is now at NW, not seeing the field), Baxter was in the trouble category and is not playing football and Ambles is in the flunk out category and played JUCO this past fall.  Quality is important, but quantity is as well and they don't have any of that.  

Don

January 23rd, 2013 at 9:24 AM ^

Who the hell is bagging on USC's recruiting? We all know that USC is completely stacked, or has been until very recently. All of these comments are about the clusterfuck that is Lane Kiffin. It's not his recruiting that's in question—it's his ability to retain his recruits.

Sione's Flow

January 23rd, 2013 at 12:57 AM ^

After Kiffin's shenanigans with Tennesee, it seems like Karma is indeed a bad tempered woman.  Kiffin's not as bad as Tuberville in that department, but he definitely has created an aura of being a douche around him.

WMU81

January 23rd, 2013 at 8:58 AM ^

I remember watching pre-bowl coverage of USC before the last Rose Bowl we played in thinking that USC and Carroll were on top of the world.He seemed like a coach everyone would love to play for. WOW, have they taken a nose dive.I wouldnt play for Kiffin, even if he threw in a car and house ( R Bush)...What a mess USC has become.