Mailbag: When will USC hire a new athletic director?

You asked, I answered...

USC is 3-3 for the third time in five years. But most of the conversation surrounding the program surrounds its leadership. Here are this week's questions.

Because this is such a forward question, I want to make clear that I'm not suggesting the assistants I don't include are not worthy. But here's who I'd be most interested in retaining: OC Graham Harrell, OL coach Tim Drevno, DL coach Chad Kauha'aha'a and DBs coach Greg Burns. It's probably a longshot that Harrell remains, especially if Urban Meyer takes over, but I could see it happening if USC tabs a defensive-minded coach. As for the other three, I just like what they're doing with their respective units and believe keeping them could really foster further growth among the players at those positions. There's no way a new coach is going to retain that many members of a staff, however. It's very possible that all but maybe one is let go. 

Rumors abound, of course. My sources have said Washington State AD and former Ohio State administrator Patrick Chun has been vetted and is a target. Things have been quiet with Villanova's Mark Jackson, who will actually be in town this weekend for men's basketball. I was told he wouldn't be available until December regardless. Another interesting name to watch for is former Florida AD Jeremy Foley, as was suggested by Yahoo! Sports' Pete Thamel. It's a name I've been hearing a lot the past few days. Foley and Chun have ties to Meyer, which would be a good place to start if you're looking to make a serious run at him. USC is apparently trying for a package deal. 

OK, so these are essentially asking the same thing. It's my understanding that USC is doing the legwork in the background on both fronts. Once an AD is on board, it won't take long for said individual to decide on Helton. Interim AD Dave Roberts told the L.A. Times last week he isn't planning to make a coaching change before the end of the season barring something "extraordinary" happening. I requested an interview with Roberts in hopes of asking what he would classify as extraordinary, but he declined to comment. The working plan is for the new AD to determine USC's coach for 2020. 

I'd set the over/under for a new AD being announced by the end of November. Time is of the essence given the current state of recruiting. The Trojans can't afford to go into December with their coaching situation unsettled. I had a good conversation with 247Sports West recruiting analyst Blair Angulo about these scenarios and he said the Trojans would still be able to reshape their class so long as a new coach was in place by the Pac-12 title game -- the first Friday in December. But only a splash hire could alter the school's recruiting efforts overnight.

Hey, a question about the players! Very cool. I don't agree that Vavae Malepeai dances in the backfield. If he does, it's minimal. He's pretty decisive. He just doesn't have the physical presence that Markese Stepp has, so if there's a defender in the backfield as he receives the handoff, which certainly happens from time to time, he isn't able to simply plow through. He probably needs to evade him. Carr, however, is a different runner altogether. You saw in the past two games how he can make people miss. He's great in space and with extending plays at the second level. The problem is whether he gets there. He doesn't seem to always recognize the hole or commit to it. His patience gets him in trouble and probably isn't an ideal fit for this offensive line. But he definitely has great value and should be involved. I just think Stepp needs to be featured consistently since he's their best back. Crazy, I know. 

Too soon.

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