So, um, Lane Kiffin...

**Sisk** · 10-01-2013

I did a few posts back when I posted all the coaches that left good programs for great ones. And I asked why?

This last post you quoted tells why a coach like Sumlin would entertain a school like USC.

Yes he has a good thing going at a&m, but he also knows what he can accomplish with the advantages USC offers

Why did RC Slo leave USC for the same position at A&M?

**Vito Corleone** · 10-01-2013

Originally Posted by Sisk

Why did RC Slo leave USC for the same position at A&M?

I didn't know he was a head coach at USC?

Since he was an assistant with USC in 1981 and that was the last year Robinson was at USC I'd probably say it was to be gainfully employeed. You see after the 1981 season John Robinson left USC to coach the LA Rams.

The real question you should ask yourself is why would he be an assistant at a$m for 8 years under Emery Ballard and then up and leave to join John Robinson at USC? Probably because he knew what the rest of us know, that it was a step up and a stepping stone to a head coaching gig.

**Baseline** · 10-04-2013

USC has a great tradition, but with the SEC dominating the BCS les for so many years, how can someone say that USC gets the best players? They don't. The SEC does. I do agree that it's easy to recruit players west of Texas to USC. LA sells itself. But it's rare for a top recruit from SEC territory to go to USC. Joe McKnight was a big recruit from Louisiana, and I remember being surprised that USC got him. But Pete Carroll had it going on when he was there.

**Vito Corleone** · 10-04-2013

Originally Posted by Baseline

USC has a great tradition, but with the SEC dominating the BCS les for so many years, how can someone say that USC gets the best players? They don't. The SEC does. I do agree that it's easy to recruit players west of Texas to USC. LA sells itself. But it's rare for a top recruit from SEC territory to go to USC. Joe McKnight was a big recruit from Louisiana, and I remember being surprised that USC got him. But Pete Carroll had it going on when he was there.

I guess history began in 2006?

How many SEC championships happened before 2006? Not many. Looking at all the SEC champions, none have been anywhere close to the 2k5 horns or the 2k5 USC team, or for that matter 2k2 Miami.

The one thing that is common between all the les the SEC has put together since 2006 was that most of the outside powers have been on a downward ride.

Miami, FSU, Michigan, Ohio State, Texas, Oklahoma, USC and Notre Dame are all on a downward cycle. ND has been down for 20 years and is only now beginning to come out. Oklahoma started theirs in 2k9 and Texas also started theirs right after 2k5. USC has been on one for a while.

But back to USC. Only a guy who doesn't know much about college football would think all the best players come from SEC country. take a close look at where the NFL talent comes from. The 3 biggest states are #1 California, 2 Texas and 3 Florida. No one has as much pull in their state as UT, but a very close second is USC in California. But not just California all over the US.

Just for giggles I will use the Rivals top 100

In 2010 USC signs 4 5-star players. 2 came from California, 1 from Georgia, and 1 from Illinois

2011 - they get only 1 5-star from California but 4 high 4-star top 100 guys from Kentucky, Ohio, New Jersey, and Arizona.

2012 - they sign 3 5-star guys, one from California, one from Florida, and one from Washington. They also signed a Rivals 100 4-star guy from Florida

2013 - 5 Rivals 5-star guys, 1 from Florida, 1 from California, 1 from Maryland, 1 from Washington, and 1 from Illinois. They also pulled in 2 other top 100 guys from Florida and Maryland.

I could go on, but truth is, it makes me sick to see how much talent they have there.

People here don't believe me when I say they are one of the top jobs in the country, but , no school, not even Texas gets the level of talent that USC brings in on a regular basis. The only thing holding that team back from blowing away all the compe ion is a coach with a functional brain.

**benefactor** · 12-02-2013

...looks like I was damn close to punting you off this board, Sisk.

On Saturday it was announced that Kevin Sumlin had signed a six-year extension to remain the head football coach at Texas A&M for the foreseeable future, sending a clear signal that he wanted to stay in College Station for the long haul. But Rumors and Rants has learned exclusively from sources at USC that Sumlin had been lobbying hard for the vacant head coaching position at the school for the better part of two months.

As soon as Lane Kiffin was fired in late September, Sumlin’s representatives were contacted and told their client was on a list of potential candidates to be his replacement. Sumlin then sent word through back-channels that he wanted the job and his wife in particular was excited about the prospect of moving to Los Angeles.

For the two months leading up to this past week, Sumlin’s representatives were in near constant contact with USC, continually letting Haden’s people know that he wanted the job. He felt quarterback Johnny Manziel was set to jump to the NFL and he was not looking forward to a rebuild next season. He wanted a new challenge and thought the path to a national championship would be easier at USC.

As the season progressed and the people at USC started digging into Sumlin’s background, his coaching philosophy, etc., some began to sour on him as a top option. That’s not to say he wasn’t still a target, but he had fallen down a few notches in some eyes. His team’s 8-4 record and scoring defense (84th in the nation at 30.9 points per game) also worked against him. Still, they were intrigued because he was pushing so hard for the job.

http://network.yardbarker.com/colleg..._head_15199847

Aggies thinking Sumlin wouldn't bolt for USC if offered the position. Looks like everything everyone assumed was correct except for the fact that USC didn't really want his ass.