Just days after the Univesity of Southern California fired head coach Clay Helton, a potential head-coaching candidate has been floated by an NFL insider. That candidate happens to come from the Kansas City Chiefs’ coaching ranks.
According to a report from ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Chiefs OC Eric Bieniemy is expected to emerge as a candidate to become the next head coach at USC. Schefter’s report claims that Bieniemy has told those close to him in the past that USC is one of the only jobs that might pry him away from working the NFL with the Chiefs and continuing to pursue a head-coaching position in the league.
League sources believe Chiefs' OC Eric Bieniemy will emerge as a head-coaching candidate for USC. Bieniemy is from Southern California and has told confidantes in the past, that USC is one of the only college jobs that might interest him.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 14, 2021
Bieniemy has been passed over for head-coaching positions in the NFL after interviewing with over a dozen teams across the past several seasons. It’s unclear what level of interest he’d actually have in this job at USC, despite Schefter’s report. He’d be leaving one of the most exciting football teams in the NFL to revitalize a college program that hasn’t seen much success in recent years.
USC, of course, has a rich history of incredible talent at the running back position. As a former running back himself, that could certainly have a level of appeal. It’s also worth considering that Bieniemy turned down the head-coaching job at his alma mater last year. Yes, the programs do have different levels of prestige, but it’s still notable that he turned that job down.
Would Bieniemy even consider interviewing for the USC job? Would he finish out the season in Kansas City before even considering becoming the head coach? We’ll keep you posted on this story as it continues to develop.
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