The coaching carousel intrigue is building right now. There’s a lot of chatter and speculation about Nebraska defensive coordinator Tony White coming to USC. It could have legs, but it could just as easily be a trial balloon or a smokescreen setting up a different move from the Trojans. Before any announcement of a hire, let’s play around with some hypotheticals.
Let’s say that Tony White is the guy for USC and the Trojans secure the Nebraska assistant. It would be a good move. White is a quality defensive coordinator, and USC needs a quality defensive coordinator. No complaints there if it happens.
However: Getting Tony White means USC did not get Jim Leonhard, arguably the most coveted defensive coordinator candidate in college football.
Given that Ohio State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles has been mentioned as a possible candidate for the open head coaching job at Duke — to replace Mike Elko, who went to Texas A&M — there is a possibility that Ohio State’s defensive coordinator job could open up and be filled by Leonhard.
There is also a possibility that Michigan State, without a defensive coordinator at the moment, could swoop in and pick off Leonhard, uniting him with Jonathan Smith.
Those would be two bad outcomes for USC. The Trojans would love having Tony White, but if Jim Leonhard lands at Ohio State (in particular) or Michigan State, that would sting. Let’s hope Leonhard — if he doesn’t get the USC job — waits for a head coaching position in this carousel cycle.
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