Tag: Kliff Kingsbury

ChatGPT ranks the top 10 Big 12 quarterbacks of all time

Open Source AI ChatGPT ranked the top 10 Big 12 quarterbacks of all-time. Four of them were Oklahoma Sooners.

Over the life of the Big 12 conference, it’s become synonymous with high-scoring offenses and high-level quarterback play.

There have been Heisman trophy winners and first-overall picks, and the conference that’s been at the forefront of the aerial assault that’ taking college football by storm.

We’ve all spent time ranking quarterbacks, but for this version, we thought it’d be fun to let the computers do it. Using Open AI’s ChatGPT, we simply asked, “Who are the best Big 12 quarterbacks of all time?”

Its response?

These quarterbacks have all made significant contributions to their respective teams and have impressive statistics and accomplishments. However, it’s important to note that there have been many other great quarterbacks in the Big 12 who could also be considered for this list. – ChatGPT

Their top 10 is pretty solid. There are certainly arguments to be made for several others that made significant impacts or even won a Heisman trophy, but not bad from a computer-generated AI.

Here’s a look at the rankings.

Kliff Kingsbury’s coaching experience will save time, worry for Lincoln Riley

Lincoln Riley emphasized the value of having assistants he trusts, so that he doesn’t have to micromanage. That matters.

The first year for Lincoln Riley at USC went well despite an unfortunate ending to the season. In Year 2, the expectations are through the roof, and even more after the decision by Riley to hire Kliff Kingsbury as an offensive analyst.

Riley changed things drastically in his first season, but he admits Year 2 will look a bit different from a coaching standpoint. Having Kingsbury is a big addition (h/t Antonio Morales of The Athletic).

“I’ve tried to learn and build the staff to kind of allow me to cover all the bases I need to cover as a head coach,” Riley told Morales. “I’ve got to be whatever the program needs me to be. That’ll be a little different in Year 2 vs. Year 1. That’ll shift every year. … Having guys in different areas that you trust makes a big difference there. As staff positions have opened up, that’s what I’ve continually tried to do, is bring in people that I trust. This will be great, and on top of it, having somebody in the room that’s been a former head coach, everybody thinks they know what they like and all that until they sit in that chair. Having somebody that’s done that is invaluable.”

Kingsbury’s time with the Arizona Cardinals came to an unfortunate end, but his days at Texas Tech were terrific solely in terms of developing quarterbacks. He worked closely with Patrick Mahomes. Nonetheless, having somebody such as Kingsbury on the staff is a massive addition which should alleviate some pressure from Riley’s shoulders.

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Kliff Kingsbury’s familiarity with Lincoln Riley’s offense was a USC selling point

Head coaches must coach their assistants to produce internal accountability. Riley won’t have to worry about Kliff at #USC.

The USC Trojans have a ton of reasons to be thrilled with the hire of Kliff Kingsbury. The development of Miller Moss and Malachi Nelson behind starting quarterback Caleb Williams is one reason.

However, another reason is that this shows how far this program has come with Lincoln Riley’s facelift. The Clay Helton era was forgettable, and the Lane Kiffin and Steve Sarkisian period was another headache.

But Riley knows the Kingsbury hire shows how far things have come (h/t Ryan Kartje of The Los Angeles Times).

The decision caught many off guard, although it wasn’t a surprise to Riley himself.

“I asked Kliff just in kind of passing if it’d be something he’d be interested in and described it to him. And he thought about it for a little bit. I thought it just ended up being a great fit for both sides. He’s obviously got familiarity with our offense, he’s got familiarity with a lot of the members on our staff, so I think that certainly made sense.”

Now, it’s a reality, and we will see what the USC offense looks like with Kingsbury working closely with the quarterbacks.

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Kliff Kingsbury couldn’t pass up the USC job

Kingsbury won’t be a long-term staffer at #USC, but he will coach the full 2023 season. A lot of good work can be done.

The USC Trojans hired Kliff Kingsbury years ago when Clay Helton was the head coach. But, shortly after, he left Southern California and became the head coach of the Arizona Cardinals.

Now, after the Cardinals job didn’t work out, Kingsbury has made an unexpected return to Trojan land. Kingsbury admitted the Arizona job was too good to pass up (h/t Ryan Kartje of The Los Angeles Times).

“I thought that was an incredible opportunity with Coach Helton, Mr. Swann, that program, that tradition, but this is just an opportunity I couldn’t pass up.”

Now, four years later, Kingsbury returns to USC with a ton of hype. The Trojans had one of the best offenses in college football. Even though they lost Jordan Addison and others, they added Dorian Singer and still have Caleb Williams under center.

Lincoln Riley reflected on what Kingsbury couldn’t pass up this opportunity:

“He sees the opportunity that this is right now,” Riley said Tuesday. “Which is a cool statement for our program, that a guy like that would want to come take this role and help this program take another big step, and he recognizes what’s going on.”

Kingsbury could very well be at USC for just one year, especially if the NFL or a college program comes calling his name. Nonetheless, this time around, things are very different.

He worked with Kyler Murray and Patrick Mahomes, and now he will work with Caleb Williams and Malachi Nelson. Let’s see what the USC offense looks like this time with Kingsbury officially in town, and hopefully for an entire season.

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Kliff Kingsbury will keep things fresh for Caleb Williams at USC

Caleb Williams knows what Lincoln Riley expects from him. Having Kingsbury in the room could create new ways of learning.

The arrival of Kliff Kingsbury at USC could seem like a “too many cooks spoiling the broth” situation, at least if you’re skeptical about the value of this move.

Why would Caleb Williams need another voice in the room? Lincoln Riley and Caleb know how to work together. They know what to expect of — and from — each other. They have certainly delivered great results. Why mess with success? Why alter a winning formula? Those are valid questions.

Here’s something worth absorbing: As smart and as capable as Lincoln Riley is, he hasn’t coached in the NFL. Kingsbury has. Kingsbury has valuable information solely as a product of having coached in the NFL, but that information is doubly valuable because he has coached Kyler Murray. Caleb can learn from Kingsbury on two fronts: How to be an NFL quarterback, but also how to make various decisions, chiefly when to run and when to stay in the pocket.

Kingsbury won’t just echo what Lincoln Riley wants. He can provide a fresh angle Caleb will appreciate — and benefit from.

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Kliff Kingsbury hire is a tangible reward for Miller Moss at USC

Miller Moss’s loyalty to #USC needed to be rewarded. Giving him Kliff Kingsbury as a hands-on mentor? That works!

The USC Trojans always find a way to stay relevant. On Monday, the Trojans hired Kliff Kingsbury as an offensive analyst. The former NFL head coach landed at USC.

The hire of Kingsbury is a massive one after he was fired as head coach of the Arizona Cardinals. He will likely work closely with the quarterbacks. Caleb Williams and Malachi Nelson are going to get most of the attention. However, don’t forget about Miller Moss, the “other” quarterback in the room.

As it turns out, this could be a massive reward for Miller Moss, and it’s something we highlighted last offseason. Obviously, what applied to the 2022 season now applies even more to 2023, with Moss not (yet) transferring:

“Moss should receive great coaching. Even if he doesn’t play very much, he should leave 2022 with a far better understanding of how to perform. He could potentially transfer before the 2023 season and get the playing time he needs. This year, though, he gets to learn from Lincoln Riley. That alone should be a boost to his career and his future prospects, setting the table for the years to come.”

Caleb Williams is the Heisman Trophy favorite once again, but Kingsbury working closely could be a step in the right direction as far as Moss’s development is concerned. Let’s see if this decision pays off.

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Kliff Kingsbury will help Malachi Nelson develop quickly as USC QB

Kingsbury coaching Caleb Williams is the angle most people are focused on, but this might be the bigger long-term story:

The USC Trojans’ coaching staff got a major boost with the hire of Kliff Kingsbury. He will work closely with the quarterbacks on Lincoln Riley’s staff. Caleb Williams is already being discussed as the No. 1 choice in the 2024 NFL draft, but this hire could help five-star QB Malachi Nelson develop quickly as the Trojans’ future starter.

We noted months ago that “Nelson will sit behind Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams for a year, before taking the reins as the Trojans’ signal-caller in Lincoln Riley’s offense. It is notable that Nelson was willing to accept that his freshman season in 2023 will be a learning experience behind Caleb. His time to shine will be in 2024, when the Trojans move to the Big Ten. It will be very important for him to soak up knowledge from Caleb and Lincoln Riley next year.”

Malachi Nelson is going to be able to sit behind Caleb Williams and learn from a Heisman Trophy winner for an entire season. Moreover, now he gets to work closely with Kingsbury, who coached Kyler Murray in the NFL and was the head coach at Texas Tech when Patrick Mahomes was there.

The sky is the limit for Nelson, so having Kingsbury (and Williams) to learn from is as good as it gets.

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Kliff Kingsbury and Lincoln Riley played together; now they’ll coach together

21 years ago, Kliff Kingsbury was the starting QB for Texas Tech under Mike Leach. Lower on the QB depth chart: Lincoln Riley.

Time really is a flat circle, as some would say. The USC Trojans hired Kliff Kingsbury (again), and now he will work closely with Caleb Williams, Miller Moss, and Malachi Nelson as part of Lincoln Riley’s staff.

However, there’s one interesting tidbit: Riley and Kingsbury played football together at Texas Tech under Mike Leach. Now, Riley and Kingsbury are on the same staff at USC.

When Mike Leach died last year, we wrote that “USC head coach Lincoln Riley was a walk-on quarterback at Texas Tech in 2002, playing one season for Mike Leach. Riley was stuck behind a guy you might remember — Kliff Kingsbury — on the depth chart.”

Kingsbury and Riley played together, and USC hired Kingsbury during Clay Helton’s tenure before Kingsbury — just five weeks into the job — left town and took the head coaching job with the Arizona Cardinals. Now, after being fired by the Cardinals, Kingsbury landed back at USC under Lincoln Riley.

You just can’t make this stuff up, and the decision to bring in Kliff Kingsbury is good for both sides. The Trojans get a veteran coach who can work closely with the quarterbacks, and Kingsbury can have a chance to rebound after a disappointing time as an NFL head coach.

With Caleb Williams, Miller Moss, and Malachi Nelson on the roster, Kingsbury has a ton of talent to work with in Southern California.

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Over the years: Quarterbacks under Kliff Kingsbury

Six quarterbacks who played for Kliff moved on to the NFL in some capacity.

It came as a bit of a surprise when Lincoln Riley and the USC Trojans hired former Texas Tech quarterback and head coach Kliff Kingsbury to the staff. Not only hiring him but as an offensive analyst for his former backup quarterback.

Kingsbury was fired after four seasons as the head coach of the Arizona Cardinals. Prior to being named a head coach in the NFL, Kingsbury was hired to be the offensive coordinator at USC before leaving for Arizona. He never coached a snap with the Trojans.

With Arizona, he groomed Kyler Murray as an NFL quarterback. Murray played for Lincoln Riley at Oklahoma, where he won the Heisman Memorial Trophy the year after Baker Mayfield won it. Mayfield was also coached by Kingsbury at Texas Tech before transferring to Oklahoma, where he was groomed by Riley.

Under Kingsbury, Murray won NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year and was a two-time Pro Bowl selection. With the new USC analyst set to work with last year’s Heisman winner Caleb Williams and five-star signee Malachi Nelson, we take a look at collegiate quarterbacks under Kingsbury.

Twitter reaction to Kliff Kingsbury being hired by Lincoln Riley at USC

Reactions poured in after news of Kliff Kingsbury’s arrival at #USC hit the headlines.

Kliff Kingsbury, a former NFL head coach, was hired by a college head coach as an assistant. This doesn’t happen every day. It is not a normal turn of events within the football coaching industry. Yet, it’s completely understandable when viewed in a larger context.

Kingsbury was ground down by the unforgiving world of the NFL. He had a thoroughly miserable 2022 NFL season with the Arizona Cardinals. It was reasonable to think that Kingsbury would take the year 2023 off and simply rest before looking at a college head coaching job (maybe a coordinator job) in 2024. By working for Lincoln Riley in the capacity of an analyst and not as a coordinator, Kingsbury doesn’t have a massive set of responsibilities. He is focused only on coaching quarterbacks, not designing plays — Lincoln Riley has that job locked down.

This is a chance for Kingsbury to re-enter the coaching industry without having an especially demanding job. He gets to work in Los Angeles with Caleb Williams. Pretty sweet gig. Then he can look for a head coaching job in 2024.

Twitter reacted to the Kingsbury hire, an unexpected big story to hit the college football headlines this week: