Tag: Kliff Kingsbury

Kliff Kingsbury now gets to make a real difference at USC, unlike 2019

Kliff Kingsbury was previously employed by #USC … but only for a few weeks. Now, he really will coach for the Trojans.

The second tenure of Kliff Kingsbury as a USC football assistant coach will be different from the first one in an obvious, central way: This time, Kingsbury will be part of the USC coaching staff during a whole college football season. Kingsbury will actually be on staff when USC plays a game.

Neither detail applied to Kingsbury’s first go-round with the Trojans.

Remember George O’Leary’s run as the head coach at Notre Dame? What about Manny Diaz’s career as the head coach of the Temple Owls? Those are two examples of coaches who did sign a contract as new employees of a school, only to leave days later — O’Leary due to scandal, Diaz due to the surprising opening at Miami after Mark Richt retired.

Kingsbury fits into that same category at USC: a coach who was an employee for a very short time, and never for a single gameday at the school.

Kingsbury was hired by USC as the football program’s new offensive coordinator when Clay Helton was still head coach and Lynn Swann was athletic director in December of 2018. Weeks later, he bolted for the open head coaching job with the Arizona Cardinals. We never got to see what a Kingsbury offense would look like at USC, but he was an employee for a brief while.

Now we get to see Kingsbury as a genuine influence on a USC offense which has loads of talent and potential.

We can safely say this situation is a lot better than the previous one.

We can also say there won’t be an NFL job for Kingsbury to chase this time.

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Trojans Wire reacts to Kliff Kingsbury hire on national YouTube show

When big #USC football news breaks–such as the Kliff Kingsbury hire–we visit our friend @MarkRogersTV at the @VoiceOfCFB

There are so many dimensions to the hire of Kliff Kingsbury by Lincoln Riley as an offensive analyst and quarterback consultant for USC. There’s a lot to unpack here. Trust us when we say that we’re going to dive into the various angles and nuances of this move. It’s a lot more than simply giving Caleb Williams an expert quarterback tutor, though that’s obviously a big part of all this.

Kliff Kingsbury carries a very particular history as a football coach and as a quarterback teacher, but the specific players Kingsbury coached at Texas A&M, Texas Tech, and with the Arizona Cardinals are central to why Lincoln Riley would hire Kliff and bring him into the USC program.

Caleb Williams and Malachi Nelson obviously want to gain knowledge from Kingsbury, but that knowledge is connected to how Kingsbury coached Johnny Manziel and — more centrally — Patrick Mahomes and Kyler Murray.

Again: There’s a lot to process here.

We joined Mark Rogers at The Voice of College Football to talk about all of this.

Subscribe to, like, and share Mark’s USC channel and his other channels at The Voice of College Football:

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Kliff Kingsbury’s work with Kyler Murray is a big reason Lincoln Riley hired him

There are so many angles to the Lincoln Riley-Kliff Kingsbury partnership at #USC. Kyler Murray figures prominently in it.

Former Arizona Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury is expected to join Lincoln Riley at USC and work with the team’s quarterbacks.

Kliff Kingsbury, who was part of the organization that drafted former Heisman winner Kyler Murray at No. 1 overall, now will coach another potential No. 1 pick and Heisman Trophy Winner in Caleb Williams.

Both quarterbacks are Lincoln Riley quarterbacks, but in many ways the presence of Kyler Murray looms large in this story.

Kingsbury’s coaching career began at the University of Houston as an offensive quality control coach in 2008 under Kevin Sumlin. He coached four seasons there, rising to the level of offensive coordinator/quarterback coach in his final two seasons (2010-2011). He built a reputation as a quarterback guru during his time there.

He coached NFL quarterback Case Keenum at Houston, where he set what still stands as the NCAA’s all-time records for career passing yards (19,217) and passing touchdowns (155). Kingsbury then spent one season (2012) at Texas A&M in 2012 as the Aggies’ offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. His quarterback that season, Johnny Manziel, won the Heisman Trophy.

Kliff coached another first-round NFL draft pick (2018), Baker Mayfield, in his first season as Texas Tech’s head coach in 2013. He then coached two-time NFL MVP and Super Bowl champion Patrick Mahomes from 2014-2016 with the Red Raiders.

Kingsbury obviously knows how to coach quarterbacks, and that’s certainly a central reason why Lincoln Riley hired him. Among the quarterbacks Kingsbury has coached, however, Kyler Murray might stand out the most.

Let’s remember that new USC commit Duce Robinson — like Murray — is a football and baseball prospect. One can be sure that Robinson and Kingsbury are going to have some conversations about how to handle that tension point and its complications.

How Kingsbury coached Murray with the Cardinals will be a natural reference point for both Caleb Williams and Malachi Nelson as they try to soak up knowledge and develop as quarterbacks. How Kliff succeeded — and how he failed — will give Caleb and Malachi more information on how to progress as quarterbacks with designs on NFL success.

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Kliff Kingsbury reunites with Lincoln Riley at USC

Kingsbury and Riley will be on the same sideline for the first time since 2002.

In 2002, while at Texas Tech, Kliff Kingsbury was the starting quarterback for the Red Raiders. One of the backup quarterbacks was a walk-on from Muleshoe, Texas. His name was Lincoln Riley.

After one season as a player, Riley became a student assistant and eventually worked his way up the ladder under head coach Mike Leach. In 2009, Riley would be the play caller for Tech in the Alamo Bowl against the Michigan State Spartans following the firing of Leach. He would leave for East Carolina following then-interim head coach Ruffin McNeill.

Kingsbury would go on to the NFL before finding his way back to the collegiate game as a quality control coach with the Houston Cougars. He, much like Riley, worked his way to offensive coordinator. Kingsbury would make a name for himself at Houston with quarterback Case Keenum and at Texas A&M with Johnny Manziel.

In 2016 Kingsbury and Riley would be on opposite sidelines and were responsible for the offensive onslaught that would ensue between Baker Mayfield and Patrick Mahomes. Now, for the first time since the 2002 season the two will be working together once again. This time with Kliff helping out the quarterbacks for Riley.

This is the second time that Kingsbury has agreed to join the staff at USC. Originally, he was supposed to be the offensive coordinator under Clay Helton but ultimately chose to take the head coaching job with the Arizona Cardinals. Maybe the second time is the charm?

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Kliff Kingsbury expected to join USC offensive staff

Kingsbury will be a coach in 2023 and work with potential 2024 No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams at USC.

Former Arizona Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury will not apparently take a year off of football in 2023. After getting fired by Arizona following the 4-13 2022 season, Kingsbury now reportedly will rejoin the college ranks.

According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, Kingsbury is expected to join USC head coach Lincoln Riley’s staff and work with quarterbacks.

It is a return to USC for Kingsbury.

After he was fired as head coach of Texas Tech after the 2018 season, he was hired as USC’s offensive coordinator, but then he was hired by the Cardinals a couple of weeks after that to be their head coach.

Kingsbury will get to work with Caleb Williams, who is a Heisman hopeful in 2023 and projected to be as high as the No. 1 pick in the 2024 draft.

Kingsbury is technically under contract still for five more years with the Cardinals. This job likely means the Cardinals will have to pay him only the difference between his original salary and what he will make at USC.

Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.

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REPORT: Kliff Kingsbury to join Lincoln Riley’s coaching staff at USC

NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reports that Riley wants Kyler Murray’s former NFL coach to provide added guidance to #USC’s QBs

Kliff Kingsbury is coming back to USC. Wait a minute — he never was at USC, right? Technically, Kingsbury never did coach a game for the Trojans, but he was hired as the school’s offensive coordinator by former coach Clay Helton under athletic director Lynn Swann in December of 2018. However, just weeks later, he bolted for the NFL and the head coaching job with the Arizona Cardinals, where he coached Kyler Murray, the same quarterback Lincoln Riley guided to the 2018 Heisman Trophy at the University of Oklahoma.

Kingsbury is now reportedly on his way back to USC — this time, he really will be part of the USC coaching staff for a college football season. Tom Pelissero of NFL Network broke the story Monday evening.

Kingsbury will reportedly help Riley coach the USC quarterbacks, giving Caleb Williams the high-end quarterback teaching and development he will need heading into the 2024 NFL draft and the beginning of his pro career. Obviously, Riley wants to make sure that Caleb Williams’ family gets maximum return on its commitment to Riley and the USC program.

Yet, that’s not the only reason for this move. Riley wants Miller Moss and Malachi Nelson to also benefit from Kingsbury’s expertise as USC heads into the Big Ten.

Quarterback University is located at Heritage Hall. It’s quite a plot twist at the longtime home of Student Body Right in decades past.

Much more on this story in the coming days at Trojans Wire.

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NFC West Watch: Cardinals to hire Jonathan Gannon as new head coach

Philadelphia’s former defensive coordinator is now the top man in the Valley of the Sun

Jonathan Gannon was in Glendale for Super Bowl LVII as the defensive coordinator for the Philadelphia Eagles, and it appears he will be staying in the Valley of the Sun. The Seattle Seahawks’ division rival, the Arizona Cardinals, have finally found their next leader. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Cardinals are expected to finalize a deal with Gannon to be their new head coach.

After their disastrous 2022 season, Arizona moved on from head coach Kliff Kingsbury and his 28-37-1 record. Now the Cardinals will be led by the man who helmed one of the best defenses in football last season.

Philadelphia’s defense terrorized NFC quarterbacks en route to the Super Bowl, as the Eagles recorded the third most sacks in NFL history in a single regular season with 70. Unfortunately, their pass rushing prowess was nowhere to be seen in the Super Bowl, as Philadelphia was unable to record even one against an injured Patrick Mahomes.

Gannon’s defense was stellar all year, but he certainly picked the wrong time to have a bad day at the office. Despite holding the Chiefs to seven first half points, the Eagles allowed Kansas City to score on all four second half possessions. On two of the Chiefs’ goal line touchdowns, their receivers were so open it hardly felt like any Philadelphia defender was even in the same zip code.

The Seahawks will surely be hoping Arizona’s defense has similar performances at State Farm Stadium when they come to town.

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Ravens reportedly had conversations with former Cardinals HC Kliff Kingsbury about joining staff

The Ravens reportedly had conversations with former Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury about joining their staff

The end of the Super Bowl means that in just a few short weeks, the 2023 NFL Calendar year will start.  In the meantime, the Baltimore Ravens are still looking for their offensive coordinator after parting ways with Greg Roman following a four-year partnership, with all eyes on who the next person will be to take over the team’s offense.

Josina Anderson, a senior reporter at CBS Sports is reporting that former Arizona Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury spoke to the Ravens on Sunday about potentially joining their staff.  Nothing seems close however, as Anderson said that the talks didn’t produce an imminent fit on timing and other factors.

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Kliff Kingsbury does not get Texans OC job

The Texans are hiring 49ers passing game coordinator Bobby Slowik instead.

The Houston Texans, with new head coach DeMeco Ryans, potentially could have had a duo of coordinators from the Arizona Cardinals. Former defensive line coach Matt Burke is the Texan’s new defensive coordinator and Kliff Kingsbury, hired after four seasons as the Cardinals’ head coach, was interviewed to be their new offensive coordinator.

However, Kingsbury will not get the job.

According to NFL Media’s Tom Pelissero, the Texans are hiring Bobby Slowik to be their offensive coordinator.

Kingsbury was added late to the process.

Kingsbury, after getting fired by the Cardinals, initially turned down interviews for OC positions.

The Cardinals are on the hook for his salary for the next five seasons. He doesn’t need to find a job right now.

Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.

 

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Kliff Kingsbury could provide excellent takeoff point for DeMeco Ryans, Texans’ rookie QB

Kliff Kingsbury could prove himself to be an excellent takeoff point for the Houston Texans’ rookie QB and also new coach DeMeco Ryans.

he Houston Texans front office interviewed former Arizona Cardinals coach Kliff Kingsbury for their offensive coordinator position. The announcement came as a bit of a surprise after Kingsbury had previously announced he would be leaving the country and taking some time away from football during the 2023 season.

The offensive guru has been coach for each of the last 10 years. He was the coach from 2013-2018 at his alma mater, Texas Tech, where he’d broken records as a quarterback, before taking over the Cardinals from 2019-2022. Prior to that he was an offensive coordinator for Texas A&M, helping to lead the offense that saw freshman Johnny Manziel capture the Heisman Trophy.

The hire is an intriguing one at face value and one that has caused a split in the Houston fanbase over whether or not it would be a wise hire for DeMeco Ryans’ first offensive coordinator. The country just witnessed the collapse of the Cardinals just one season after making the playoffs and handing quarterback Kyler Murray a massive extension.

Is that what Houston should lean into?

Some further reading into Kingsbury’s resume and exactly what his presence would mean for the Texans reveals a coordinator who may be the perfect fit for Houston’s newest head coach.

To begin, Ryans has never had the responsibility of serving as a football team’s head coach. That is a title Kingsbury has held for a decade now and a role in which he is intimately familiar. He would serve as a presence that Ryans could lean on for experience and, alongside his former staff member Matt Burke, would provide important experience for Ryans coaching staff.

There’s also reason to believe that the Texans would see an entirely different version of Kingsbury. The coach would no longer be responsible for recruiting to the whims of high schoolers as he was at Texas Tech, nor would he be responsible for the front office responsibilities that have come in the NFL. He would solely be tasked with working with a young quarterback and crafting an offense that can score points and compliment the defensive prowess Ryans is hoping to install.

Kingsbury, with the recent bad taste of that Arizona venture, might also be slow to find another NFL head coaching opportunity. It’s a coordinator hire who could very reasonably see three seasons and be alongside the early development of whoever Houston chooses to select with the second overall pick.

Speaking of young quarterbacks, Kingsbury brings quite the resume. Alongside Manziel’s Heisman Trophy, he played a key role as Patrick Mahomes coach before he was drafted in the first round in 2017 and also helped Murray capture NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2019. He would be an excellent asset alongside Bryce Young or C.J. Stroud as Houston hopes to accelerate the learning curve of their future young franchise quarterback.

Kingsbury was coincidentally the first coach to ever extend a scholarship offer to Young, but that’s another story.

His win loss record at both Texas Tech and in Arizona was an underwhelming one but, alongside fewer responsibilities, there’s reason to believe things could be different in Houston. Former Arizona general manager Steve Keim struggled in the draft the last five seasons and also wasted a multitude of assets on wide receivers.

The presence of Nick Caserio and his stout New England background would almost ensure roster construction would go in a different direction.

Meanwhile, for all of the young quarterback’s talent, Kingsbury was tied to a Murray who seemed disinterested in growing as an NFL passer over the last few seasons. Infamously, the Cardinals worked to include a forced study clause in his contract last offseason. The work ethic of top quarterbacks in this draft could make for an offense that could evolve as those passers grew in the league.

All of this to say, removing the win-loss goggles from the Kingsbury perspective presents an appealing option for the Houston Texans. Ryans would gain a coordinator who he can trust fully to compose an offense and call plays in addition to a veteran coach that he could lean on. A rookie quarterback would have an offensive guru with a proven track record of success.

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