Tag: Nick Rolovich

Matt’s Mailbag: The Brent Brennan Edition

SJSU reporter Matt Weiner weighs in on questions from fans related to former SJSU head coach Brent Brennan leaving SJSU for Arizona

Matt’s Mailbag: The Brent Brennan Edition

SJSU reporter Matt Weiner weighs in on questions from fans related to former SJSU head coach Brent Brennan leaving SJSU for Arizona

Follow @Mattweiner20 & @MWCwire

Who’s coming in?

Hello and welcome to Matt’s Mailbag™ your go-to destination for all pressing SJSU football matters.

Enough chit-chat. Let’s get into it.

DooDooMac: @TheDooDooMac “Who would you hire?”

Here’s a name: Montana State head coach Brent Vigen. 

Though MSU is an FCS school, he interviewed for the Oregon State head coaching vacancy last December and brings with him an impressive resume. He’s compiled a 21-3 record since taking over MSU. Prior to that, he was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Wyoming when Josh Allen was shredding defenses. 

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HollywoodinSJ @HollywoodinSJ “Will the Administration increase the pay for the assistants? Will they be willing to increase the head coach’s pay a bit as well? What is the health of the athletic department in general? Do we have the cash to do what needs to be done?”

When I asked a source familiar who is familiar with SJSU’s financial predicament about NIL yesterday, I received an interesting answer:

“The whole campus has had cuts to their budgets –  including athletics– and we need to generate donations just for scholarships.”

The source then identified “student enrollment being down” as the reason behind the budget cuts. 

All to say, this doesn’t reflect well on the “health of the athletic department” or bode well for incoming coaches’ contracts. 

And lest we forget, the cost of living in San Jose is 49% higher than the national average and housing is a staggering 142% higher. Plus, SJSU’s donor base is still far from robust. 

Sep 1, 2022; San Jose, California, USA; San Jose State Spartans head coach Brent Brennan reacts during the second quarter against the Portland State Vikings at CEFCU Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports

Ryan B:  @rbizzle16 “We need a short list, rumors, anything… Nick Rolovich’s phone on? Sounds like they don’t want to promote from within.”

My short list is current Montana State head coach Brent Vigen, former UNLV head coach Marcus Arroyo, former Hawaii and Washington State head coach Nick Rolovich and Georgia defensive backs coach Donte Williams, who was an interim head coach at USC in 2021.

Not promoting from within could be a byproduct of SJSU wanting someone with head coaching experience. Which no SJSU coach has.

Coach Darrow Verdad @mule6019 “Is Gary Patterson in the running to become SJSU HC? “

Gary Patterson, the former TCU head coach, should be looked at, but the chances are slim. SJSU doesn’t align with his ambitions to rebuild his image as a premier college football head coach. There’s operating budget concerns, NIL concerns and SJSU doesn’t return four of its five starting offensive lineman, quarterback, running back and safeties from last year. 

Ricky Delgado @RickyDe70535587 “How many players do you think jump ship after hearing the news. Along these lines, do you think our next coach is in house or are we looking outside for the guy.”

I think it’s more likely SJSU goes with an outside hire because of its ambitions to hire someone with head coaching experience. 

If that happens, I think players bolt because that coach may want to bring his own staff and that staff could bring players from their former school. 

Then again, I’m not sure if that’s wise long term. For most of these players, SJSU was their best option. Either they received offers from schools at a lower caliber which decrease their chances of getting exposure needed to reach the next level. Or they received offers from better schools that they’d ultimately ride the bench at. 

Dec 23, 2023; Honolulu, HI, USA; San Jose State Spartans quarterback Chevan Cordeiro (2) scrambles away from Coastal Carolina Chanticleers defensive lineman Will Whitson (44) during the third quarter of the Easypost Hawaii Bowl at Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex. Mandatory Credit: Steven Erler-USA TODAY Sports

Connor Letourneau @Con_Chron “Does [Alonzo “Zo”] Carter have a real shot? he’s been putting on a PR blitz, but would they really hire a position coach?

I think Carter who is the SJSU running backs and associate head coach, will at least get an interview. But he’ll likely serve as a safety net hire if SJSU can’t come to terms with its favorite candidates. This isn’t a discredit to Carter, but it doesn’t fall in line with a tweet from ESPN’s Pete Thamel that said, “head coaching experience will be a preferred trait that they [SJSU] are looking for.”

Though he was successful, Carter’s head coaching experience at the high school and junior college level in the Bay Area doesn’t translate to a place like SJSU. 

Brennan taking over SJSU as a former position coach is a rare occurrence. And that was a result of candidates not wanting to become head coach because the result could be so disastrous it hinders their chances of ever getting another head coaching opportunity.

“PR Blitz” front wise, the scores of endorsements from media members helps, but I’m sure those rank at the bottom of Konya, SJSU president Cynthia Teniente-Matson and donors’ deciding factors list.

Fake Matt Mumme @FakeCoachMumme “Who makes a bowl game first Coach Brennan at Arizona or the new SJSU coach?

Let’s circle back to this. I need to see who goes where and who replaces who first.

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Al_Bondigas @tichie “Which assistants are staying and which are going?”

It’s difficult to get a read on this. But it’s important to know that Fisch brought his entire offensive staff with him to Washington and current U of A defensive coordinator Johnny Nansen interviewed to replace Fisch. It’s common for someone in Nansen’s position to look elsewhere. 

I wouldn’t be surprised if Brennan takes several members of his staff. He’s placed a premium on keeping a continuous unit at SJSU and has praised the school for finding the funds to make his ambitions possible. Furthermore, his current staff is filled with guys he brought with him from Corvallis: SJSU defensive coordinator Derrick Odum, offensive coordinator Kevin McGiven and defensive line coach Joe Seumalo. 

Mountain West Wire @MWCwire “How much blame is there for Nick Saban causing this?”

If I’m an SJSU fan, Nick Saban is public enemy No. 1. 

Let’s trace this:

On Jan. 10 Saban retired from Alabama. Then on Jan. 12 Kalen DeBoer left Washington to fill in for Saban. Which results in Jedd Fisch leaving Arizona to head to Washington on Jan. 14. Then, on the lord’s day of Jan. 16, 2024, Brennan left SJSU for Arizona.

Nov 25, 2023; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Arizona head coach Jedd Fisch shakes hands with Arizona State head coach Kenny Dillingham after winning the Territorial Cup 59-23 at Mountain America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Michael Chow-Arizona Republic

Matt Hamilton @MattHamilton19 SJSU “AD [Jeff] Konya said there would be a national search. Alabama, Washington and Arizona didn’t need a national search. Isn’t that his job? Shouldn’t he have been thinking about this possibility months ago?”

According to one source,  SJSU AD Jeff Konya has likely been preparing for this moment. He’s smart enough to know any success this season could result in Brennan leaping to a Power Five. 

Now, this doesn’t mean Konya was actively interviewing candidates. Rather, just keeping a list of names he felt could step in for Brennan. 

Bru @TXBruce2727 “For the SJSU folks, do we know what BB was making as HC? What FB budget is?”

Brennan received $2.3 million at SJSU in 2023, $1.93 million in 2022 and $1.5 million in 2021. 

I can’t provide an accurate number for the budget – just know it isn’t great. Its practice field’s grass was browning a couple weeks into last year’s fall training camp, a field goal post on that same field is broken and up until last year, its facilities were laughably outdated. 

Laurie Cottrell @LaurieCottrell “As an Arizona fan, I am happy for us-but so sorry for you. Believe me we know how it feels. Hope you find a solid replacement and that this new era of College Football doesn’t decimate the solid smaller programs!”

Pablo Luis @PabloG90 “Sorry SJSU this is a cruel business and we know how you feel.”

Blueleaf @leafblue16 “Arizona fan here, just wanted to say that we sympathize big time and fully understand any frustration. We were and are still there too.”

Ricky Delgado @RickyDe70535587

“With Brennan’s storied history at SJSU (parents went here and was an assistant under Tomey here), I find it impossible for any coach that has as much success here (definitely not more) to leap at the first chance they get. I don’t blame Brennan, but man it hurts.”

In Judaism, when someone passes there’s a week-long mourning session that follows called “Sitting Shiva.” Essentially, you do nothing but grieve, eat, and reminisce on the person who passed. Then you move on with your life. 

We need something like this for college football fans who are forced to watch their coach get poached by a bigger school. 

San Jose State Coaching Search: Who Will Take Over For Brent Brennan

Who could take over Brent Brennan at SJSU?

Brent Brennan is leaving SJSU for Arizona. Who will take over?

SJSU reporter Matt Weiner weighs in on potential candidates to take over SJSU.

Follow @Mattweiner20 & @MWCwire

Who could replace Brennan?

It’s official: San Jose State seventh-year head coach Brent Brennan is heading to Arizona.

Which begs the question: Who will take over?

According to ESPN’s Pete Thamel, “SJSU is ready to execute a swift and targeted search where head coaching experience will be a preferred trait that they are looking for.”

If “preferred” really means ‘non-negotiable’ that may eliminate everyone on Brennan’s staff and even UNLV offensive coordinator Brendan Marion. This past season in the Sin City, Marion’s Go-Go offensive produced one of the Mountain West’s best passing attacks and college football’s best turnarounds.

Oct 1, 2022; Laramie, Wyoming, USA; San Jose State Spartans head coach Brent Brennan before the game against the Wyoming Cowboys at Jonah Field at War Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Babbitt-USA TODAY Sports

So who does that leave?

The top of that list may include former UNLV head coach and current Arizona State offensive coordinator Marcus Arroyo.

Arroyo’s stint lasted just three seasons after he was let go following the 2022 season.

Although, it did seem premature.

The Rebels’ five wins were its most since 2017 and came after Arroyo compiled an 0-6 record in 2020 and 2-10 in 2021. Furthermore, it was a year before the world saw the talent of quarterback Jayden Maiava and wide receiver Ricky White III,  a 2023 All-Mountain West First Team selection.

An added plus is Arroyo’s SJSU connections. He was the quarterback at SJSU from 1998-200 and assistant coach from 2005-08. During that stint, he established a strong bond with Brennan, who was also apart of Dick Tomey’s staff. If Brennan gives SJSU AD Jeff Konya his blessing, that could put Arroyo above any other candidate.

Oct 16, 2021; Paradise, Nevada, USA; UNLV Rebels head coach Marcus Arroyo is pictured during a game against the Utah State Aggies at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

The next potential candidate is former Washington State and Hawaii head coach Nick Rolovich, who has an all time record of 33-33.

A former standout quarterback at UH, Rolovich went 28-27 in four seasons, 2-1 in bowl games at his alma mater and used a 10-5 record and Hawaii bowl win in 2019 to spring board his way to WSU.

His two-year stint in Pullman saw him go 5-6 and ultimately cut short after he and four members of his staff were fired for not getting the COVID-19 vaccine. With COVID-19 no longer a major factor, could he make his way to CEFCU Stadium?

Oct 16, 2021; Pullman, Washington, USA; Washington State Cougars head coach Nick Rolovich looks on during warm up ups before a game against the Stanford Cardinal at Gesa Field at Martin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: James Snook-USA TODAY Sports

For now, those are two names Spartan Nation should keep an eye on. That list can certainly expand if SJSU poaches another head coach or considers hiring an assistant coach.

In that case, the list will include SJSU defensive coordinator Derrick Odum, offensive coordinator Kevin McGiven and running backs/assistant coach Alonzo “Zo” Carter. But with former Wildcats’ head coach Jedd Fisch taking his entire staff to Washington and current U of A defensive coordinator Johnny Nansen missing out on the head coaching job, anyone on Brennan’s staff could head to Tuscon.

The final name Spartan Nation should be aware of is Georgia defensive backs coach Donte Williams.

Williams was an assistant coach at SJSU from 2013-15 and finished 3-7 as USC’s interim head coach in 2021.

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College football head coaching tracker

Rank these jobs from best to worst and give us a reason why…

It’s already been a busy off-season of coaching changes in college football and we’re still two weeks from the regular season actually drawing to a close.  With Justin Fuente’s announced firing from Virginia Tech there have now already been 12 head college football coaches fired since the season began.

Some are staying on to finish the year while others technically resigned, but the the fact remains there will be at least 12 different head coaches in college football’s FBS when the 2022 season begins late next summer.

Here at Fighting Irish Wire we’re certainly not expecting Brian Kelly to be exiting anytime soon, even if Kirk Herbstreit has him on a plane to Southern California, but we certainly would be curious about a Kelly assistant getting a chance at a head coaching job.

Below is our tracker of all FBS coaching changes that will be updated through the fall and into the early parts of 2022.

Two Texas assistant coaches linked with Washington State head coach job

Even with Washington State being one of the more unattractive jobs in the Power Five, Steve Sarkisian’s staff has two names linked.

Midway through the season, Power Five head coaching jobs are beginning to open up. LSU and USC are the two biggest names, firing Ed Orgeron and Clay Helton, respectively, for poor performances on the field.

The latest is Washington State’s Nick Rolovich. After deciding to not get the COVID-19 vaccine, which was required by the state of Washington for their employees, Rolovich was let go by athletic director Pat Chun.

Even with Washington State being one of the more unattractive jobs in the Power Five, Steve Sarkisian’s staff has two names linked.

Texas assistant head coach/special teams coach Jeff Banks is “one name to watch” to fill the head coach role according to Dennis Dobbs of CBS Sports. He was the Cougars’ punter in the 1996 and 1997 seasons, going to the Rose Bowl in his final season.

Banks’ head coaching experience is limited to one game back in 2017 when Texas A&M fired Kevin Sumlin. The Aggies lost to Wake Forest in the Belk Bowl, 55-52. Texas is the first place he has been an assistant head coach as well.

Losing out on Banks would be a massive blow to recruiting. He is seen as one of the best on the staff, mainly based on his time in Tuscaloosa. You can tell how important of a prospect somebody is if Banks is one of the main recruiters.

Another coaches’ name has been thrown out there as well. According to Chris Vannini of The Athletic, linebackers coach Jeff Choate should be under consideration. He has tons of experience in the Pacific Northwest and even was once a coach at Washington State.

Texas co-defensive coordinator Jeff Choate was Montana State’s head coach from 2016 to 2020, and the Bobcats improved each year, capped by an 11-4 record and FCS semifinal appearance in 2019. He coached Washington State’s linebackers in 2012 after six years at Boise State and later coached at Washington.

Choate himself has never been a head coach of a Power Five program either. He’s a near west coast lifer, only spending one season outside of the region at Florida in 2013 before joining Sarkisian’s staff.

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Washington State terminates Head Coach Nick Rolovich, unvaccinated assistants

Washington State has terminated Head Coach Nick Rolovich and other unvaccinated assistants on his staff

The COVID-19 situation that has surrounded Washington State football’s coaching staff took a dramatic turn Monday.

Head coach Nick Rolovich and other unvaccinated assistants were terminated by the school.

The Washington State deadline for employees to be vaccinated was today. State deadline for employees to be vaccinated was today.

The 2020 season for Pac-12 schools was shortened due to COVID-19. So, in what was about a year plus as coach of the Cougars, Rolovich wound up 5-6.

He exits with a 4-3 record in 2021.

Rolovich — a state employee who made $3 million per year — had been seeking a religious exemption with accommodations

Nick Rolovich discusses Jarrett Guarantano playing in Washington State’s run and shoot offense

Nick Rolovich discusses Jarrett Guarantano playing in Washington State’s run and shoot offense.

Redshirt senior quarterback Jarrett Guarantano transferred to Washington State on Jan. 8.

Guarantano has one year of eligibility remaining due to the coronavirus pandemic.

He appeared in 41 games for Tennessee since 2017, totaling 6,174 passing yards, 38 touchdowns and 17 interceptions.

Jarrett Guarantano, Photo by Dan Harralson, Vols Wire

Washington State is coached by Nick Rolovich.

Rolovich went 1-3 during his first season as the Cougars’ head coach in 2020. He played quarterback at Hawaii and served as the Rainbow Warriors’ head coach from 2016-19.

At Hawaii, Rolovich compiled a 28-27 record with two bowl victories.

Washington State head coach Nick Rolovich looks on from the sidelines during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Southern California in Los Angeles, Sunday, Dec. 6, 2020. (AP Photo/Alex Gallardo)

Rolovich fields a run and shoot offense that Guarantano will play in.

The offense centers around two formations, typically with four wide receivers and trips to the left or right. A run and shoot offense is designed to read defensive coverages on the snap of the ball, while showcasing wide receivers in motion.

Rolovich joined the show “Tennessee Two-A-Days” and discussed Guarantano transferring to Washington State and playing in his run and shoot offense.

“We were looking at the portal and who fits what we were looking for, and we knew what we needed, and we felt, as far as for us to elevate the room, competition and all that,” Rolovich said of Guarantano. “Jarrett checked a lot of the boxes. I really like his toughness. I like the class and respect, and how he handled himself off the field. I think he is a real man of character.”

The entire show with Rolovich can be listened to here or below. Rolovich discussed the run and shoot offense and Guarantano going through spring practices competing for the Cougars’ starting job.

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The Nick Rolovich story begins with coaches being unprepared

A starting point for a layered discussion

Massive roster cuts were not made by head coach Nick Rolovich at Washington State University on Sunday. There was no purge of athletes for participating in the #WeAreUnited campaign initiated by Pac-12 athletes, including but not limited to football players in the conference. There was a brief period of time on Sunday when that might have seemed to be the case, but that part of the story didn’t stick:

THIS, however, did stick… and we will see how deeply it sticks to Nick Rolovich in Pullman, before he has even coached a game with the Cougars:

The first thing which needs to be said about Nick Rolovich blundering his way into an embarrassing situation so early in his Wazzu tenure is that we shouldn’t try to fire coaches or hang them in the court of public opinion — at least not at first.

If a coach makes a mistake but then rectifies it — as Mike Norvell seems to have done at Florida State after a rocky start — that’s a good outcome.

People are going to make mistakes. In this age of Black Lives Matter, we should be less focused on “cancel culture” and a lot more focused on learning from our mistakes so that people are newly educated. If this educational process is real and substantive — if it contains depth and isn’t a hollow, performative, superficial gesture which lacks meaning and transformative power — that is a positive step forward. We are hopefully all learning how to deal better with problems, and with the people who are part of these challenging situations which now contain more social weight and cultural resonance than they used to.

College football head coaches are being confronted by the need to truly — genuinely — connect with Black athletes. It can’t be performative bullsh**. It has to be an authentic connection which doesn’t just stay on the practice field or in the locker room, but flows into the larger society and creates positive transformation. This is what Mike Norvell probably realized at Florida State.

Meanwhile, longtime coaches Mike Gundy and Kirk Ferentz have struggled to meet the moment at Oklahoma State and Iowa. Now we have Rolovich at Washington State.

We can jump on these coaches for their failures — and to be sure, they do deserve criticism, especially in the cases of Ferentz and Gundy, who have been around the block many times. Yet, what’s better than jumping on these coaches — “RACIST! GET THEM OUT OF HERE! CANCEL THEM!” — is to try to explain the larger dynamic engulfing them.

We need to find a way to expose and amplify a problem without holding it so personally against specific coaches. This is less a problem about specific men and more about a culture which urgently needs to be changed. If we make the problem about a “few bad apples,” that takes the system — the structure, the larger culture — off the hook.

No. We can’t let the system off the hook. The system is part of the problem.

The Nick Rolovich story and other related stories of insensitivity among college football head coaches is NOT a story about college coaches being bad people. That should not be our focus or our intent, to say that college football coaches are rotten souls with no humanity. That isn’t an accurate reality, and it won’t ever pave the way toward progress. Demonizing anyone isn’t the answer to a question of racial injustice or social ignorance.

What is worth saying — and explaining — is that Rolovich, who might be a perfectly decent person (this in no way excuses his comments captured in the Reddit CFB tweet above), was clearly not prepared for this double-situation in which the pandemic and the Black Lives Matter movement have both opened athletes’ eyes to the reality that college football wants players’ work and effort without giving them hazard pay or guaranteed health care in a pandemic. That most of these players are Black is an inescapable fact which the #WeAreUnited Pac-12 athletes are generally (if not universally) aware of.

This is a moment of increased activism.

Rolovich may or may not be a bad person for saying what he said, but I urge you to de-emphasize that point and that specific conversation. Emphasize this point instead: Rolovich might simply be very confused and anxious by what he is seeing.

On that point, everyone can agree.

This points to the deeper reality we ought to address as a college football community: Why are a number of coaches so unprepared for this moment? It is as though college football coaches are so accustomed to a certain rhythm or structure — with everything proceeding in a normal way — that as soon as the climate of normalcy is blown to smithereens (as it has been by the pandemic and the George Floyd protests, plus the reality of economic precarity for a lot of families in the United States), the coaches don’t know how to react.

I don’t feel comfortable assigning a level of goodness or malice to Nick Rolovich, and you shouldn’t, either.

I do feel comfortable in saying that Rolovich and some of his peers are behaving like people who are seeing their normal world — their bubble — collapse.

We ought to educate young people in such a way that they can adjust to changing cultural situations and apply sound critical thinking which values human beings first and places less of an emphasis on ideological or political tribalism.

We can do the same for college football coaches. Education, not cancel culture, is the best and first response to this larger theater of complexity and emotional turmoil.

USC has a chance to support activist athletes

Something to consider

Prior to his arrival in Pullman as the new head coach for Washington State, Nick Rolovich was thought of as a relatively “woke” coach with a deep understanding of how to connect with players. In less than seven months and without even coaching a season, Rolovich has — at first glance — shown just how fake that persona was.

There could be more to this story we don’t yet know about, but we can still say that Rolovich looked really bad this past weekend. How did Rolovich accomplish this without ever coaching a down in Pullman? He opened his mouth when he shouldn’t have:

While Washington State tries to wrestle with this situation, it can’t ignore that its new coach took a stand… and it wasn’t on the side of his new players in a pandemic, set against the backdrop of racial turmoil in this country.

Adding to the complexity of the situation is a list of demands sent from various Pac-12 players posted on the Players Tribune this past Sunday morning. These demands range from a cut of the profits generated by collegiate athletics to guaranteed six-year scholarships and beyond. The demands aren’t too far removed from what professional players receive, especially the revenue share of games. The article didn’t include specific names, but as Sunday continued, players were identified as being associated with the #WeAreUnited movement:

There wasn’t a player on the USC Trojans’ roster, but as more Pac-12 athletes step forward, USC will be in the position to do exactly what Nick Rolovich did not do: Publicly support its athletes. While it seems unlikely that USC would do this, stranger things have and happened. Also, if we’re being honest, this is the year 2020; “strange” is absolutely on the table for anything and everything. Also, what would it really cost USC to support a player doing this?

The player is going to lose eligibility if he has already burned a redshirt. (In other words, if the season is played and that player participates in at least four games.) The players who know this are willing to sacrifice that eligibility for the chance to improve other players’ lives long after they’re done playing. It’s a calculated risk and one that, if we’re being honest, hurts the player more than it hurts the team. It does hurt the team to a degree, but it also has to hurt the player or the protest wouldn’t have any impact. The team can replace that player with another four or five-star athlete. The athlete can’t move to a different school and get those years back. They’re gone.

So, knowing that it hurts the player more than the team, the Trojans have the chance to stand behind a player and support his activism in trying to make the Pac-12 a better league for everyone. What folks don’t seem to understand with these demands is that a rising tide lifts all boats. What does that mean in relation to these demands? Let’s take a brief look.

Let’s say these demands are met to some degree in an effort to solve the problem. The Pac-12 might look different to some recruits outside the league’s footprint. It wouldn’t be a magic bullet, but it could change some decisions for some players. Why would a football player want to go to Alabama and win a national title when he could go to the Pac-12 and make a decent chunk of change while also competing for a national title?

That might be an exaggerated view of the situation, but the main emphasis is that the Pac-12 might get a fresh look from some athletes who currently go to other Power Five conferences. As such, even minor schools in the Pac-12 would see an improvement in recruiting and their on-field play as a result of this. The overflow of players would have to go somewhere and the smaller schools would still be paying their athletes.

The better the players, the better the product. The games might be in greater demand. Pac-12 coaches could have more success to bring to their athletic directors when they talk about performance reviews. They could get tidy raises.

This isn’t going to happen quickly. It certainly won’t happen all at once. Such a rosy scenario shouldn’t be expected… but the larger point of emphasis is that if the Pac-12 athletes leverage their situation at a time when college football is clearly acting as though football players are very important to the economic well-being of schools, the results could be surprisingly good, better than one might currently realize.

USC showing some support to athletes who are part of the We Are United movement could send a significant message at little to no cost to the school. What’s the old expression? “It doesn’t cost much to be kind.”

Even the smallest gesture of goodwill could show high-school athletes that the USC leadership and administrative ranks are cognizant of the needs of modern-day athletes. It’s a low-risk scenario. They show support to the players without taking a shot at the Pac-12 or the NCAA.

It would also show those who have supported USC over the years that USC supports them, too. That has to count for something. In fact, it should count for a lot.

We will soon see how USC’s place in the evolving world of the Pac-12 will change.

Pete Carroll’s son is a candidate for Hawaii head coaching job

Brennan Carroll, a longtime Seattle Seahawks assistant and son of head coach Pete Carroll, is a candidate to be Hawaii’s next head coach.

Seattle Seahawks assistant offensive line coach Brennan Carroll, son of head coach Pete Carroll, has emerged as a candidate for Hawaii’s head coaching vacancy, according to Fox Sports reporter Bruce Feldman.

Hawaii is in need of a new head coach after Nick Rolovich replaced Mike Leach at Washington State University, after Leach left for Mississippi State.

Carroll played tight end at the University of Pittsburgh from 1999-2001 before joining USC as a Graduate Assistant in 2002, under his dad.

Carroll ended up serving a variety of different roles while at USC, including tight end coach and eventually recruiting coordinator, before he was let go by new coach Lane Kiffin, who came in to replace Pete Carroll after he went to Seattle.

Carroll then spent four seasons as an assistant coach at the University of Miami, coaching tight ends and wide receivers while also leading the recruiting charge, before he joined the Seahawks in 2015 as an assistant offensive line coach, a role he still holds today – for now.

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