Lots of hype and excitement with the hire. He's got a couple seasons and a few recruiting classes under his belt.
Pete Carroll was a similar point in his coaching travels at USC . He started his third season beating Auburn in Auburn and winning the national championship. Now that was a home run hire by anyone's definition.
CLR enters his third season unranked, and guarded enthusiasm that the defense won't continue to be a national laughingstock, maybe just a little embarrassing. But there is hope that with some improvement, in the next year or two CLR will get around to special teams.
Can't blame NIL. Without it no USC Heisman for it's elusive and temperamental quarterback.
So anyone still think it was a home run hire? Just wondering.
I was very much alone predicting that SC would be where it is right now with the hire. Score a bunch of points, give up a ton of points, be fun to watch, and not win anything.
I am hoping for 8 and 4. But I'm an optimist. Tough new schedule. lack of depth and size persists. But Grinch, who I warned you about, and his ridiculous defense are finally gone. Should be interesting , if you can find the broadcast where you live. sc
Yes it was.
What people fail to realize is, LFR was in his 30s when he took over, a kid that only knew one way of doing things when he was given the keys to the Ferrari in Norman.
So when he came to SC, the program was in a completely place than anything he had seen at OU.
The worst thing that could have happened was an 11 win season and Heisman out of the gate, it made the bar too high….too quick. Now you have idiots like Fraud, saying he’s a shit coach because he took a step back in a mukti year rebuild.
Fact is, LFR had zero experience rebuilding a program from the ground up. He was bound to make mistakes along the way. Being at a new program, in a new state, presents a lot of obstacles. You tend to keep those you trust the most around you for support. Did he keep Grinch too long? Absolutely. And he’d tell you that, but don’t blame him for being loyal, it’s a rare characteristic these days, especially in this business.
LFR is a smart guy, he’ll learn from those mistakes and he’ll grow as a coach.
The changes he made in the offseason on his staff are as good as one can ask, and the fruits of those hires are already being seen on the recruiting trail… see 2025 class.
This was always going to be a multi year rebuild, folks need to realize that, this isn’t XBOX, it’s not turned around overnight. If SC has a good year, 9-3/10-2 type season, the flood gates will open on the recruiting trail, and SC will have the talent to go along with the coaching.
Pete Carroll was 50yo when he started at USC. Lincoln Riley was 38 when he started @ USC. That’s 12 or 13 more years of coaching
So, you're now saying Carroll was a home run hire. Back in the day you called him Checkers as I recall.
I thought Monty was a serious threat to my health, but I don't recall players looking to the sidelines as the ball was snapped.
Riley is a complete disaster. A buffoon. Daddy ball. Awful defense. Worse game and clock management. Indifferent recruoting. He's a joke. 7z5 or 8-4.
Given the other candidates who SC could have realistically hired at the time, it was home run hire.
SC had been in such turmoil and become so toxic for so many years, CLR was head and shoulders above anyone else that might have come.
Is he one of the great hires of college football, no.
Is he probably the best that SC could have hired in 2021, yes.
For him, I think if CLR knew he would be in the Big10, instead of the Pac12, he wouldn't have have come.
SC fans tend to be a bit in denial about how unattractive the SC program has been the past 10 or so years.
Remember when SanC was calling for GRUDEN. Ha ha, good times.
9-3 is my call for this season. so far it’s a really good hire . Time will tell if it’s a great hire or not.