by Kyle Golik
Back in January, the Seattle Seahawks were on the road against the Arizona Cardinals in a back-and-forth matchup. As the Seahawks trailed late in the fourth quarter, a few things had crossed the minds of everyone associated with the team: What changes need to be made to get back into contention?
Is Geno Smith the answer at quarterback?
Is the message of the eternally youthful but aging head coach Pete Carroll still resonating with the players?
When quarterback Geno Smith connected with wide receiver Tyler Lockett for a 34-yard touchdown, the deciding score, many wondered if the Seahawks needed a new direction. A few days later, news broke that the Seahawks and Carroll mutually agreed to part ways after the most successful 14-year run in franchise history.
While it was announced as ‘mutual,’ everything Pete Carroll displayed during the farewell press conference suggested otherwise. Carroll said, “I competed pretty hard to be the coach … I went along with their intentions.”
Maybe the Seahawks’ intentions didn’t align with Carroll’s, as he appeared on Seattle’s KJR 93.7 FM last week and revealed his upcoming gig. “I will wind up working down at USC,” Carroll said. “I’m going to wind up teaching down there, and I’m looking forward to that.”
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Southern California formally announced Carroll’s teaching gig later that day in a statement: “We are excited to welcome Pete Carroll home to USC in a new capacity in which he can, as a legendary coach and leader, share his knowledge and experience with our students. We are working on the details and hope to share more specifics later.”
Carroll’s foundational philosophy is to always compete, with Carroll outlining in his book Win Forever. During Carroll’s interview with KJR, he didn’t seem ready to fully retire his coaching gear but did mention a ‘lack of desire’ he currently feels. “I get asked about that a lot, so I’m pretty familiar with answering it,” Carroll said during his first extended interview since his dismissal. “I could coach tomorrow. I’m physically in the best shape I’ve been in a long time. I’m ready for all the activities I’m doing and feel really good about it. I could coach, but I’m not desiring it at this point. This isn’t the coaching season — we’ll see what happens then. But I’m not waiting on it at all. I’m moving forward. I’ve got other things I want to do that I’m excited about, and I want to see how that goes. I’m not holding my breath about coaching. If it’s been 40-something years, 48 years or whatever coaching, and that’s it, I feel OK about that.”
While Carroll may feel okay about not coaching again, he’s stepping into a role that isn’t too far removed from what he’s familiar with.
Currently, Lincoln Riley is working with his defensive staff to revive a Trojan defense that was arguably the worst in Southern California’s storied history. The millions Southern California is paying Riley aren’t meant for him to be a target for criticism in The LA Times, but rather to become a strong force on the national stage—something Carroll excelled at during his tenure as head coach from 2001 to 2009.
During Carroll’s tenure, Southern California’s defense ranked in the Top 11 nationally in scoring defense for seven of his nine seasons. Comparing Carroll’s defensive performance to Riley’s highlights how underwhelming the last two Trojan defenses have been. In Riley’s first two seasons, the team allowed 856 points over 27 games. For Carroll’s defenses, it took over four seasons and 52 games to concede the same number of points, a span that included two national championships. Notably Bill Plaschke of The LA Times shared his thoughts on how USC head coach Lincoln Riley is grappling with the immense pressure and expectations of turning around the Trojans’ historically underperforming defense.
I’m not suggesting that Carroll will replace Riley. Given the challenges of NIL and other issues facing current college football coaches, Carroll might not be keen to jump back into coaching. However, Riley and his new defensive staff could benefit from Carroll’s consulting.
As Carroll mentioned in his interview, “There is some other stuff that I’m advising and consulting with, some other clubs, not football, some other things that I’m excited about.” With Carroll just across campus, Riley might want to take advantage of his proximity. Hopefully, Riley and his staff can benefit from Carroll’s advice without needing to enroll in his classes.
