USC Fires Clay Helton, Speculation Begins About New Coach

LOS ANGELES, CA —University of Southern California fired seventh-year head football coach Clay Helton Monday, two days after the then-No. 14 Trojans lost to unranked Stanford 42-28 in the second game of the season at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

USC cornerbacks coach Donte Williams was elevated to interim head coach, but almost immediately, talk in LA and around the country turned to Helton's possible successor.

In a Monday statement posted on Twitter, USC athletic director Mike Bohn announced "we are making a change in the leadership of our football program."

"As I committed upon my arrival at USC, during the past two off-seasons we provided every resource necessary for our football program to compete for championships," Bohn said. "The added resources carried significantly increased expectations for our team's performance, and it is already evident that, despite the enhancements, those expectations would not be met without a change in leadership."

Bohn said that over the next few months, the athletic department would conduct a national search for a new head coach.

"We will actively and patiently pursue a coach who will deliver on the championship aspirations and expectations we all share for our football program," Bohn said in the statement.

Almost instantly, sportswriters and bloggers began speculating about the next Trojans head coach. On Tuesday, two coaches whose names were mentioned as candidates, were asked to respond to the speculation.

Head coach Luke Fickell, of No. 8 University of Cincinnati, was asked by a reporter to address "the elephant in the room," which meant the USC coaching job.

According to Fansided.com, Bohn hired Fickell at Cincinnati when Bohn was the Bearcats' athletic director there.

"Look, I don't talk to anybody. I barely talk to my own family during the season," Fickell said. "So I wouldn't ever talk about it, nor would I even answer a phone call or anything like that. I know nothing, nor does it make me have any interest. It's not a big deal. It's nothing but distractions if people allow it to be, and for us, it can't be."

Penn State head coach James Franklin, whose team is ranked No. 10, said he didn't want his team to be distracted by any rumors or speculation, according to flipboard.com.

"As you guys know, I can't stand any form of distraction," Franklin said. "So, I'll discuss this today with the leadership council so that we can make sure that all of our energy is on our preparation for Auburn. That's how we'll handle it. I'm going to talk to the leadership council today about it."

Yahoo Sports reporter Pete Thamel mentioned several other candidates who could replace Helton, including: Iowa State's Matt Campbell, Minnesota's P.J. Fleck, Oregon's Mario Cristobal, Rutgers' Greg Schiano, Alabama offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien, Clemson offensive coordinator Tony Elliott, former Boise State and Washington head coach Chris Peterson and former Oklahoma head coach Bob Stoops.

Other coaches whose names have been mentioned in connection to the USC coaching job are: Williams, the Trojans' interim head coach, Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Urban Meyer, Utah's Kyle Whittingham, Liberty's Hugh Freeze, Alabama Birmingham's Bill Clark and Louisiana's Billy Napier.