A day after firing Jim Mora after a 5-11 season, the Seattle Seahawks have already found their new head man. And as expected, Pete Carroll is finally making his foray back into the NFL head coaching ranks after nine success-filled seasons at USC.
According to reports, Carroll and the Seahawks have reached an agreement in principle for the 58-year-old Carroll to not only become their new head coach, but also become the new team president as well.
There is the matter of interviewing Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier tomorrow to satisfy the Rooney Rule, but it appears that unless Frazier absolutely blows them away or Carroll suddenly changes his mind, that Carroll is set to join former pupil and current Washington head coach Steve Sarkisian in the Emerald City.
It’s all happening quite quickly, sure, but really, it’s about time. Carroll’s done all that he could at USC - two national championships (or one, if you’re an LSU fan), seven straight Pac-10 titles, seven straight BCS bowls (six wins), nine straight bowl games (seven wins), a 97-19 record (62-14 in the Pac-10), and an astounding 82-10 mark from 2002-08 (52-7 in the Pac-10 in that span).
He’s been more than content in L.A. (a little too content, if you ask Charlie Weis), and he’s balked at returning to the NFL after his stints with the New York Jets and New England Patriots in the 90s, but this is the right opportunity at the right time.
Matt Gentile pointed out a lot of the reasons why this move makes sense for Carroll, and even though his stints with the Jets and the Patriots didn’t work out all that well, perhaps the third time is the charm for Carroll.
Where does USC go from here? It’s certainly a big blow for the program to lose their head coach, especially with National Signing Day less than a month away and committed and uncommitted top recruits to think about.
However, there’s no shortage of qualified candidates, from USC alums and current NFL head coaches Jeff Fisher and Jack Del Rio, to a college coach like Mike Riley. Inevitably, the name of Jon Gruden will also be in the mix as well, whether he’s a serious candidate or not.
It’s safe to say that Carroll is leaving the USC program in much better shape than when he inherited it, and whoever takes over has a tough, tough act to follow. Only time will tell if we’re able to say the same about this next leap.
