Jumps the Sark?

Steve Sarkisian will reportedly be named the next head coach of the Washington Huskies.

The story broke on ESPN while a group of reporters were in a USC workroom doing post-practice reports, sending everybody scrambling for the door, Blackberrys in hand. Funny sight.

The USC offensive coordinator played it cool, repeatedly saying that he was honored to be a candidate -- but making it clear nothing had been signed. Yet.

The unconfirmed buzz around campus is that Sark will be a Husky after the bowl season, but for now expect the school to downplay it because of the potential distraction heading into its final two games. Sarkisian, for his part, is keeping things routine. He gave a big "rah-rah" speech at a pep rally on campus later that evening (obviously with no reference to the latest news).

After Thursday's practice, but before the story breaking, Pete Carroll was pressed about the continued presence of Carl Smith. The former USC quarterbacks coach, who most recently was the offensive coordinator for the Jacksonville Jaguars, was present that night and was at Saturday's game against Notre Dame. Carroll didn't want to talk about it, but Smith would seem like an obvious candidate to replace Sarkisian.

To put this whole thing in perspective, Sarkisian turned down the Oakland Raiders head coaching job but is willing to take over the worst college team in America. Nice work, Al Davis.

Quotes from Sarkisian, as provided by USC Sports Information, are after the jump.

-- Adam Rose
Photo by Christine Cotter/LA Times

"Not as of now.  Contact has been made.  I'm honored to be a candidate.  But right now, my focus is on the UCLA game Saturday.

"I have interviewed with Washington.  They've interviewed a lot of people.  I'm one of a number of candidates, which I'm honored to be.  Nothing is finalized in any way, shape or form.  There's been some communication.  Nothing has been put in writing.

"As far as I'm concerned, I'm a candidate and honored to be. As of right now, Thursday night, I'm getting ready for Saturday. That's ESPN's report, not Washington's or mine.  It comes with the territory:  job openings and speculation.  The key is to focus on the job Saturday and not this conversation.

"I have not been offered the job.  The interview went well, learning about each other.  I've always been patient regarding head coaching opportunities.  I assess each separately.  They interview me, and I assess the job as well, like I did with the Oakland job.  It's a process.  Neither party wants to rush into it.

"We're still playing.  We're playing for the conference championship on Saturday.  That's my focus. 

"Nothing is set up tonight to talk to them.

"Maybe ESPN knows more than I know.  Maybe that'll be good news.  My focus is our game this week.

"I wouldn't accept it before our game Saturday.  The focus is on the game Saturday.

"Pete (Carroll) understands the situation and is on the same page."

Comments

[gerrrg]

Maybe USC will take this opportunity to find an offensive coach that will once again be the balance of Carroll's defensive mindset. No insult to Sark, but Sark's had it good with a group of talented players, and he's lacking the instinctive call-playing that Chow had developed over the many years of calling plays.

I miss Chow. He had an indelible, clear influence on QBs, and is probably single-handedly responsible for Palmer's turnaround and Leinart's success at the college level. If Chow was here for Booty and Sanchez, I think this offense would be pressing the defense for honors.

[wordcat]

All in with gerrrg.

SC has underachieved on offense under Sarkisian for years. Best offensive talent in the nation but nothing better than 'good' results. I moved from LA to Denver about 5 years ago and have been watching Big 12 teams with far less offensive talent get the job done.

Today's game against UCLA was just another frustrating example of an offense that promises more than it delivers.

Seems like many offenses around the country are playing a different and more advanced version than SC.
And this silly offensive system that values competition so much that it never lets a great player get into a rhythm should be re-evaluated.

If that kind of competition is so valuable, why doesn't Carroll hire four or five other top head coaches at USC and then decide on a game by game (or play by play) basis who the head coach should be?