“We want Urban!” the USC crowd chants in desperation for a new head coach. Today, tons of USC fans are irritated that the program hasn’t made any changes. Worse, they are letting the players, coaches, and school know it.

This is not the USC that fans know, as the Coliseum is home to the greatest athletes in the nation; especially in their football program. They are known to produce Heisman Trophy winners and win National Titles. However, this past decade hasn’t lived up to the USC standard. Their previous season ended with a record of 5-7, which was due to discipline, recruiting, and above all else, coaching. Clay Helton, who was on the hot seat at the beginning of the season, has maintained his job after this past year’s debacle. Though he had a few winning seasons, it’s definitely fair to question if he is the right person for this job. 

USC’s last National Championship was in 2004. Since then, their recruiting has hit a record low, with only 12 recruits committed for the 2020 class. Many fans are urging for a victorious season, but that will be extremely difficult considering the current situation. Once upon a time, USC was a school where all recruits dreamed of going to, it was a school where players succeeded and moved on to be first-round NFL draft picks. Today, LSU, Alabama, Ohio State, and numerous others have taken this role. Recruiters (coaches) have the responsibility of bringing the best football players to the school, and the current regime is not doing that. I myself am a huge USC fan. I find it very hard to see only 12 players wanting to come to be a Trojan.  Even worse, only one of the recruits is in the top 100 of the nation. This is downright disappointing.

Besides recruiting, USC has made questionable decisions that stem from the leadership. The 2019 season ended with a 24-49 blowout against Iowa in the Holiday Bowl. A possible cause was a lack of practice. There was news that the team didn’t have a bowl game practice schedule, which does not make much sense. In addition, from personal experiences of watching USC games, the players showed to be less passionate this year. From kickoffs to slow finishes, the team looked lackadaisical at times. 

As you can tell, I am very much in support of a brand new coaching staff. While I understand that this is a serious accusation, I love USC too much to stand by silent. The simple truth is that USC is stagnant, so something has to be changed. Average to above-average seasons are not the Trojan way so new voices must be heard for a fast change and a new start to another victorious dynasty.