USC fired head coach Clay Helton after two games, ending his six-plus-year tenure. The Trojans may look to a high-profile NFL coordinator to fill the vacancy.
NFL sources believe Eric Bieniemy will be a candidate for the job, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets, adding that this particular position is one of the only college gigs for which the Chiefs offensive coordinator will consider leaving the NFL.
Bieniemy has been with the Chiefs since Andy Reid’s 2013 Kansas City arrival, but he coached at the college level prior to moving to Missouri. The fourth-year Chiefs OC also went to high school in the Los Angeles area.
[RELATED: Bieniemy Addresses Head Coaching Pursuit]
An interesting subplot has factored into Bieniemy’s accomplished OC run. Thought to be a slam-dunk hire in both the 2020 and ’21 offseasons, the 52-year-old assistant has failed to land a head coaching job. Taking over as Kansas City’s OC from Matt Nagy, who followed Doug Pederson in being hired for an HC post, Bieniemy has been in this role throughout Patrick Mahomes‘ dominant run as the Chiefs’ starting quarterback.
While it would make sense for Bieniemy to stay in arguably the NFL’s top coordinator situation and continue to pursue a top job at the sport’s highest level, USC is certainly a high-end college gig. Bieniemy is not the Chiefs’ primary play-caller, which has affected his perception at the NFL level, but working with Reid and Mahomes essentially ensures he will have a vital role on a top-tier NFL offense. It would seemingly take a monster offer to convince the veteran coordinator to leave these friendly confines.
Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports, citing sources close to Bieniemy, reports that Bieniemy would indeed be interested in the USC opening. Of course, if the school wants to find its next coach by Thanksgiving for recruiting reasons, Bieiemy would presumably not be a realistic target. And, as could be expected, Bieniemy has downplayed his connection to the job.
“[I]f USC reached out to me right now, my answer would be I am preparing for this team to play against the Baltimore Ravens,” Bieniemy said (via Myles Simmons of Pro Football Talk). “And that’s how I roll, you guys know that. I am where my feet are, OK? My job is to make sure we’re ready to play a complete, sound, 60-minute football game where we can come out and win the game.”
Bieniemy is a Colorado alum but has experience coaching in Los Angeles, having been UCLA’s running backs coach in the 2000s. His top college role to date was as his alma mater’s offensive coordinator from 2011-12. A sign Bieniemy will be tough to pry from Kansas City: he withdrew his name from consideration for the Colorado HC job last year.
I understand the want to be the HC, but I have a feeling Andy & Mahomes are getting more rings! That’ll be a fun ride for the next 5-7 years easy.
Bienemy’s hold up seems to have revolved a lot around his prior off field issues in college and as an assistant years ago. Granted, that was a long time ago, and he probably has matured, but the questions were serious enough to warrant some public concern, let alone whatever private concern may have been raised. If Bienemy gave concerning answers to those questions, who knows what conclusions may have been reached.
Hopefully for him those will not stand in his way of Bienemy has, as I expect, matured past those incidents. I think we’d all like to see what he can do on his own as a HC, even if it’s at the college level. Southern Cal has, however, shown a particular willingness to fire their coaches midseason and pull new ones out of a hat, but they also don’t to seem to mind coaches with personal questions (Sarkisian, Kiffin, Carroll), so maybe Bienemy will get a chance to show us what he can do there.
I’ve read about his troubles when he was younger. I made my fair share of bad choices when I was younger as well. Can you imagine the scrutiny that this generation of young coaches will have to deal with in a decade? All their SM posts online.
True, true.
He should stick around KC and wait till Andy retires and take it from there
Interesting condundrum. Is Bienemy a product of the Andy Reid system or is he an offshoot that will develop/flourish on his own? The jury is still out on the Andy Reid tree, as his current off-shoots are proving successful only when they have the league’s best players on their roster. And of course you cannot overlook the multiple dead branches on Belichick’s tree.
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Oh, and please don’t tell me about Mike Vrabel, as although he PLAYED for Belichick he was never a COACH under him.
Many great coordinators never enjoy success when they have to take on the added responsibilities of a HC. Lot of hype about Bienemy but he still has to prove he can do it. He will probably get hired by some struggling team with a poor record which will make the challenge that much harder.
If Bieneimy gets offered the job he would be foolish to give it up.
He’s probably the best coach in the game who isn’t a HC, he can get any vacant job college or pro
Can he…. the last couple have jobs he has not got anywhere. Just saying he should take this job if offered and prove everyone wrong.
This is a school not afraid to pay up. Big time Cali school with a nice pipeline if he does it right with coaches around him, big time things could happen. Might even win a national championship or 2, then can make a NFL jump.
Disagree completely. There’s a reason he’s not a HC despite having interviewed for a few openings, and no, it’s bc of his skin color.
there’s also rumors already urban meyer could become the coach.
Or James Franklin.
now deion sanders.
i think that his inability to get a head coaching job after interviewing for virtually every job out there is probably more simple, he might be a horrible interview or doesn’t comes come across well. his resume and pedigree speaks for itself, something has to be happening in that interview room which turns people off.
I think Bienemy days of possibly get a h coach job with an NFL or major college job have sailed.
I would agree that the chances of jumping straight to another NFL job are much slimmer now, but I don’t think they’re done. A college job, however, seems very possible. The success there (if it happens, which seems likely given the mostly successful history of professional coordinators in college) would set Bienemy up very well for an NFL offer.
Eric B would be great for USC
He should stay in KC and ride Mahomes coat tails.
USC needs a dynamic recruiter who can build this program!
They should wait for Urban
The AD at USC is the same person that fired him at Colorado… I don’t think this USC job is happening lol
What if they go way outside of the box and hire OJ Simpson? He’s still well respected in the football circles and a god at USC.
Don’t rule Meyer out quite yet….