Washington coach Steve Sarkisian addresses USC rumors

After Lane Kiffin was given the axe at USC last weekend, Washington Huskies head coach Steve Sarkisian’s name began to be floated around in the we-desperately-need-to-fill-column-inches conversation regarding potential replacements. Sarkisian has ties to the Trojans, having worked there as both an offensive assistant and a quarterbacks coach.

Hoping to nip the rumors in the bud, Sarkisian addressed the topic on Monday:

"And I have never once and I will never comment on hypothetical scenarios. I know that’s the world a lot of us in this room live in, and that’s your job to do. I understand that. But I’ve never done that in the 4½ years I’ve been here, and I won’t do that. I have great respect for USC and the rich history and tradition that they have. But I am proud to be the head football coach of the 15th-ranked team in America right now, and all the hard work that we’ve put into this program for the last five years to get to this point. To be in an awesome matchup on national television Saturday night against a national-championship contender in Stanford, that’s where my focus is (The Seattle Times)."

While that is far from a flat-out denial that he’d be interested in the USC job, Washington fans should be able to breathe easy knowing their coach is focused solely on the Huskies.

2013 has been a breakout year for Sark’s squad. The No. 15 Huskies have one of the most lethal offenses in the nation, and the defense looks much-improved compared to the past few years. They’ll face their toughest test of the season this weekend, though, when they go on the road to take on the No. 5 Stanford Cardinal. The game will being at 7:30 p.m. PT and can be seen on ESPN.

[Source: The Seattle Times]