5 potential replacements for Clay Helton at USC
By John Buhler
3. P.J. Fleck – Western Michigan head coach
If USC wants to keep going down the path of not being told ‘no’ by potential head coaching candidates, perhaps the best up-and-coming coach in college football that would take the USC job without even thinking about it is Western Michigan Broncos head coach P.J. Fleck.
Fleck is a former wide receiver for the Northern Illinois Huskies and the San Francisco 49ers. He has served under Schiano at Rutgers and Tampa Bay (2011-12) as a wide receivers coach. Fleck has been the main man in charge of a strong MAC team in the Broncos since 2013.
Though Western Michigan went 1-11 (1-7) during his first season on the job in 2013, the Broncos have gone 19-10 (12-4) in the last 29 games, including two Holiday Bowl game appearances. In 2016, Fleck has his Broncos at 3-0 with two wins over the Big Ten’s Illinois Fighting Illini and the Northwestern Wildcats. Fleck also has also developed a first-round talent at wideout in senior Corey Davis.
Fleck may be a year away from landing a Power 5 job, but he does have three respected college head coaches in his corner to confirm his candidacy: Schiano, former Ohio State head coach Jim Tressel, and former Minnesota Golden Gophers head coach Jerry Kill. Putting together an elite staff might be hard for Fleck at USC, but he does feel like one of the next great head coaches in the college game.