5 potential replacements for Clay Helton at USC
By John Buhler
2. Chip Kelly – San Francisco 49ers head coach
Why didn’t USC hire former Philadelphia Eagles head coach Chip Kelly when the Trojans had the chance? Probably because Haden was afraid to ask Kelly and be told ‘no’. Kelly may have landed a new NFL gig with the 49ers, but that San Francisco front office of Jed York and Trent Baalke can’t be trusted.
Kelly isn’t exactly the most approachable football coach and general manager Baalke loves to leak information to the press about his football team. Owner York always seems to have Baalke’s back for whatever reason. Should Kelly and Baalke clash in 2016, could Kelly make a return to the Pac-12?
Yes, and Kelly would take the USC job if he knows that he can’t make it work in San Francisco. The 49ers seem to be in a good spot in the early part of the 2016 NFL season, but we’ll see how the Kelly era in the Bay Area unfolds in November and December.
Kelly would make the Trojans a national power again in a matter of months. USC can land elite football talent, regardless of whoever is coaching the team. The talent is always there with the Trojans, so a quick turnaround under Kelly would be essentially a sure thing.
One would have to believe that Swann would have the guts to try to pry Kelly away from the NFL. Swann would need to have a big time hire to solidify his legacy as USC’s athletic director. Kelly to USC makes sense in theory, but Kelly clearly prefers the NFL in 2016. He’ll stick with the 49ers until that situation grows unstable.