College Football: 5 best coordinators who will be head coaches by 2021

Like Dan Lanning at Georgia and to some extent Jim Leonhard at Wisconsin, USC Trojans offensive coordinator Graham Harrell may not be ready to be the face of an elite Power 5 program. The former Texas Tech standout and Green Bay Packers quarterback has the look and feel of the next great offensive-minded coach. He just needs timing to coincide with preparation.

Isn’t that the definition of luck? Yes, and Harrell would need a bit of that for this to happen, but hear this scenario out. It is the reason he’s No. 1 on this list and not Leonard, Lanning, Todd Grantham or even Steve Sarkisian. Harrell is already coaching at the school where everybody and their brother can sense a head-coaching opening is on the horizon. Could he replace Clay Helton?

Well, since Urban Meyer said he wasn’t interested in getting back into coaching, the Trojans could look from within and give Harrell a shot to lead a program if Helton continues to fail. If the Trojans don’t make a priority to keep Harrell, then he will get poached faster than you can blink an eye. The Kliff Kingsbury vibes he’s giving off are undeniable, but USC needs to figure itself out fast.

Harrell may not be ready to lead a major Power 5 job like USC, but he may not have a choice in that matter. If USC gets off to a poor start, he’ll be in charge. And don’t think for a second USC will be stupid enough to let an interim head coach walk out of the building again, even if he starts winning. He’s not Ed Orgeron, far from it in fact, but Harrell is next and everybody knows it.

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