Report: Big 12 coach emerging in USC football coach search as potential leader

A new potential leader has emerged to get the highly-coveted USC football job.

It has been weeks since the USC football program parted ways with Clay Helton, but the Trojans might have a new favorite to lead them out of the tunnel: Baylor head coach Dave Aranda.

Bruce Feldman of The Athletic wrote that Aranda’s stock is rising and how he is the new favorite to replace Helton in Los Angeles. Aranda was the long-time defensive coordinator at LSU under Ed Orgeron. Now in his second season at Baylor, Aranda has the Bears humming. They just beat Oklahoma at home and have a Big 12 Championship within grasp. Of course, he has other suitors.

Aranda could stick at Baylor, but he is a candidate to replace Orgeron in Baton Rouge, Jimmy Lake at Washington and now Helton at USC.

Dave Aranda emerging as a top candidate for USC football coach job

Though Aranda did inherit a strong Baylor program after his predecessor Matt Rhule left Waco for the NFL‘s Carolina Panthers, he has set himself apart during this early run on the coaching carousel. Aranda is showing he has a great presence as a program builder, as well as demonstrating his coaching philosophy and recruiting tactics can translate seemingly anywhere.

Aranda may have SEC roots at LSU, but he worked at Wisconsin and Utah State prior to joining the Bayou Bengals. He is one of the few up-and-coming head coaches who can build a winning program anywhere. USC may have wanted all sorts of other candidates, but keep in mind that Pete Carroll was not their first choice two decades ago either. Aranda could be what USC needs.

One way or another, Aranda is about to get a big bump in pay, from Baylor or from somebody else.

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