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Lincoln Riley is hoping to get a legendary coach on his staff at USC soon.
The Trojans head coach said that he’d “love” to have Pete Carroll join his staff after the former Seattle Seahawks coach revealed he’s returning to USC to teach in the spring.
“I’d love to have him. He’s great. Coach has been great to me. We’ve had a chance to catch up pretty often, check in with each other. He’s been a great resource,” Riley said, per 247Sports’ Chris Trevino. “And, you know, great person to be able to pick his brain, and he’s been very good to me.” So, yeah, shoot, I’m excited he’s going to be here more and would be crazy to not take advantage of having him around, so whether it’s in an official role or not, he’s made it very clear that we’ve got a good open line of communication. It’s one that I appreciate and respect very much, and will always, never hesitate to pick up the phone and call him or to reach out to him. You know, because of obviously how successful he was as a coach, and he’s also got a great knowledge of this place. I’ve been appreciative of his help and his friendship and be glad to have him around a lot more.”
Carroll had one of the most successful coaching tenures in USC’s history, winning a pair of national championships in 2003 and 2004 and leading the Trojans to seven Pac-12 titles during his nine years.
After his time at USC, Carroll coached the Seahawks from 2010 to last season, when he and the team mutually agreed that he would step down as head coach while remaining in an advisory role.
The Trojans could use some advice from Carroll after going 8-5 in Riley’s second year at the helm. USC showed promise in Riley’s first season as head coach, going 11-3 in 2022, and it is looking to recreate that success this year.
Whether Carroll will get involved with USC in any way is to be determined, but it could be a good way for him to stay connected with football while no longer serving as a head coach.