Pete Carroll no interest in job following Clay Helton dismissal

Former USC Trojans head coach Pete Carroll spoke about the potential for him to accept the newly available head coach vacancy at USC. In a brief response via Aaron Levine of Q13 Fox, Carroll said simply that he does not want the position.

Former USC Trojan coach?

Rumors circulated all around the nation about potential coaches for USC after the news that they had dismissed Clay Helton on Monday. Carroll, the former Trojans championship coach, was asked if he would take the position if offered.

“They haven’t called. No, I don’t want that. I’m very happy,” Carroll stated via Levine.

With nothing specific coming out about the USC coaching hunt, it’s no surprise that Carroll’s name would be involved. Carroll coached USC from 2001 to 2010 and appeared in three national championship games, winning two.

After a slow start to his tenure — the Trojans were 2-5 in his first seven games as head coach — Carroll’s teams then went 67-7 over the next 74 games as USC recovered from the previous decade where the program never finished in the top ten. Carroll set a school record of 34 straight wins from 2003 to 2005 before ultimately losing to Texas in the memorable 2006 Rose Bowl.

Clay Helton out at USC

The Clay Helton era at USC is officially over. The Trojans announced Monday night that Helton has been let go and will not finish his seventh season at the helm of the program. Athletic director Mike Bohn has tabbed Donte Williams as interim head coach.

This comes just days after Stanford walked into the Coliseum and handed USC a 48-28 loss. Helton was booed off the field at the half. The Trojans committed 111 yards of penalty in the loss, and their kicker Parker Lewis was ejected on the first play of the game. Quarterback Kedon Slovis has continued to regress; he threw a pick-six in the third quarter.

The loss dropped USC to 1-1 on the season and out of national polls.

Helton’s time in Los Angles is over; he finishes with a 46-24 record. But the Trojans are 19-15 since 2018 and have not won the Pac-12 since 2017. They went 2-3 in bowl games and have struggled to stay relevant on the national stage, too.

Helton had two full years remaining on his deal after this season. Helton is expected to be owed more than $10 million in buyout money.

“As I committed to upon my arrival at USC, during the past two off-seasons we provided every resource necessary for our football program to compete for championships,” Bohn said in a statement. “The added resources carried significantly increased expectations for our team’s performance, and it is already evident that, despite the enhancements, those expectations would not be met without a change in leadership.”

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On3’s Pete Nakos contributed to this article.