Dallas Cowboys assistant becomes name of interest at USC to replace Clay Helton

According to Jon Wilner of Pac-12 Hotline, Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn is a “speculated potential candidate” per a source. He lists out a few reasons as to why it would work, including having some experience on the west coast with the San Fransisco 49ers.

Quinn was last in the college coaching ranks in 2000 with Hofstra. He made stops at William & Mary and VMI before. Since then, he’s been in the NFL for two decades, spanning from a position coach to the Atlanta Falcons head coach.

Another factor to consider is Quinn’s experience working with current Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll. The two were together during a few Super Bowl runs, with Quinn running the famous Legion of Boom secondary.

Carroll, the former national championship-winning coach with the Trojans, was the last head coach to have USC clicking on all cylinders. Hiring somebody from his coaching tree could bring back the feel of the early 2000s.

USC is one of the few elite head coaching jobs open at the moment after firing Clay Helton early in the season. A few names have been thrown around, including Penn State’s James Franklin and Baylor’s Dave Aranda. Quinn is just the latest to be added to an already stacked list.

Dan Quinn on beating his old team

Quinn has had a successful season in Dallas as the defensive coordinator after being released from his head coaching duties by Atlanta. He had the opportunity to get some revenge on the Falcons during the Cowboys’ Week 9 home game.

The defensive coordinator commented on facing his old team after the win, having nothing but nice things to say about the Falcons. He said he’s glad he can move on and still is friendly with a ton of people still involved with the team.

“It’s good to have that game done and over with,” Quinn said during his post-game press conference. “Many friendships in Atlanta. “It’s the fun part of the NFL. There’s always good rivalries between coaches and players. There’s a lot of guys on that roster and in the building I certainly care about a lot.”

Dallas and Quinn only gave up three points, having one of their best performances of the season. They picked off Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan three times, raising their then total to 14.

After picking off Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes, the Cowboys are up to 15 interceptions on the year, good enough for tied for second place in the NFL. Quinn’s introduction has done wonders for a Dallas defense that struggled mightily last season.