Way too overhyped by our fanbase.
Dude is a loser.
You do understand the circumstances he inherited at SC, right? I'm not defending the guy or anything he did here but to say he failed at SC is a clear misunderstanding of what transpired after he took over.
What's funny is that he produced his best years right when they were in the thick of those sanctions (2010 and 2011). Once they were in the clear of those, they actually got worse.
USC was preseason #1 and pulled a top 10 recruiting class in 2012, and had Matt Barkley (preseason Heisman favorite) returning along with 3 future NFL wide receivers (Robert Woods, Marquise Lee, Nelson Agholor). They went 7-6.
However they didn't feel the weight of those sanctions until about 2 years after the were given. Loss of scholarships don't immediately have an effect, in terms of quality depth anyways.
You do understand the circumstances he inherited at SC, right? I'm not defending the guy or anything he did here but to say he failed at SC is a clear misunderstanding of what transpired after he took over.
What's funny is that he produced his best years right when they were in the thick of those sanctions (2010 and 2011). Once they were in the clear of those, they actually got worse.
USC was preseason #1 and pulled a top 10 recruiting class in 2012, and had Matt Barkley (preseason Heisman favorite) returning along with 3 future NFL wide receivers (Robert Woods, Marquise Lee, Nelson Agholor). They went 7-6.
What's funny is that he produced his best years right when they were in the thick of those sanctions (2010 and 2011). Once they were in the clear of those, they actually got worse.
USC was preseason #1 and pulled a top 10 recruiting class in 2012, and had Matt Barkley (preseason Heisman favorite) returning along with 3 future NFL wide receivers (Robert Woods, Marquise Lee, Nelson Agholor). They went 7-6.
To be fair, the problem wasn't a lack of talent, it was a lack of depth that became more and more prevalent the longer into the sanctions they went. It was never about the talent. It was that they couldn't fill out classes so they filled the bottom side of their roster with walk-ons. They had top level talent at starter positions, but in the depth chart, there were holes everywhere. It made the stars play more snaps than you'd want. The lack of scholarships doesn't do you in at the beginning. It kills you on the back end.
247, which is a composite ranking, ranked his classes 3rd, 3rd, 8th, and 10th in the country. 1st, 1st, 2nd, and 2nd in the Pac 12. If there "were holes everywhere," how were the composite rankings that high?
Kiffin is a joke of a head coach and cannot handle a big time program.
His classes ranked high because they brought in talented players with the few scholarships he had available. That doesn't take into account the small size of his classes. With what he COULD offer, he got great talent. But that doesn't fill out a roster when you can only bring in 15 instead of 25 players and then, what, 18 of 25, then 20 of 25. Those amount of bodies add up quickly and slowly strangle you.