USC Head Coach Pete Carroll to the Seattle Seahawks?

In a somewhat shocking development, today the Seattle Seahawks have announced that they have fired current head coach Jim Mora. The real headline is what we heard next. USC head coach Pete Carroll is the leading candidate and he is interested in the job.

Carroll is also expected to bring USC offensive coordinator Jeremy Bates to join him on the Seahawks staff, according to ESPN’s Chris Mortensen.

A source close to Carroll said, “You’re about to see a big headline that shakes up the major college football word.”

He joined the University of Southern Cal in 2001, and since then he has led the Trojans to a 97-19 record in his nine seasons. USC won back to back national championships in 2004 and 2005.

However, in the past few years USC has lost it’s mystique. The program has encountered multiple violations and being accused of lacking “institutional control.” Just this past year, leading rusher Joe McKnight was held out of the team’s postseason game due to an investigation alleging improper benefits.

A previous situation with star running back Reggie Bush — who was an instrumental part of the team’s national championship runs — could leave the program vacating wins, championships, and returning millions of dollars. Pair that investigation with the new one involving McKnight, and the Trojans football program could be headed for dark times.

It makes perfect sense for Pete Carroll to bolt back to the NFL at this time. With the program rebuilding and NCAA sanctions coming, Carroll will have an uphill battle if he wants to return the team to glory. He can’t accomplish anything new, so we just have to wait and see if he will indeed jump ship.

The mutual interest is there and it is expected to happen.