Larry Smith, USC Agree on Contract

Larry Smith, whose teams have reached the Rose Bowl three times in his four seasons at USC, said Friday that he has reached agreement on terms of a contract that would keep him as the Trojan football coach beyond this season.

“I have not signed it yet (but) it’s 99.9% done,” Smith said. “I expect to have it wrapped up in the next three or four days.”

Smith, 51, declined to reveal terms of the contract.

“I don’t want to say anything until something’s actually signed,” he said. “When something’s signed, we’ll make a statement. . . It’s just a matter of making sure that all the fine print is in there exactly like we (want). There’s no reason to feel it won’t be, but I’m the kind of person who says, ‘A recruit isn’t coming to SC until his name is on that line.’ ”

Smith signed a five-year contract with USC when he was hired away from Arizona after the 1986 season. His record with the Trojans is 35-12-2, including a 26-3-2 mark in Pacific 10 Conference games.