Riley Still the Leading Man

Just when the USC coaching search seemed to be narrowing to a focus, things turned confusing again.

It all started Thursday afternoon when Mike Riley said he will remain with the San Diego Chargers through the NFL season--not good news for a Trojan football program that needs a leader in the midst of recruiting.

Then came whispers that Athletic Director Mike Garrett had other names he was seriously considering.

But not former NFL coach Pete Carroll, who sources said was still a longshot. And not Sonny Lubick of Colorado State, a man often mentioned in the media but, it turns out, never contacted by USC.

So the Trojans had a mystery man? Or no one at all?

Or was it only a smoke screen, a stall tactic while the interested parties concocted a way for Riley to escape his obligation to the Chargers, who have him under wraps for three more years?

A Charger official reiterated that Riley is under contract but said no one was upset at him for talking to USC.

“He wasn’t out soliciting the job, they called him,” said Ed McGuire, vice president of football operations. “He’s our coach.”

Yet Riley, while pledging his allegiance to San Diego, did not squelch the notion that he might end up in cardinal and gold. He said he will meet with team President Dean Spanos to discuss the matter.

“When we get to that point, we are going to talk about things and say where we are,” he said.

The meeting is planned for after the Chargers’ final game against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Dec. 24 but could come sooner. Spanos will join the team tonight in Baltimore, where the Chargers play the Ravens on Sunday.

So Riley remains the leading candidate for USC, at least in media speculation, and in the absence of other known quantities.

With the search dragging through a second week, all sorts of names have turned up in the mix, everyone from Joe Tiller of Purdue to Ron Turner of Illinois, not to mention Turner’s older brother, Norv, recently fired by the Washington Redskins.

Such conjecture has been fueled by the silence from Heritage Hall. USC officials--whose unsuccessful attempts to hire Oregon State Coach Dennis Erickson and Oregon Coach Mike Bellotti were widely documented--are trying to keep their business to themselves.

Lubick found himself the subject of repeated news reports while spending the week recruiting in Southern California. Upon arriving home in Fort Collins, Colo., he denied reports that he had been in contact with USC.

“I haven’t heard anything,” he said. “I haven’t talked to anyone.”

He also said that, while the job interests him, he is content at Colorado State.

But his son, Matt, was not beyond campaigning in his stead. The younger Lubick, an assistant at Oregon State, disagreed with people saying his father, at 63, is too old.

“I’ve been around coaches who are 45 years old and can’t keep up with him,” Matt said.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.