EARLY DAZE

Many of the telephone calls that come to Pete Carroll’s office--a hundred or so a day--begin the same way.

“Congratulations,” the caller says. “And by the way . . . “

Among Carroll’s first tasks as USC’S new football coach is to assemble a staff, which means every unemployed or otherwise interested assistant, not to mention all their friends, wants a piece of his time.

And since Friday, when Carroll was introduced at a news conference, his days have stretched from dawn until after midnight, a blur of coaching interviews and conversations with recruits, a jumble of ringing telephones and handwritten messages taped to his office door.

“I’ve kicked into full competitive mode,” he said. “Turn the switch on and go at it.”

That leaves no time to worry about the media or fans who question his hiring. No time to read newspapers or watch television or otherwise monitor public reaction.

Tuesday afternoon, he scrambled around his office in slacks and a sweater, trying to finish as much work as possible before catching a red-eye to Massachusetts to spend Christmas at home with his family. He was already talking about what needed to get done when he returns to Los Angeles early next week.

It was hectic but pleasantly familiar for a 49-year-old coach who had been away from the game almost a year since being fired by the New England Patriots.

This is a man who was itching to get back to football. This is a man friends and acquaintances predicted would attack his new role with sheer energy.

“He’ll create his own tempo,” said Ronnie Lott, a former USC and NFL star who played for Carroll with the New York Jets. “He has a passion for the game and I think that will be contagious.”

Carroll’s first two days on the job were dedicated to reassuring high school players who had orally committed to USC. He arrived just before a lengthy period in which coaches can have only limited contact with recruits. There was no time to take a mandatory NCAA rules test, so he was not permitted to call them.

But Carroll was allowed to speak to any young player who telephoned or stopped by his office, which over Friday and Saturday included many of USC’s top prospects.

It was slightly awkward for Carroll, who last coached in college 17 years ago. Skeptics have wondered about his recruiting skills and he acknowledged, “I’ve got to work on my spiel.”

He faces the real test next month, when he can visit recruits, bringing his message into their living rooms, for a period of three weeks leading to the all-important signing day Feb. 7.

That gives Carroll a little time to polish his persuasive arts and attend to other duties, the things that have kept him on campus as late as 3 a.m. and pushed him out of bed three hours later.

On Sunday, he attended the Trojans’ annual football banquet and introduced himself around the room. It was a kind of recruiting visit--he wanted to calm the fears of players who had spent the last few weeks wondering which direction their football program was headed.

By most accounts, it was a successful evening.

“Nobody knew that much about him,” quarterback Carson Palmer said. “He seemed really nice. Just real down to earth.”

Said tight end Alex Holmes: “I appreciate that he’s working hard and I guess the staff he’s trying to put together is just incredible.”

So far, Carroll has named only one coach, selecting Patriot assistant DeWayne Walker to oversee the secondary, replacing the popular Dennis Thurman. He is expected to keep several members of Paul Hackett’s staff. Defensive line coach Ed Orgeron and running back coach Kennedy Pola are likely candidates to remain.

But any time there is a new coach, there is a high rate of turnover, so there’s a nervous mood around the USC football office.

“There’s a lot of speculation that goes on at this time,” Orgeron said. “There’s some anxiety, people wondering if they are going to be here much longer.”

Though eager to get a staff in place, Carroll said he is trying to move respectfully and must also wait for several outside candidates who work for teams headed to bowl games.

“It’s a very difficult time,” he said. “I understand that. I need to give guys a chance to speak their piece.”

It could be one of the only instances in which the new coach is trying to slow himself down. Otherwise, Carroll is working double-time, happily rushing to keep pace with all the messages and unexpected visitors.

Former USC star Keyshawn Johnson called to wish him luck. Women’s volleyball Coach Jerritt Elliott--Carroll’s daughter, Jaime, plays on the team--stopped by to say hello.

And there have been endless appointments to interview coaching candidates and meet with current staff. There have been hours of familiarizing himself with the two-deep roster and the places where the Trojans need to fill a gap, either with a high school or junior college recruit.

“It seems like a month but it has only been a few days,” he said. “You go to sleep for a little bit and go at it again.”