Gross Could Be on Move to Syracuse

Daryl Gross, a senior associate athletic director at USC, is expected to be named athletic director at Syracuse as early as Friday.

“Out of respect to Syracuse and their search process, I’m going to decline any comment on the situation other than to say it’s a very attractive job,” Gross said Wednesday night.

Gross handled coaching searches, including those that resulted in the hiring of football Coach Pete Carroll and incoming men’s basketball coach Rick Majerus, who was introduced Wednesday. He also handled football and men’s basketball scheduling and has been responsible for nine sports on a day-to-day basis.

Gross, who attended Beverly Hills High, joined USC’s administrative staff as an assistant athletic director in 1991.

He played and coached football at UC Davis, worked as a graduate assistant at USC for two years and spent three years as a scout with the New York Jets before he was hired at USC.

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USC held its first full-squad practice since last week, when several players were on the road for awards ceremonies.

Quarterback Matt Leinart, who won the Heisman Trophy on Saturday in New York, said it was good to be back on the field as the top-ranked Trojans prepared for the Orange Bowl against No. 2 Oklahoma.

“I’m just trying to get back in the swing of things,” Leinart said. “I thought I did well. I’m just a little sore and achy a little bit, but I’ll be ready.”

Leinart said he was happy that sophomore running back Reggie Bush won the team’s most valuable player award on Tuesday.

“I voted for him,” said Leinart, who was team MVP last season. “It means a lot because the team votes for you.... He did the most for our team and helped in a lot of games where he almost single-handedly won a few games.”

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Sophomore running back LenDale White did not practice and wore a knee-high protective boot for a sprained right ankle. White said he would practice next week.... Senior guard John Drake, who sat out or played sparingly in the last part of the regular season because of a high ankle sprain, practiced and will compete for a starting role in the Orange Bowl, Carroll said. Freshman Jeff Byers is nursing a hip strain.... Defensive tackle Manuel Wright will not practice until next week because of a high ankle sprain. “Every time I work out, it swells up,” Wright said.