Advertisement

USC Waits for Decision on Chow

Share
Times Staff Writer

USC offensive coordinator Norm Chow and offensive line coach Tim Davis are expected to decide in the next few days whether they will move to the NFL or return as the Trojans pursue a third consecutive national title.

Chow interviewed for the Tennessee Titans’ offensive coordinator’s job on Friday in Nashville. He has declined to say if he has received an offer, but Chow is regarded as Tennessee Coach Jeff Fisher’s top choice, and the Titans are expected to move quickly to fill the slot now that the Super Bowl is over.

Davis said Sunday that he would decide by today whether to accept an offer from the Miami Dolphins. Davis interviewed in Miami on Friday and has received a counteroffer from USC Coach Pete Carroll.

Advertisement

“I don’t know yet,” Davis said Sunday. “I was real fired up [about Miami] when I got off the plane. I’m mulling everything.”

Several USC players who would be directly affected by the coaches’ departures said they were hoping for the best.

“I’d hate to see him go, but I understand he has to do what’s best for him,” sophomore quarterback John David Booty said of Chow. “He’s not only a good coach but a good man. A good guy to go to work with.”

Mission Viejo High quarterback Mark Sanchez, who signed a letter of intent with USC on Wednesday, hopes to play under Chow, but understands the cost of success.

“It’s a great opportunity for coach Chow, that’s the way you have to look at it,” Sanchez said. “USC is on top right now. If you’re an assistant at the top program, everyone is going to want you.”

Offensive tackle Winston Justice said one of the reasons he passed up a chance to turn pro was to play for Davis this season. But he too understands the lure of the NFL.

Advertisement

“I want to be coached by him again, but he has to do what’s best for his family,” Justice said. “He has to further his career just like us, and if he’s going to the next level he’d be doing that.”

Three coaches already have left the staff since the Orange Bowl.

Defensive line coach Ed Orgeron, now Mississippi’s head coach, was replaced last month by Jethro Franklin, former defensive line coach for the Green Bay Packers.

Quarterbacks coach Carl Smith left to become the offensive coordinator for the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Dennis Slutak, a graduate assistant who worked with special teams, joined Orgeron’s Mississippi staff in a full-time capacity.

Advertisement