Garrett: I’m Not Worried

With speculation continuing to swirl about the possible pursuit of Coach Pete Carroll by NFL teams, USC Athletic Director Mike Garrett said Monday that he was not concerned.

“I work very hard with Pete and all the coaches to make this an ideal place for them to work, and I take pride in the fact that it’s a great place to work, so I don’t worry about those things,” Garrett said. “If I was doing something wrong and I was not supporting Pete, then it would worry me about what people say. But I don’t worry about that because I know we work so closely together and everything is very constructive.”

Carroll, 53, has guided USC to consecutive national titles. He is thought to be the main target of the San Francisco 49ers, who fired coach Dennis Erickson and general manager Terry Donahue last week, a day after USC routed Oklahoma, 55-19, in the bowl championship series title game.

John York, owner of the 49ers, acknowledged Carroll and the Trojans’ victory at the news conference announcing the firings.

Carroll said last week that he had not been contacted by the 49ers, did not expect to be and was not interested in the job. However, even before the job was open, Carroll said NFL owners bent on the pursuit of a particular coach would still launch an aggressive offensive regardless of a coach’s public comments.

Carroll, who was in Hawaii on Monday, acknowledged last week that he had received a long-term contract extension. He is believed to earn in the neighborhood of college football’s highest-paid coaches, about $2.5 million annually. Nick Saban recently left Louisiana State to coach the Miami Dolphins and will reportedly earn $4.6 million a year.

Garrett said he would “never get in a bidding war with the pros because they would always win.”

Garrett said that continuity and quality-of-life issues at USC appeal to college coaches, including Carroll. “There is a quality here that they can’t duplicate up there,” he said. “I think SC can compete with anyone. And I don’t worry about the pros. If it’s just money, he should have been gone a long time ago.”

-- Gary Klein