USC football: Meeting with Steve Sarkisian went well, players say

USC players were emotionally spent by the time they met with new Coach Steve Sarkisian on Monday night, but several said it went well.

Sarkisian’s last season as a USC assistant was in 2008. He helped recruit several current upperclassmen.

“Everybody was pretty positive,” senior offensive tackle Kevin Graf said of the meeting. “He did recruit a lot of us. I still remember when he came to my house.”

Offensive coordinator Clay Helton will coach USC in its bowl game. The Trojans could be headed to the Las Vegas Bowl on Dec. 21 to play the Mountain West Conference champion. Fresno State plays Utah State on Saturday for the Mountain West title.

“We have an interim, interim head coach now,” Graf joked.

The emotional aftermath of Ed Orgeron’s departure could last awhile, players said.

““It will be a lingering feeling, but coach Sarkisian touched on that,” freshman quarterback Max Browne said. “He said, ‘I don’t expect to win you over in one day. It’s going to be a process.’ ”

ALSO:

It’s official: Steve Sarkisian is in, Ed Orgeron out at USC

USC’s hiring of Coach Steve Sarkisian isn’t sexy, but it feels right

Steve Sarkisian isn’t Lane Kiffin, and that’s a good thing for Trojans