Home Athletics Pete Carroll Signs 35 Million Dollar Deal

Pete Carroll Signs 35 Million Dollar Deal

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According to sources on the USC insiders board.

This came out of nowhere. Had not heard a single thing about this until yesterday when Mora was fired, then all the sudden, boom, the best coach in the Pac-10 is plucked.

The move screams several things:

1. Pete’s been recruiting dirty for years and it’s finally catching up with him. I wouldn’t be surprised if we see the NCAA come after USC for violations (e.g. Reggie Bush).

2. Pete has unfinished business in the NFL. I still think he’ll make a poor head coach in that league, however, as he doesn’t and can’t command the same respect from adults as he does kids.

As far as Mike Riley leaving for USC…well, apparently he’s one of their top 5 choices. I’d say this is true, and for two reasons:

1. Riley would never get a recruiting violation

2. Riley wins with little talent

While there may be a courtship here, in the end I really doubt he goes for it. Riley knows sanctions are coming. With OSU’s main competition in that kind of turmoil, his job at OSU becomes much easier. Most people think Riley won’t jump ship for the money. I disagree with that sentiment. Money motivates everyone. However, I think the quality of life, comfort level where he is, and shot at the school career win record ultimately win out. The man has maybe 4 or 5 years max left in the tank, so why would he uproot  his family and chase the dream job of a much younger man? He learned that lesson when he was said younger man and won’t make the error twice. Ultimately the exposure and (Riley) name-dropping will benefit OSU, as recruits and their families will see our ol’ ball coach is coveted by one of the most storied programs in the country.

Bottom line: chances Riley leaves are 5% in my mind–the only way it happens is if USC goes Godfather on us and offers Riley’s entire staff a lucrative offer he simply can’t refuse.

69 COMMENTS

    • Ditto. I’m enjoying it, a little jittery but it will be exciting to see all what happens… it’s all still so new. Even though I don’t see Riley leaving, I bet the temptation could be very very real… money does speak and there’s a lot more of it waiting down south. Think Riley will get more money from OSU should he stay?

    • I don’t know if Riley can ask for any more money from OSU. I’m sure he’s familiar with the financial status of our athletic department… probably more than Bobby D is. If he doesn’t have them already, maybe he builds results-oriented incentives into his contract. Or maybe he draws a promise for an accelerated commitment to facility upgrades from the boosters.

      Who knows?

  1. Reading message boards from the SEC it sounds like most of them were hoping that Riley would be considered for their head jobs should circumstances arise. But there seems to be a very real understanding that he likes being in Corvallis… in the SEC.

    Compare this to some OSU boards where people are freaking out and speculating that Pat Hill would be a good look as a replacement.

    ?

    My contingencies should Riley leave:
    Make a run at Petersen first. He’s familiar with Pac 10 football, and he’s well known in the Western region. If that falls through, go after Sylvester Croom. He’s a big name with a big heart as well as a competitive leader. If that doesn’t work then we hire Locey and ask him to make a serious run at a hard-nosed defensive coordinator.

      • angry you and jackbeav are responding to close to yourself. leave a couple hours in between. i’d like to discuss football and not your multiple personalities. maybe beavgal will respond. lol.

      • angry…
        You’re going to have to come up with a different contrarian pseudonym. Calling yourself cactusjack and pretending to be a complete fool with a weak mentality does nothing to stimulate conversation.

        At least make your cactusjack character say something interesting… or even somewhat intelligent.

      • The funny part about this, to me at least, is I’m not Cactus Jack or Jack Beav. I’ll post an IP snapshot if it will stop this ridiculous conversation.

        • But Cactusjack wasn’t, and “Ted” loves to make these comments. It’s annoying and distracting.

          And for the record: I gave Jackbeav basketball coverage because I don’t know much about the sport. Just a casual fan and he knows much more.

        • Two interlopers who think criticism is hate when employed by others while thinking hate is love when employed by themselves. Why let them get to you? They’re obviously morons who are just asking to be picked on.

          There was a post somewhere touting Blitz as a fine source for information. I guess it’s true in the sense that they take the whole pot of pasta and throw it at the wall… something sticks. But there was an article written about the last hoops game that was atrocious. If the Blitz readers are taking cues from write-ups like that, then I can see why they think up is down.

        • It’s not that they get to me; it’s that they detract from the conversation and send the comments into a tangent unrelated to football or whatever topic is being discussed. It’s just distracting and annoying, and I get cranky easily.

  2. Bottom line: chances Riley leaves are 5%

    I disagree. Riley will opt to go to USC in a New York nanosecond. Psychologists tell us that the best predictor of future behavior is past behavior, and Riley, his good points notwithstanding (and he has many), has demonstrated over and over that he will grope, pander, and even beg if need be to get the next best leg up as far as coaching jobs go. In this department they rank like this:

    1. Larry Brown
    2. Dennis Erickson
    3. Mike Riley
    4. Danny Ainge

    And it’s interesting that 3 of the top 4 have connections to the state of Oregon.

    Besides all that, according to some in the LA media, not only is Riley USC’s first choice, but he’s reall their only choice.

    http://www.dailynews.com/sports/ci_14153596

    • Not sure I could disagree with you more Joubert. If Riley fell into the ranks you put him with there (by the way, significant insult to Mr. Riley), then he would have pursued the UW job as it opened last year, the Stanford job from a few years back, the Alabama job (being a UA player under the Bear) and others that we know nothing of. The people you list avail themselves to ANY significant job that opens, and while the media has attempted to place Riley in many of these, he has done nothing to make us wonder if he were leaving. If he chooses to go, I would be extremely sad because not only does he appear to be a very good man, but he runs a clean program that is winning. Yet I would understand the move because it is USC! I do not think he is going, I hope he does not go, but I do disagree strongly with your premise.

    • Like I said, I think Riley would be the USC coach under these circumstances ten (or even five) years ago, but not in 2010. Mainly because he’s getting up there in age and probably has five solid years of coaching in him. He loves where he is and won’t uproot a family and his staff unless it’s a Godfather offer in the range of 4-5 million guaranteed for five years.

      • Well, we’ll see soon enough. If I’m wrong, I’ll own up to it. I do seem to remember him making some long-term commitments to the program when he came back, so it may come down to whether Riley still feels a sense of obligation and gratitude to De Carolis for rehiring him in 2003, or if he feels that after 7 years that debt has now been repaid.

      • The problem for USC is you’re not just hiring Riley at a lucrative rate, you’re hiring his entire staff. Riley is loyal to a fault with those guys and will not leave them in Corvallis. They’ll go to USC and get paid well. It makes for an expensive proposition…don’t see it happening. I think he squashes the talks (a) when the Carroll deal becomes official and (b) when USC offers him the job. Maybe he interviews like he did with ASU and declines after that courtesy.

        • That’s what USC wants, Riley’s system. They want him to work his magic, and to bring with him all the coaching personnel he wants and or needs. They expect it. And they’ll all get a nice boost in their pay too, because USC has all the money in the world.

    • I’d have to go with the low odds on this one. Unless his hat-in-hand routine upon returning to OSU was as big a lie as the man could muster, then it’s probably not up to him whether or not he goes anyway. For the same reason Mark Banker still runs blind corners down our sidelines Riley will wait until his better half counsels him.

      Riley would also have to consider that he would be persona non grata in his hometown were he to leave. I remember the constant boos that Damon Stoudamire received in his first visit to Gill, and that was just because the Oregon kid chose UA instead of OSU. His family was shocked and horrified that the OSU fans would be so mean to him. Imagine the circus next year for the USC game were Riley to leave.

    • The only thing that would be better would be if Riley used this publicity for maximum effect, turned down the job while the spotlight was all over OSU, then Sark was somehow dragged away from UW. There would be two Pac 10 recruiting classes in disarray at that point.

      I know it won’t happen. But I can dream. Can’t I?

      • Once this news broke, I thought the perfect circle would be Carroll to Seahawks, Sark to USC and Mora to UW. I know I should go to Vegas if it works out that well.

      • I thought of that too. But Mora is too good a defensive coordinator for many NFL teams to pass up.

        Which brings me to another point.

        I never liked the Mora hire at Seattle (yes, I’m a Hawks fan). I wasn’t impressed with what he did at Atlanta. And I also don’t like what the Hawks have done to circumvent the Rooney Rule for the last two hires. It’s not that I’m sold on the Rooney Rule being relevant anymore–it was at one time. But to blatantly act to ignore it is just dumb.

        I think Carroll is an upgrade, and I think we’ll have to wait to see how he does. I also think he’s a great eye for talent, so personnel decisions might be better in the years to come. As a Blazers/Seahawks fan, nothing made me shake my head more than when Bob Whitsitt left Portland for Seattle.

    • For maximum effect, he has to let the Seahawks’ announcement on Monday (tomorrow?) sit in the public’s mind for at least a couple days. But he can’t wait so long that Garrett tells him to forget it. Remember that USC is on an accelerated timetable due to the timing of this move. I would be really surprised if USC doesn’t have a new coach by week’s end. They’re going to throw a boatload of cash at every prospect, and one will bite.

      I liked the ESPN rumor that Herm Edwards may be an USC alumni short-lister. I always thought he was a class guy who just doesn’t have the tools to lead an NFL team. He’s probably a lot like Riley is in that aspect.

  3. Another reason I think this won’t happen, and I think this is bigger than some people may realize, is that Riley is within Lon Stiner’s career win total at OSU. I think he’d love to be #1 on that list and have a legacy.

  4. This is all too much for me!! I would think Jay Locey is our guy if the worst comes to pass, and see if we can get J. smith away from Montana!?! as and offensive coordinator?

      • I guess I just need to get angry, but even that won’t do too much good! I like Canzanos column, but then way back when he thought we should have hired Hawkins? So there are exciting options? Like I told the Duck folks at the sports shop when I boght my Beaver helmet for Christmas, “I still believe!”. This was after the Bowl game.

      • Well, to me the Boise State D coordinator is an exciting candidate. Like I said, someone who has made undersized, slow players into tenacious defenders who can stop the spread. I’d be pumped about a guy like that. Though, I’d prefer we keep Riley as the head man and just hire Wilcox over Banker.

      • Locey is about as exciting as Riley. It’s almost like they went to high school together. If only one of them would have stayed at home to play for OSU….

        I thought I saw some bumblehead somewhere post that Locey was ‘handed the keys’ to Linfield’s ‘highly successful’ football program. While they never suffered a losing season, Linfield was five years and far removed from Rutschman’s (sp?) reign.

        Rutschman did make the program, but Locey had to figure out for himself how to be a leader of young men. He spent some time in the wilderness before something snapped in that man’s head. In 2000 he was suddenly a winner.

  5. I am an USC alum and fan, caught the tail end of the Carroll era and have enjoyed most of this decade under Pete Carroll. I think John Canzano misses a few critical issues to consider: 1) money 2) Riley has USC ties 3) national championships 4) pending NCAA sanctions.

    Even with a lifetime contract, there was no mention of how much Riley’s salary would move up; he makes around a million a year, USC will presumably offer him something in the $3 to 4 million a year for 5-6 years. Even if OSU can go to $1.5 million a year, that represents a pretty significant upgrade… less pressure, hometown ties, loyalty to a program are all good ideas, but would you begrudge someone who took 2 to 3 times more money to move to a different job?

    Perhaps not as important is the fact Riley was at USC for 4 years under Robinson and presumably has an idea of what it’s like to coach in Los Angeles. It is an insult to USC to consider UW and ASU as being equal programs when those jobs opened up; a move to either program would be a lateral move at best, but a move to USC would have to be considered an upgrade, right?

    I’m assuming Riley wants a chance to win national championships, rather than being the giant killer. As much as he has done at Oregon State, he must realize that the recruiting pool will never be the same at the two schools. By virtue of being in southern California and being USC, Riley will be able to attract top level talent; sure, Oregon State had the second most draft picks in the 2000’s, but can you imagine what Riley and his staff could have done with 4 and 5 star recruits instead of 2 and 3 stars?

    Finally, there is the incessant mention of NCAA sanctions over Reggie Bush/OJ Mayo. If you assume that the NCAA will come down on USC, what is a reasonable punishment? Forfeiting victories mean nothing going forward, which means postseason ban/scholarship cuts/recruiting restrictions are what matter. If, and I’m not convinced this is going to happen, but if USC gets banned from the postseason for a year, is that really enough deterrent for a coach like Riley? He can simply use that as leverage, demand more money/years and prepare to be the savior that leads USC out of the mess. Hometown hero at $1.5 million a year? National Championship savior at $3.5 million a year?

    With that said, I’m not entirely convinced Riley is the best fit for USC. If Herm Edwards gets hired, I might cry; if they hire the team of DeWayne Walker and Norm Chow I will probably stop writing donation checks until Mike Garrett gets fired. But… I have to think Riley will have until mid week to accept and I put the chances of him coming to USC at 50-50.

    • I think TrojanFan makes some good points from a USC perspective.

      NCAA or self-imposed penalties could be leverage for early stability in the next coach’s contract. Money is money, and tradition is tradition.

      Of those three aspects–stability, money, tradition–the new coach is only really guaranteed one of them no matter what the contract says. When thinking of USC as a storied program, one of those stories is Paul Hackett. The next coach will more than likely be another Hackett. It’s not that Riley couldn’t handle the scrutiny. It’s that the scrutiny simply envelops itself until becomes a singularity which sucks the life out of everything around it.

      Then there’s OSU. Riley can make tradition in the modest comfort of his home.

    • I agree with all your points about USC…it’s a great program and an easy place to go. I just don’t think it’s what Mike wants at this stage of his life. (Self) satisfaction can come from within, personal goals, and not necessarily from the national attention you’re talking about. I think he wants the latter, but from within the framework of within. In other words, on his own terms and comfort. Sorry.

      My opinion is that USC should hire Gruden. That’s the best fit for the job…he’s not being mentioned much.

  6. Locey did play at OS, during the dismal years, but played very well! He is a great coach and is still the best option. Speaking of spread option I agree everyone is going to have to figure out how to stop that high octane attack of the ducks.

    • It was tongue in cheek.

      Wilcox would be good. I think Bumpas is entrenched in Texas. I think Al Simmons at Cal is a coach ready to be a defensive coordinator.

    • How can I find out if this is true? It is 5 p.m. pacific time? Has it been on the news? Can’t find it anywhere on my computer links?

      • That’s what I feared would happen. Knew he wasn’t going anywhere, but didn’t want to see us throw more money/years at a guy who doesn’t even want to leave. Now OSU has no leverage, and Riley has a lifetime contract which could lead to complacency. I don’t see Riley coaching more than 5 more years, to be honest.

        • The terms of the contract weren’t mentioned so they might not be paying that much more, which if it isn’t then I wouldn’t mind because he’s earned it. Although the contract doesn’t include an additional year for whenever he makes it to a bowl game so no it’s not really a lifetime contract.

          • That article mentions that he will get another year for every bowl berth.

            “Full disclosure of terms of the new contract will be announced in the near future, but one term is that his contract will roll over an additional year for every time the team participates in a bowl game.”

        • Do you guys really think Mike is going to coach until 2019? 9 more years? I can’t see that. The extension seems strange. I’d rather see the current contract remain in place with a slight raise than all those years added.

          • 9 more years wouldn’t be suprising to me much. He want to be the Joe Pa of OSU so although he probably won’t coach until he’s in his 80s or maybe even his 70s, but I could see him at OSU when he’s 65 or 66. Also it’s an extra three years to his previous contract. That’s really not too much for a contract extension.

    • I think what you meant to say was “I just read a post on Blitz from benny beaver who is usually very reliable that indicates Riley declined the offer”.

      How come you crap on that site so much, yet that’s where all your info comes from? Hypocritical much?

  7. Okay, he’s extended, and now has a “lifetime contract.” I predicted he’d leave and go for the mucho dinero, and I said if I was wrong I’d admit it. So I was wrong.

    Overall I am more glad than not Riley stayed, but I’m also trying to wrap my head around and rationalize the concept that it’s a good thing to commit to a “lifetime contract” with a coach who in nine seasons has never had a season with fewer than four losses. And with recruiting being the way it is and the scheduling in the near future being the way it is, I’m not seeing much improvement anytime soon. Maybe I’ll be surprised.

    Are we saying this is the best we can do and this is as good as it gets? There seem to be both up sides AND down sides to Riley staying. If anybody thinks I’m being unduly negative here, well, this blog is subtitled “A Cynical View of Oregon State Athletics” after all.

    • You’re right to ask the tough questions. But I think Riley is better than the ‘best we can do’ question. My personal take is that OSU needs to establish itself as a winner in the minds of fans and recruits. And Riley has the skills to make OSU a winner on a year in/year out basis. Cliff Kirkpatrick reported on Friday morning–before all this hubbub–that Riley was working on tweaking some things and shifting some personnel around to improve the team. Some of the speculated moves are the very things we’ve discussed on these pages–i.e. moving McCants to LB. So we can see that Riley is probably as critical of the personnel on his team as we are. He just takes the correct approach of never discussing his personnel’s failures in public.

      That kind of loyalty and leadership gets noticed by prospective recruits. Better players will come to OSU as we are further removed from our own past, and winning will continue on a higher level as a result. Having Riley for the next umpteen years will more than likely establish a winning tradition at OSU, and that’s something we haven’t had for a long time.

      Now if someone can just put a bug in his ear about our blind corner technique…

  8. There is no better indication that we have a problem with national attention than what I saw on ESPN First Take this morning.

    During one of their news updates, Aiesha Canidate was announcing that Mike Riley signed an extension and will stay at Oregon State. While she was filling in the details the screen flashed to Riley as he was coaching a game. Then it flashed to two different plays with Keith Toston carrying the ball while wearing his ugly white oSu helmet before flashing back to a coaching Riley.

    Shame on ESPN.

    • Similar thing happened during the Civil War broadcast on FSN which was nationally televised. They used the Oklahoma State OSU symbol in one of their early quick transitions between highlights during the Civil War last night.

      Seems like it’s pretty common to mix us up.

      • It seems common, that is why we went to the OS. I can’t believe a sports organization that has the ability to broadcast nationally can make that kind of mistake. I suppose that is why I don’t respect FSN because a regional sports venue doesn’t even know what our symbol is, embarrassing for us and them.

      • I doubt they ever accidentally show the Beavers on the regional Oklahoma station…it’s a national respect issue and identity crisis. Hope Bobby D is still talking with Nike about the rebranding…

    • Quayshawn Buckley, 6-4, 290, academic issues which look like he’s handling well.

      He was a pretty big target last year that the Beavs hoped would sign with his teammate, Josh Andrews. He’s a big hoss who plays bigger.

      Nice follow-up by the coaching staff.

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