When Steve Sarkisian was let go by Pat Haden this fall, the pressure and criticism could not have been higher on the Athletic Director. In the most embarrassing and public way possible, Haden’s hire for the football program had failed. This of course happened after Haden’s first hire, Lane Kiffin, also failed and had to be let go mid-season. And in his only other big-name decision, Haden looked even worse in the basketball department, where head coach Andy Enfield and the Trojan men’s program had only put together a few conference wins in the two seasons since Enfield was brought in. With three strikes at the time, it was not just Sarkisian, but also Haden who was being called on to resign by some critics.
But as Haden watched the men’s basketball team demolish UCLA for the second time this season last Thursday, he knew his doubters would be silenced for at least a little bit. For Haden personally, he knows now that he has in fact left this University’s athletic department in a better position than when he took it over, and he is ready to hand it off.
As we look back on his legacy, there are of course mistakes and decisions he would probably want to correct with 20–20 hindsight. Of course, his defining decision, his last decision, the hiring of Clay Helton as the permanent football program will really define his legacy as an athletic director. But the resurgence of the men’s basketball program in the months after all of the controversy surrounding the football team proves that Haden has done at least one big thing right. As we look back on his legacy, we should appreciate the challenge he faced and the patience it takes to reestablish an athletic program.
Looking back, we still will probably put both the Kiffin and Sarkisian in the L column for Hayden.
Kiffin is arguably an even more interesting saga than Sarkisian. During the heyday of the Pete Carroll era, while Carroll brought in an NFL level defensive mentality, the Trojans also were dominating on the offensive end with two different Heisman Trophy winners and lots and lots of points.
Kiffin was the offensive mastermind behind that, and left the Trojans to make the jump straight into a head coaching position in the NFL with the Oakland Raiders. Though his stint in Oakland as a head coach was not terrifically inspiring, and very brief, as was his stint in between as the Tennessee head coach, there was certainly reason to believe that he had potential as an elite head coach. And as he’s proven again in Alabama as the Crimson Tide’s, he can be and still is very much an elite offensive coordinator. But he just did not have what it took to be a head coach. There was that fantastic 10–2 season with Kiffin back in the 2011 season. But that proved to be more of a fluke than anything else, and the Trojans need something more consistent as a program head going forward.
As has been discussed plenty of times in this publication, the hire of Sarkisian should have been vetted more. Yes, he had personal issues develop after his hire, but there was writing on the wall from his previous stint in Washington. He had one epic recruiting class, one which the current program will reap the benefits from for another couple of seasons. But Haden was slightly too caught up in nostalgia for the Carroll era when he decided to hire another Carroll disciple. It was time for USC to break away from that.
But in Enfield, Haden found someone that encapsulates the best of what Sarkisian and Kiffin had to offer. Enfield has enough strategic knowledge of the offensive game to make the Trojans into a successful team, like Kiffin did as a coordinator. The Slam City mindset that Enfield brings to the table on offense is not just fun and exciting to watch, but is the spread offense equivalent in basketball. Finally, in his third season, we’ve seen that he knows how to effectively implement the system and turn USC into an offensive threat.
But he also can recruit like Sarkisian. The influx of talent on the men’s team with guys like Julian Jacobs and Jordan McLaughlin is the other key reason why USC is becoming a top 25 national program.
Again, the key to Haden’s legacy will be the result of the Helton hire more so than the Enfield hire. But there’s a lot of similarities between Helton and Enfield. Helton may not be a mastermind on offense, or the world’s greatest salesman, but he has the personality that just makes people want to play for him. And when you look at Enfield, that’s essentially what he brings to the sideline. If football can keep the momentum that basketball started, Haden will have plenty to cheer for as he makes the transition to a full-time fan.
Luke Holthouse is a junior majoring in policy, planning and development and print and digital journalism.
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