Haden sent Sarkisian home from Trojans practice Sunday.
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USC had their Sunday practice this afternoon but Sarkisian was not at the practice and was scheduled to meet with the media after.
“I called Steve and talked to him”, Haden told reporters (via the Los Angeles Times).
Sarkisian took over USC in 2014 after a five-year career as the head coach at Washington. But against USC, the Irish will need to be able to move the point of attack, something they didn’t necessarily do consistently against the Midshipmen. But it shouldn’t have come to this, not on October. 11 in the middle of a pressure-packed season that has undoubtedly exacerbated whatever demons Sarkisian has to deal with.
Trevon Sidney, a senior receiver from La Puente Bishop Amat High, said the situation involving Sarkisian did not affect his verbal commitment to USC.
When he took the field before the game, he knew in the back of his mind he would get the opportunity to make a play that would help his team win. Football, in this case, is very much secondary for him. He wasn’t being fair with himself or his bosses.
Sunday night, he announced on Twitter that he was reopening his recruitment, saying that he and his family felt it was in his “best interest to de-commit from the University of Southern California”.
“It was very clear to me that he is not healthy”, Haden said of the conversation.
The Louisiana native served as assistant head coach, defensive line coach and recruiting coordinator at USC from 1998 to 2004 before spending three seasons as head coach at Ole Miss.
If that were the case, then why are we here? Instead of stabilizing USC, it has become immersed in turmoil on Haden’s watch. About the only other player who’s still faintly in the race is TCU quarterback Trevone Boykin, who continues to put up video-game like numbers out of necessity.
But now it might be time for Haden to finally cut bait.
In 2013, after Kiffin was sacked, Ed Orgeron was named interim coach.
Haden has indicated privately to many around the school and to boosters that he intends to stick around in his current role for several more years.
“Just a kid from Los Angeles”, the shirt read.
What happened in the days since that game is unclear, but it clearly was concerning enough for Haden to act. Change seems inevitable now.
Sarkisian has admitted to having a tough time dealing with a public divorce during the offseason, but denied having a problem with substance abuse.
USC Athletic Director Pat Haden is one of the members of this committee. “So did the staff”, Haden said (via the Orange County Register).
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Now he needs to step aside from those duties and focus on his own house at Heritage Hall. One of the few black-and-white issues that remains in college football is winning, and what it takes to have a stalwart program. Additionally, being nice and fun aren’t exactly the requisite traits one looks for in a potentially dynastic head, coach.
