USC Fires Steve Sarkisian, Could Chip Kelly Be a Candidate?

Just one day after putting Steve Sarkisian on a leave of absence, USC has decided to fire the troubled head coach.

Sarkisian reportedly showed up to practice and meetings under the influence on Sunday and USC officials pulled him aside and sent him away indefinitely.

The school announced that assistant coach Clay Helton will take over matters on an interim basis for the rest of the 2015 season.

"After careful consideration of what is in the best interest of the university and our student-athletes, I have made the decision to terminate Steve Sarkisian, effective immediately.

"I want to thank Clay Helton for stepping into the interim head coach role, and I want to add how proud I am of our coaching staff and players and the way they are responding to this difficult situation," USC athletic director Pat Haden said in a statement.

So with the Trojans looking for another head coach, chances are they will want to make a smart, known hire that will make a splash. Could Eagles head coach Chip Kelly be on their radar?

According to ProFootballTalk, Kelly is a coach that USC would "love to have there." Kelly has vast experience in the Pac-12 conference and would come with NFL experience to help in recruiting:

"Speculation will immediately turn to Philadelphia, where Kelly is known as a coach the USC brass would love to have. Despite a big win for the Eagles yesterday, it’s an open question whether Kelly has what it takes to succeed in the NFL. But there’s no question that he has what it takes to succeed in college, and if he has any interest in going back to school, USC and Kelly would be a great fit," PFT wrote.

Of course Kelly is focused on beating the Giants and evening up the Eagles record at 3-3, but when plush college jobs are vacant he should always expect a phone call. It's also a bit of the same narrative we've heard that surrounds the future of Chip Kelly. Win or lose, he could walk away from the NFL tomorrow morning and have job waiting for him back at college by lunch time.

PFT also mentions Jack Del Rio and Jeff Fisher as possible candidates citing their obvious connection to the university as being former players. Another name floated by PFT is Bills offensive coordinator Gregg Roman who has a connection to the Pac-12 as an assistant to Jim Harbaugh at Stanford. The Ventnor native has been looking for a head coaching job the past few years and could be a candidate again after the season.