USC reportedly not giving up on landing Chris Petersen as head coach

The USC Trojans continue to eye big names in their search for a new head coach, including one former Pac-12 rival.

According to Scott Roussel of Football Scoop, USC athletic director Mike Bohn is particularly intrigued with two candidates for the school’s vacant head-coaching position. One is Penn State’s James Franklin, as has been widely reported.

The other is former Washington coach Chris Petersen. The 57-year-old is in his second year away from coaching after abruptly leaving Washington following the 2019 season. Petersen has long been eyed by USC but has never accepted its overtures.

As recently as September, Petersen sounded uninterested in the USC job. Perhaps that’s changed, or perhaps the Trojans think they can change his mind. The appeal is that USC wouldn’t have to go through any hurdles to land Petersen, as he’s not attached to any program. He also has ample Pac-12 experience with Washington.

Franklin is appealing, but the Trojans appear to have competition there. The door could be open to wild-card candidates as well.