Ask Farrell: Should Clay Helton be on the hot seat at USC?

TAKE TWO: How likely is it that Jeff Brohm takes the Louisville job?

USC won the Pac-12 title last season and then in the 2018 NFL Draft, quarterback Sam Darnold was taken third overall by the New York Jets.

In the previous season, the Trojans dispatched Penn State in the Rose Bowl, 52-49, scoring 17 unanswered points in the fourth quarter in one of the best finishes in that storied game’s history.

This was all accomplished in coach Clay Helton’s first two full seasons, the man who is seemingly now on the hot seat and as Adam Maya of TrojanSports.com wrote Sunday, sources have told him AD Lynn Swann, who did not hire Helton, is privately seeking Helton’s successor.

The 2018 season has been a disaster by USC’s standards, that sentiment accentuated more than ever on Saturday night when the Trojans lost a 14-point lead to Cal, who went on to win the game 15-14, snapping a 14-game losing streak and it the first time Cal has won in the Coliseum since 2000.

USC scored three points against Stanford; got blown out by Texas; gave up 41 points to a less-than-explosive Utah team; struggled at times before pulling away from Oregon State; and then Saturday’s debacle.

This loss to Cal might have been the worst. The Golden Bears are a decent football team with an outstanding defense - and well-coached - but they’re outmatched by four- and five-star recruits on USC’s side. But Iman Marshall was caught barking at the Cal sideline and was penalized late in the game. Defensive back Isaiah Langley got involved in a minor incident on the sidelines, venting some frustration. And after two touchdown passes early, the USC offense looked plain bad in the second half.

Helton has already taken away play-calling duties from offensive coordinator Tee Martin. That situation will unfold in the offseason as many believe Martin will look for employment elsewhere. We’ll see.

“I’m sorry for the 5-5 season right now, but better days are here to come,” Helton said after the game. “I’ve seen those programs all across the country, have a Rose Bowl, win a Pac-12 championship and then have an off season and then come right back. We’re going to compete against one of them in about two weeks (Notre Dame). Sometimes you have a season that it just doesn’t go your way. I believe in this coaching staff, I believe in the leadership, I believe in our players most of all. I believe better days are ahead.”

In 2016, Notre Dame finished 4-8 and there was chatter in South Bend that coach Brian Kelly had worn out his welcome. Last season, the Irish went 10-3 and won the Citrus Bowl. This year Notre Dame is in the thick of the College Football Playoff hunt.

Entering this campaign, Helton strung together the first back-to-back double-digit win seasons since toward the end of the Pete Carroll era a decade ago.

We ask Rivals.com National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell to weigh in on whether Helton is being treated fairly and whether he should be on the hot seat at this point in his USC tenure or are fans - and the media - being far too reactionary?

“Helton is feeling the heat and should feel the heat. USC is far too talented to be a .500 football team and the Trojans are losing to inferior teams in a weak Pac-12. Yes, he’s done a lot so far in his tenure, but remember he wasn’t hired by Swann and he wasn’t a very popular hire overall.

"When I see USC losing to teams like Utah, Arizona State and Cal I shake my head and can’t understand how they could be playing down to these teams. I know some people think Helton has done enough to keep his job and I don’t think he’ll be fired after this season, but watch out next year if they play like this. He’ll be gone very quickly.”