USC Morning Links: Dissecting Kiffin’s Move to Bama, Trojan Optimism and Other News

Analyzing Lane Kiffin’s move to Alabama(Stewart Mandel | Sports Illustrated)

"The massive disconnect between the public perception of Kiffin and the opinions of those that know him have long fascinated me. He’s always been sharp, pleasant and at times humorous in the various one-and-one conversations I’ve had with him, yet he’s college football’s undisputed public enemy, a first-class jerk in the minds of many (including SEC commissioner Mike Slive). But pleasant interactions or not, I hold the same opinion as everyone else in regards to his tenure as USC’s head coach. Save for the second half of the 2011 season, it was a train wreck. But I’m merely a writer of college football, not someone inside the profession, and clearly coaches and athletic directors that have a chance to sit down with Kiffin are enamored with his football mind."

Meet Ed Orgeron’s Replacement, Chris Wilson(Trenise Ferreira | Bleacher Report)

"Prior to coaching the Dawgs, Wilson was the defensive coordinator at Mississippi State for three years. With him at the helm, the Bulldogs averaged 2.5 sacks a game, ranking 28th nationally in that category, and logged an impressive 81 tackles for loss on the year. Before Mississippi State, Wilson spent time working with the defensive line and special teams for the Oklahoma Sooners."

USC has reason to remain optimistic(Euno Lee | Daily Trojan)

"How this is beginning to read is that the players leaving for the draft are doing so at a time that would be most advantageous to them. USC is undergoing yet another transition. The Trojans are in for another quarterback battle this spring where there may be yet another quarterback change depending on the performance of junior quarterback Max Wittek and sophomore quarterback Max Browne."

Can the Trojans Pull a Signature from Visiting Players?(Rick McMahan | Bleacher Report)

"Michiah Quick is a blazing-fast Scout.com 5-star wide receiver who is a game-changer with the ball in his hands. Though not particularly big at 5’11”, 170 pounds, the aptly named Quick more than makes up for that with his speed and athleticism. Quick would certainly fill a position of need for USC, and he has the talent to see the field of play as a freshman, which is something Sark will sell to the Fresno, Calif., product."

* * *

If you have any tips, suggestions or submissions to our link dump, please shoot us an email to

reignoftroy@fansided.com

.