Kliff Kingsbury was close to joining Rams, calls USC football “right spot at right time”

Kliff Kingsbury appeared on the Dan Patrick Show on Monday, revealing he was “close” to joining the Rams, but saw USC football as the “right spot.”

How close was USC football to missing out on hiring new Kliff Kingsbury in favor of a position with the Los Angeles Rams?

“Close,” Kingsbury said during an interview on the Dan Patrick Show on Monday morning, talking his NFL prospects, the USC job and more.

Kingsbury said he has great respect for Rams’ coach Sean McVay and he would have loved to see how he does things on a daily basis. McVay had reportedly offered the former head coach a position as an offensive analyst, but in the end, Kinsgbury made the decision to stay in college and join the Trojans.

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“Just felt like this was the right spot for me at the right time,” said Kingsbury.

The new offensive coordinator cited a few reasons for picking USC. It’s a storied program with a storied tradition. Head coach Clay Helton is “a phenomenal man” who is good to his players and coaches. Plus, despite the 5-7 record, Kingsbury saw the great opportunity to jumpstart USC’s talented-but-flailing offense.

“I think the sky is the limit and I think with the talent on this team, sometimes when you have a season like that you can refocus and use it as motivation,” Kingsbury said. “I felt like it was kind of the perfect storm to get out here and do what we do offensively and try to help Coach Helton and this university get back to it.”

As for the NFL, Kingsbury indicated he remains fascinated with the league and how college-type ideas have bled into NFL offenses. However, he referred to continued interest from NFL teams as something to consider “as I go on in my coaching career.”

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For now, the focus is on the Trojans.

“This opportunity was just too great to pass up with the talent we have here and a great city to live in and work,” said Kingsbury. “So I was happy to join Coach Helton.”