We never did think USC would fire Andy Enfield as head basketball coach, and that did not happen. We wrote nearly two weeks ago that “The other main reason to keep Enfield at USC for another season is more practical: dollars. USC shelled out a lot of money to hire elite defensive football coaches for Lincoln Riley. USC has money, but not an endless supply. Resources have to be managed and allocated well. The idea that USC can’t spend everything all at once is reasonable. Giving Enfield one chance to bounce back for 2025, and then reassess after next season, is not a ridiculous idea at all.” Sure enough, USC didn’t fire Enfield, but SMU appears to have hired him, though as of Wednesday night (March 27), a contract had not been signed and an announcement had not been made.
One of the key questions to ask: Did USC Athletic Director Jennifer Cohen encourage Enfield to seek new opportunities (as the industry jargon goes), or was this solely Enfield’s move? Regardless, USC seems to have hit the jackpot by getting a chance to upgrade its coaching position after 11 good — but not spectacular — seasons in Los Angeles. USC will now try to get that spectacular coach as it moves into the Big Ten. Let’s see how social media reacted to the explosive news on Wednesday evening:
