LOS ANGELES — Thirty-four days after he was formally named USC’s new offensive coordinator, Kliff Kingsbury is leaving the school.
Kingsbury accepted an offer Tuesday to become the next head coach of the Arizona Cardinals, replacing Steve Wilks, who was fired after going 3-13 in his one season, and ending an abbreviated tenure with the Trojans that was once greeted with significant fanfare. The Cardinals announced they had signed Kingsbury to a four-year contract, including a team option for a fifth season.
Since ending the season in November with USC’s first losing record in nearly two decades, Trojans coach Clay Helton sought to overhaul his staff, hiring five new on-field assistants, none of them more high-profile than Kingsbury, the 39-year-old former Texas Tech coach who carried a lofty reputation as an innovative offensive play-caller
Following his hiring in December, the school advertised season-ticket packages in emails to alumni that prominently displayed photos of Kingsbury. Helton compared his addition to winning the lottery upon nabbing the sought-after assistant and further described it as a great marriage.
At the time of his arrival at USC, Kingsbury had weighed several potential coaching opportunities, including in the NFL. Rams coach Sean McVay said he approached him about joining the team in an advisory role after this season ended.
When Helton first spoke about Kingsbury during a news conference in December, he downplayed the speculation that his newly hired assistant would bolt for the professional ranks during this offseason.
“He said, ‘Coach, if I decide I’m coming to USC, I’m coming to USC,’” Helton said.
In a statement Tuesday, Helton showed no hard feelings and congratulated Kingsbury.
“I am happy for Kliff,” Helton said. “Any time you get an opportunity to be an NFL head coach, it is special. He is a talented coach, that’s why we brought him here. I wish him nothing but the best.”
Without Kingsbury, the Trojans will again be in the market for a new offensive coordinator to replace Tee Martin, who was not retained following the season and was earlier stripped of his play-calling duties in October as the offense continued to struggle in the aftermath of the departure of star quarterback Sam Darnold.
USC ranked 84th in the nation in total offense in 2018, averaging 383 yards per game, and finished 91st in scoring with an average of 26 points per game, but will return several talented young skill playmakers on offense, including quarterbacks JT Daniels and Jack Sears, as well as a bevy of wide receivers that first drew Kingsbury to the position.
In order to replace Kingsbury as offensive coordinator, Helton said he will “spend the upcoming weeks finding the best possible fit for USC and our program.”
“USC has always attracted the best coaches in the country from all levels,” Helton said.
NFL teams’ interest in Kingsbury only grew in the past five weeks, intrigued by his pass-happy “Air Raid” offense that produced some of the highest-scoring teams in the nation in his recent seasons at Texas Tech, and they have been seen as more open to installing college offensive philosophies.
Kingsbury also developed future NFL quarterbacks such as Patrick Mahomes, now the Kansas City Chiefs’ passer who is the favorite for the league MVP, as well as identifying Baker Mayfield, who was first a walk-on with the Red Raiders before transferring to Oklahoma. In a previous stint as the offensive coordinator at Texas A&M, he also coached Johnny Manziel, the dual-threat quarterback who won the Heisman Trophy in 2012.
After interviewing with the New York Jets on Monday, Kingsbury, who was first linked to NFL head-coaching jobs last week, met with Cardinals executives a day later. He will be formally introduced at a news conference in Arizona on Wednesday.
“I’ve played in this league, coached on the college level, and have always been fascinated by the NFL,” Kingsbury told the Arizona Cardinals’ website. “With the offensive trends these days, it felt like a perfect time to be here.”
In an initial press release announcing the hire, the Cardinals noted that Kingsbury was friends with McVay, the Rams coach. Over recent weeks, NFL analysts have noted that teams have looked to hire coaches in the mold of McVay, a young coach held in high regard for his play-calling ability. There had been eight head-coaching vacancies.
With the Cardinals, he will coach former UCLA quarterback Josh Rosen, who was selected as the 10th overall draft pick last year.
The buyout to the contract Kingsbury signed with USC was not a significant hurdle. A report from the NFL Network said it was $150,000 and that it would be paid for by the Cardinals.
Kingsbury’s overall record as the head coach at Texas Tech, his alma mater, was 35-40, including three straight losing seasons, leading to his firing in November, and prompting Helton to pursue him as an assistant.
“When they let the Texas Tech staff go and decided to make a change, he was the first one on my list,” Helton said last month. “He was literally the first name.”
Helton will now be required to go further down on his list.
