COLLEGE FOOTBALL Coaching roundup
Southern California
Lynn Swann backs Clay Helton
LOS ANGELES
Clay Helton will remain Southern California’s head coach after the Trojans’ first losing season since 2000.
USC athletic director Lynn Swann made the announcement Sunday, one day after the Trojans finished 5-7 with a loss to Notre Dame.
Swann elected to keep the embattled coach for another season just nine months after he gave Helton a contract extension through 2023. Helton is 32-17 in his first head coaching job.
The Trojans lost five of their final six games this season, capped by back-to-back losses to archrivals UCLA and Notre Dame.
Helton took over at USC during the 2015 season. The Trojans won the Rose Bowl two seasons ago to cap a nine-game winning streak, and they won the Pac-12 title last season
Texas Tech
Kingsbury out after third losing season
Lubbock, TEXAS
Kliff Kingsbury was fired Sunday by Texas Tech after the former record-setting Red Raiders quarterback had a losing overall record in his six seasons as their head coach.
Athletic director Kirby Hocutt announced the move after meeting with Kingsbury, a day after the Red Raiders finished their third consecutive losing season with a 35-24 loss to Baylor when they had a chance to get bowl eligible. That was their fifth straight loss after a 5-2 start this year.
Kingsbury finished with a 35-40 overall record, a .467 winning percentage that is better than only two of the other 14 Texas Tech coaches in the program’s history.
The Red Raiders were 19-35 in Big 12 games under Kingsbury, including 3-6 in the conference each of the past three seasons. They have gone nine consecutive seasons without a winning record in Big 12 play.
NORTH CAROLINA
Tar Heels fire Larry Fedora
RALEIGH, N.C.
North Carolina says football coach Larry Fedora is out after seven seasons.
The school announced the decision in a news release Sunday morning. That came less than a day after an overtime loss to rival North Carolina State that dropped the Tar Heels to 2-9 and concluded with a brawl between the teams in the end zone.
Fedora’s exit completes a swift fall. The program won 11 games and an Atlantic Coast Conference division championship in 2015. UNC went 5-18 over the past two seasons marred by injuries, inexperienced players and close losses.
The move will cost UNC about $12 million owed on Fedora’s contract that runs through the 2022 season.
Illinois
Lovie Smith signs 2-year extension
Champaign, Ill.
Illinois has extended the contract of coach Lovie Smith for two years through 2023 after the Illini finished his third season with four victories.
Athletic director Josh Whitman announced the deal Sunday. Whitman hired Smith, the former NFL head coach who led the Bears to the Super Bowl, soon after he was named AD in 2016.
Smith is 9-27 in three seasons with the Illini and 4-23 in the Big Ten, but there were clear signs of progress this season for an inexperienced team that went 2-10 and winless in the Big Ten in 2017. Smith’s original deal was for six years and $21 million.
WESTERN KENTUCKY
Mike Sanford out after two seasons
BOWLING GREEN, Ky.
Western Kentucky has fired second-year coach Mike Sanford following a 3-9 finish, the Hilltoppers’ first losing season since 2010.
The school announced Sanford’s firing on Sunday, a day after the ‘Toppers beat Louisiana Tech 30-15 for their second consecutive victory in Conference USA play. Their strong finish followed six consecutive losses but wasn’t enough to save Sanford’s job as they finished 2-6 in the league.
Sanford guided WKU to a 6-7 finish and the Cure Bowl last season.
Associated Press