USC Football: Pete Carroll is Returning to Trojans For a Unique Reason

Carroll will be back at USC.

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Former USC football head coach Pete Carroll is making a return to USC, but to teach a class next spring. Carroll, who agreed to step down from his job as head coach with the Seattle Seahawks in January, has yet to publicly specify what class he will teach.

"I'm looking forward to that," Carroll told 93.3 KJR-FM. "It's going to be a really exciting endeavor when it's finalized and all that."

"I could coach tomorrow"

-Pete Carroll on if he still wants to coach.

Listen to the full interview with the former Seahawks head coach here: https://t.co/yEgWtaZISY pic.twitter.com/GP1GRLs46N

— 93.3 KJR (@933KJR) August 21, 2024

Carroll previously was part of USC when he coached the USC football team from 2001-09, turning the Trojans into one of the most dominant programs in the country. Under Carroll's lead, the Trojans won the Rose Bowl four times, ranked No. 1 in the AP Top 25 poll for a record 33 straight weeks, became two-time AP national champions, and led USC to two BCS national championships.

The Trojans saw three players win the Heisman Trophy, 25 players become first-team All-Americans, and Carroll was recognized as the Coach of the Year by multiple outlets in 2003.

After the 2009 season, Carroll left the Trojans to become the head coach for the Seattle Seahawks. The departure came shortly before the NCAA implemented sanctions on the USC football program after a four-year investigation found that former running back Reggie Bush received improper gifts. The Trojans were punished with a two-year ban from the postseason, losing 30 scholarships, and having their national championship wins stripped from recognition.

Having left USC before the punishments were put in place, Carroll went on to lead the Seahawks to a Super Bowl victory during the 2013-14 season. He coached the team for 14 seasons and was named to an advisory role with the team. While speaking with 93.3 KJR-FM, Carroll said that he has largely 'kept his distance' from the Seahawks since the new regime under head coach Mike Macdonald took over.

With Carroll out of a coaching job for the first time since 2000, he is instead embracing a teaching role and other projects. The 72-year-old has not ruled out a return to coaching, saying he 'could coach tomorrow.'

In the meantime, Carroll is satisfied both with where he is at and what he was able to accomplish in his coaching career, even if he doesn't return to coaching again.