UCLA football coach Rick Neuheisel put an end to reports that offensive coordinator Norm Chow was leaving for USC on Wednesday, stating that Chow will remain at UCLA.
“I talked to Norm as he was en route back from the East Coast and assured me that he wants to be at UCLA,” said Neuheisel in a press conference.
Shortly after ESPN announced that USC had named Lane Kiffin as its head coach on Tuesday, ESPN’s Shelley Smith reported that Chow was leaving UCLA to become the offensive coordinator at USC, a position he held from 2001 to 2004.
These reports were described as “not accurate,” by UCLA Sports Information Director Marc Dellins Tuesday night.
On Wednesday, Neuheisel clarified the situation, stating that while Chow’s representatives have been in contact with USC, Chow said that he has not spoken with USC officials.
“The profession is one where you certainly want a commitment,” Neuheisel said. “You want people who are excited to be there. I think coach Chow feels that about UCLA. I don’t think it, it’s exhibited.”
Neuheisel added that should someone be presented with a “blockbuster deal and felt like they couldn’t turn it down,” he would not be upset.
“All I know is what Norm Chow told me ““ that he is committed to UCLA,” Neuheisel said.
Chow has yet to issue a statement regarding his commitment to remaining at UCLA, furthering speculation that the offensive coordinator could have left for USC.
“I’ve told him that he should share with the most important people, which are the recruits,” Neuheisel said.
Neuheisel said that Chow told him he would do so.
“Norm knows enough about college football and the signing period to know that this is a critical time,” said Neuheisel of National Signing Day, which is Feb. 3.
Neuheisel said the first report he had heard about the possibility that Chow might leave for USC was the one by Smith, and that he felt there was a level of “irresponsible reporting.”
“When I got a chance to talk to Norm, he said that (Chow and USC) had not talked,” Neuheisel said.
Placed in the situation he was in, Neuheisel said that he would have had a list in the back of his mind of potential replacements for Chow should he had left for USC.
“The thing about coaches is we’re all replaceable,” Neuheisel said.
Neuheisel hopes that this issue will be resolved before this weekend, but emphasized that the coaching staff will have a great weekend of recruiting regardless.
As for the reports that USC was offering Chow a raise over his current salary at UCLA, Neuheisel said it would be “speculative” of him to say what they were but that the numbers on the reports “were large.”
About an hour prior to Neuheisel’s press conference, Kiffin was formally introduced at USC as the new football coach.
“It became very obvious when we had the chance to come back here that we were coming back home to the greatest job in America,” Kiffin said. “To land here today, to be here today, I’m extremely fortunate.”
With the threat of possible sanctions for the USC football team as the result of an investigation by the NCAA Committee on Infractions to be released in February, Kiffin said that there will be a commitment to running a clean program.
“Our number one thing we’re going to do is have a dedication to running an extremely clean, disciplined program,” Kiffin said. “And that will start from today and we’ll continue that throughout the whole time that we’re here.”
As for the possibility of Chow leaving UCLA to join his staff at USC, Kiffin would not give specifics about the search for a coaching staff.
“As I said before, this staff is going to take time,” Kiffin said. “We’re going to put together a great staff. Out of respect to other universities and other NFL teams, I’m not going to give any specifics about the search, who we’re hiring. We have two coaches that we brought with us and we’re going to take our time.”
At the beginning of his press conference, Neuheisel welcomed Kiffin back to Los Angeles and talked about the battles the two teams will go through on the field and in recruiting.
“Our job is to make it more even in the next decade,” he said.