NCAA football coaches are traveling the country as I write this trying to seal the deal with the nation’s top football recruits for the 2010 season. All of them are making promises to the wide-eye high school players and their families of how their program is the program to come to. Coaches are telling parents that they will treat their son like their own. Whatever it takes to get a player to commit to their program is the motto for majority of the coaches. Once they sign on the dotted line all bets are pending. Some coaches keep their word and some coaches’ words are worth less than the paper the scholarship is made of. Lane Kiffin (Tennessee’s former football coach and now USC’s coach) and Pete Carroll (USC’s former football coach and now Seattle Seahawks coach) fall into the latter category.

First, I want to talk about “Pom Pom Pete.” I thought Pete Carroll was a legitimate coach that cared about his players, until last year when he publicly criticized Mark Sanchez, USC’s quarterback, for leaving school early to play in the NFL. He told the media that Sanchez was not ready and then proceeded to leave the press conference without acknowledging Sanchez. Coach Carroll shook his hand, but wouldn’t look Sanchez in the face. It was an embarrassing and awkward seen for me watching it, so I can only imagine how Sanchez felt. At that moment I lost a lot of respect for Carroll. I never thought he was that type of selfish coach, until that moment. His true colors came out a bit, but now it is evident that his character is truly flawed. He is leaving his USC program to chase another NFL coaching dream. The question is whether he really wants to coach at the professional level again or is he leaving to escape tarnishing his name from NCAA violations?

It’s definitely the latter. After all the allegations and investigations of the USC football and basketball teams the NCAA will be handing out some penalties on both squads. The basketball team has already felt the wrath and now comes the true moneymaker, the Trojan football program. Carroll is thinking that it’s best to leave now and play the role of wanting to coach professionally again. This is the same coach that told the media that Sanchez wasn’t ready and now he’s jetting out to Seattle, while Sanchez is getting ready to try to win another playoff game. Now who’s ready?

Last but not least is Lane Kiffin. Words really can’t describe this con man for a coach. I can’t believe that the athletic director couldn’t smell what he was cooking. Kiffin is the true definition of an “opportunist.” He could care less about who he hurts or offends as long as he gets what he wants. And that appears to be money, power, and attention. He will say what he thinks people want to hear, but all the while he has a hidden agenda. What is amazing is the fact he hasn’t accomplished anything as a head coach to conjure this notoriety. Needless to say, he fooled the Oakland Raiders and the University of Tennessee, getting fired from the Raiders and jumping ship after 13 months with the Vols. Is that a resume of a sought after coach? I think not.

In the end Mike Garrett, USC’s athletic director, has to take some responsibility for all of this commotion as well. It should be a gentlemen’s code not to steal another ADs football coach from under their nose. Also, ADs need to hire men of character that are looking to serve the mission of the university and be positive role models to the players they coach. But as long as coaches are paid multi-million dollar salaries to coach this dilemma will continue.