Sports

Then-head coach Kliff Kingsbury of the Texas Tech Red Raiders looks on from the sideline during the second half against the Kansas State Wildcats at Bill Snyder Family Football Stadium on Nov. 17, 2018 in Manhattan, Kansas. Kingsbury was hired to be USC's offensive coordinator in December. (Peter G. Aiken / Getty Images)

USC Blocking Offensive Coordinator from Speaking to NFL Teams

By Ross Kelly January 6, 2019 at 12:46pm

Former Texas Tech head coach and current USC offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury is a talked-about name when it comes to some of the NFL’s head coaching vacancies.

But just because he’s on the radar of several professional teams doesn’t mean Kingsbury will actually be interviewing for any of those jobs. That’s because his current employer is apparently blocking teams from talking to him.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported today that USC has denied the New York Jets and the Arizona Cardinals the chance to interview Kingsbury, who was hired by the school in December.

College teams have always been allowed to either grant or deny permission from NFL teams to speak with their coaches, but the penalties that result from a team ignoring the college’s request are now being enforced by the NFL.

This stems from conversations that took place at the NFL owners meetings last month. Violations could result in the loss of draft picks for teams who ignore a college’s request.

“If permission is denied, the NFL club should respect that decision just as it would respect a similar decision from another NFL club,” the NFL’s rule says. “NFL clubs that fail to follow these protocols may be subject to disciplinary action for conduct detrimental to the League.”

Kingsbury’s contract with USC has a very low buyout, sources told NBC Sports’ Mike Florio. To this point, NFL teams have honored the league’s mandate, though Kingsbury could simply pay the buyout and walk away from USC.

The Cardinals and Jets, meanwhile, have both moved onto other coaching candidates while waiting to see if USC relents and allows Kingsbury to interview.

Both teams have quarterbacks coming off their rookie seasons, and Kingsbury is widely regarded for his work with young signal-callers.

Should college programs be allowed to deny NFL teams' requests to interview their coaches?

At Texas Tech, he coached Patrick Mahomes and Baker Mayfield, though Mayfield’s tenure in Lubbock didn’t end well. While he was the offensive coordinator at Texas A&M, Kingsbury also coached Heisman winner Johnny Manziel.

Shortly after becoming USC’s offensive coordinator, Kingsbury was asked by ESPN’s Shelley Smith why he didn’t choose the NFL. Kingsbury responded that he hadn’t “really thought about it.”

“(USC) just, was calling my name, really,” he said. “I enjoy working with the younger players, the college players, having that type of impact on and off the field. So, this is just where I wanted to be.”

With Kingsbury out of the picture for now, the Cardinals have met with other candidates, including Jim Caldwell and Adam Gase.

The Jets have met with Gase as well, in addition to Mike McCarthy and Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy.

Whether this season or next, Kingsbury figures to have many more opportunities at being a head coach in the NFL. He’s just 39 years old with more than a decade of college coaching experience. He also spent parts of five years on professional teams in the NFL, CFL and NFL Europe.

Kingsbury’s only regular season NFL action came with the Jets in 2005, when he attempted two passes. But he did earn a Super Bowl ring in 2004, when he was with the Patriots.

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