Report: John Harbaugh a top candidate for USC job if Clay Helton is fired

USC just completed a disappointing 5-7 season on Saturday night with a loss to Notre Dame, and fans have been calling for head coach Clay Helton to lose his job. If the school does decide to make a change, one prominent NFL coach could be on their short list.

Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports that Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh is one of USC’s top three candidates if they fire Helton.

If #USC fires coach Clay Helton, as those involved expect, one name is believed to be among their top 3 candidates: #Ravens coach John Harbaugh. He joins former #Raiders coach Jack Del Rio and #PSU coach James Franklin. … But would USC wait for an NFL coach to finish his season?

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) November 25, 2018

The Ravens are 5-5 and remain in the playoff hunt, but there have been reports that Harbaugh and the team already have a handshake agreement in place to part ways after the season. A deep playoff run could change that, though that seems unlikely.

Helton went 5-4 as an interim head coach at USC in 2015. He then went 21-6 over the following two seasons, both with Sam Darnold at quarterback. A 5-7 season is well below USC’s standards, and fans have been going out of their way to call for Helton to be fired. Replacing him with a big name like Harbaugh would almost certainly please Trojans supporters.