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Report: Mario Cristobal is USC's top choice for head coach

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports | By Grey Papke | Last updated 9/16/21

The USC Trojans reportedly have one name in mind at the top of their list as they embark on the search for a new head coach.

According to Scott Wolf of Inside USC, the Trojans are eyeing Oregon coach Mario Cristobal as their top choice for the job. It is not clear if that interest is mutual.

I hear that #USC’s top choice for job is Oregon coach Mario Cristobal

— InsideUSC (@InsideUSC) September 16, 2021

Cristobal would certainly tick a lot of boxes for USC. He has Pac-12 experience, obviously, and has shown himself to be a good recruiter. He’s coming off the biggest win of his career after beating Ohio State in Columbus, and the Ducks are in position to make a run at the College Football Playoff if they can avoid any wobbles for the rest of the season.

It’s worth noting that Cristobal had previously been asked about rumors linking him to USC, and made it pretty clear he wasn’t going to talk about it.

Take 30 seconds out of your day to hear Mario Cristobal dunk on Doug Gottlieb when asked about the USC rumors.

"My response is Go Ducks." pic.twitter.com/7ripxvpVW4

— Andrew G. Haubner (@A_G_Haubner) September 15, 2021

Cristobal has been linked to other coaching vacancies before, and hasn’t taken them. In fact, he just got a new six-year deal with Oregon last December while being linked to another high-profile position. USC may be interested, but he seems happy and entrenched with the Ducks, so this might just be a pipe dream.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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