USC is the first Power 5 job on the market which means, in an ideal world, USC will be the first job filled later this fall.
Unless Adam Schefter's sources end up being correct.
Schefter tweeted Tuesday that NFL circles believe Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy will be a candidate to become the next Man of Troy.
League sources believe Chiefs' OC Eric Bieniemy will emerge as a head-coaching candidate for USC. Bieniemy is from Southern California and has told confidantes in the past, that USC is one of the only college jobs that might interest him.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 14, 2021
Bieniemy played at Bishop Amat Memorial High School in LA County before becoming a Heisman Trophy candidate at Colorado, and he was Colorado's offensive coordinator for two seasons during Mike Bohn's run as the Buffs' AD. In fact, Colorado was Bieniemy's last job before taking the Chiefs' running backs job.
So there are links between USC and Bienemy. But there's also a gigantic hurdle: timing.
The Chiefs are widely expected to play into February, and USC will want to have its next head coach in place by late November or early December.
Would that stop USC from announcing Bieniemy as its next head coach if Bohn is absolutely convinced he's his guy? No. Could Bieniemy hire a staff and recruit for USC after hours? It's happened before, albeit for weeks and not months.
But the timing hurdle is so big, so insurmountable that Bieniemy would have to win this race by such a distance that his competitors would still be rounding the turn as he crosses the finish line, because anything closer will go to the guy who can start the job before the early signing period.