The first thing you notice about Pete Carroll, the football coach at the University of Southern California, is the manic energy, the voice that stays relentlessly up-tempo. In the course of two national championship runs, Carroll has often resembled a nine-year-old who's having a very good Christmas, stalking the sidelines in long sleeves looking for someone to hug. Of this seemingly permanent state of euphoria, he says, "I always think something good's just about to happen."
A college coach is first and foremost a CEO, presiding over an 85-person workforce that leaves the job every four years. But it's helpful to think of the gray-haired Carroll—a vaunted defensive tactician and disciple of the legendarily cerebral Bill Walsh—as a premier turnaround artist. When he took over at USC in 2000, the program, like the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, was a rusting monument to glories past. The Trojans hadn't won a national championship since 1978 and, unless they were playing UCLA, most weeks they drew relatively few fans. As Carroll has piled up national titles and honors—three Heisman winners (Carson Palmer, Matt Leinart, Reggie Bush) in four years, five straight Pacific-10 conference titles—the Coliseum faithful have come back in droves. "Never in the history of this program had they sold out a whole season," Carroll says. "We did that last year. And we already did it again this year." More impressively, Carroll has found a way to make USC a part of the Hollywood scene, like Magic Johnson's "Showtime" Lakers were, which has made the Trojans one of the biggest draws in Los Angeles. The Coliseum bleachers are lined with celebrity fans ranging from Snoop Dogg to Henry Winkler. Last year, Will Ferrell, an alum, showed up at practice as Ricky Bobby, his character from Talladega Nights, and delivered a twangy inspirational speech. Carroll, who has enlisted his players in countless practical jokes, donned a Nascar jumpsuit alongside him.
Improving USC's recruiting has been Carroll's masterstroke. Its dynasty players of a few years ago have been replaced by all-American candidates like John David Booty, the quarterback from Shreveport, Louisiana, and Keith Rivers, the linebacker from Lake Mary, Florida. Carroll's strategy has been to expand recruiting beyond the high-schoolers who grew up near USC and could already sing the alma mater. (Last season, his biggest heist was running back Joe McKnight from River Ridge, Louisiana, who had been heavily recruited by nearby Louisiana State.) According to rivals.com, which monitors recruiting, USC has had the best incoming class in the nation for three of the last four seasons. The promise of big-time college football is one thing; the promise of college football near Hollywood is another. "What always comes up with a recruit is, 'This is too good to be true!' " Carroll says. Thanks to the seasonal haul, his team is the favorite to win the national championship again this year.
