USC reached out to former California head coach Jeff Tedford to join its staff after firing Lane Kiffin.
Tedford was offered a role as an offensive consultant and recruiter with the Trojans, Fox Sports reported, with the understanding he would receive consideration for the head coaching vacancy. Tedford would have assisted quarterbacks coach Clay Helton, who is taking over for Kiffin in calling plays, in developing and executing the offensive game plan.
Tedford declined interest in joining the staff this season, but would like to be considered for the top job.
Apparently, Tedford has no qualms about replacing Kiffin. Kiffin was a quarterback and student assistant at Fresno State when Tedford was the Bulldogs' offensive coordinator to start his coaching career and the two have remained cordial.
Tedford coached the Golden Bears for 11 seasons, going 82-57 before being fired at the end of last season. Tedford revived a wayward program to lead Cal to a share of the Pac-10 title in 2006 and came up just short of the promised land of playing in the Rose Bowl in 2004, where Texas used its muscle to edge Cal in the final polls, and again in 2006, where Cal lost a winner-take-all game against USC. Thanks largely to Tedford's recruiting and player development, Cal produced the fourth-most players on NFL opening day rosters.
However, considering Tedford's struggles to find a successor to quarterback Aaron Rodgers, excessive playbook and academic issues, he seems like an unlikely long-term solution for USC.
Follow Dan Greenspan on Twitter @DanGreenspan.