According to reports coming out of the University, now former, Tennessee Volunteers coach Lane Kiffin has been named the next head coach of the USC Trojans. Kiffin replaces Pete Carroll who made the jump to the NFL when he took a job with the Seattle Seahawks.

He was a member of the USC coaching staff from 2001-2006, first as wide receivers coach and then as offensive coordinator under Carroll.

"This was not an easy decision," Kiffin said Tuesday night when he made a brief statement on the Tennessee campus. "This is something that happens very quick. We've been here 14 months, and the support has been unbelievable here. I really believe the only place I would have left here to go was ... Southern California."

It is also being reported that a deal is being worked on in hopes of bringing longtime offensive coordinator Norm Chow back to USC in the same capacity. Chow, the current UCLA offensive coordinator held that position with USC from 2001-04.

Kiffin will bring his father and defensive coordinator, Monte Kiffin, and assistant head coach and recruiting coordinator Ed Orgeron to Southern California with him.

Orgeron was with the Trojans for seven seasons before becoming the head coach at Mississippi and then an assistant in the NFL with the Saints.

"It's great news," said starting quarterback Matt Barkley. "I remember meeting Kiff way back on the recruiting trail when I was a freshman in high school. I liked him when I met him. I like that he knows how to live and breathe the Trojan way."

The 34-year-old Kiffin is one of Carroll's top disciples from his nine-year tenure at USC. Kiffin, a former Fresno State quarterback, worked his way up to offensive coordinator in 2005 while also showing impressive recruiting skills.