SAN DIEGO — The slow and painful erosion of USC football wore on Carson Palmer, the Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback who fortified the legacy before watching it crumble during his decade and a half in the NFL.
The Coliseum once housed a college goliath, the glistening West Coast standard-bearer. Marcus Allen and Charles White suited up there. So did Anthony Munoz, Junior Seau, Reggie Bush, Bruce Matthews and too many swashbucklers in cleats to count.
It's the storied place where Traveler rears, with an armored Trojan warrior pointing a gleaming sword to the sky. Fans arm-pump the victory sign to "Tribute to Troy," the most ubiquitous college soundtrack this side of Ann Arbor, Mich., and South Bend, Ind.
They won, a lot. They were feared. They shrugged off expectations like overmatched tacklers. Then the program started to tap dance on banana peels.
From Palmer's senior season in 2002 until '08, the Trojans piled up at least 11 wins each season, winning the Rose Bowl four times and the Orange Bowl twice. In the dozen years since, the program has reached the 11-win mark once.
That spurred USC Athletic Director Mike Bohn, who once filled the same role at San Diego State, to fire coach Clay Helton this week.
"I wasn't surprised," Palmer told the San Diego Union-Tribune this week. "I was hearing the same chatter, as well. He was on the hot seat and the Stanford loss put him over the edge. The writing was on the wall."
Bookending the pandemic-shortened season in 2020, the Trojans were embarrassed 49-24 by Iowa in the Holiday Bowl — the final sports event at old San Diego Stadium.
Two games into 2021, USC was blown out by Stanford … a 17 1/2-point underdog … which lost to Kansas State by 17 the week before … at the Coliseum.
Much more changed than just the results.
"The guys in the SEC don't acknowledge the Pac-12," said Palmer, 41, who used to own a home in the Del Mar area. "It's that way nationally now. USC used to be one of those schools where every recruit was on their list, and we've lost that. There's a loss of respect.
"I watched it when it was at its peak and I was in the NFL, dribbling away. The only way to get that respect back is a change."
The Trojans used to be the yardstick by which others were measured. They toppled those on the who's-who list, from Oklahoma and Michigan to Notre Dame and Ohio State. Will Ferrell, Snoop Dogg and Tom Selleck roamed the sidelines.
The whole of it was perfect for Los Angeles, with Hollywood-styled theatrics surrounding all those popping pads.
Not anymore.
"I want to be exceptionally clear: our university and its leadership are committed to winning national championships and restoring USC to its football glory," Bohn wrote in a statement.
Palmer argued that the USC coaching position is as tricky to navigate as any in the country, but also dishes up massive potential.
"That's such a difficult job," Palmer said. "It's in L.A. In my mind, it's the pinnacle coaching job in the country. But you also deal with the boosters, the media, the families, all of it. It's so hard. The coach needs to embody being part of L.A. and what impact you can have in the city.
"Using L.A. is a massive advantage, though. Most schools are in cities people haven't heard of. There are so many dimensions to those jobs and you've got to be great at all of them. (Former coach) Pete (Carroll) was great using L.A. as a recruiting factor."
The whispers reached Palmer, too.
"The name that was kind of obvious was Urban Meyer, then he took the Jacksonville (NFL) job," he said. "Last time it was (Jack) Del Rio and (Jon) Gruden. You hear (Alabama coach Nick) Saban, but there's probably zero chance that's happening."
In parts of seven seasons in which Helton served as head coach, the Trojans won a pedestrian 64.9% of their games. The team finished 1-3 in four bowl games with the departed coach punching program buttons.
The calls for change rang out for years.
"I'm excited to hear who this next coach will be," Palmer said. "As a fan and somebody who played there, I'm excited to hear they're investing in the infrastructure."
When asked, Palmer said he would offer any help Bohn might want, even if it was to simply pick his brain about elements of the Trojans' successful past.
"I'd love to help," said Palmer, who threw for more than 46,000 yards in the NFL. "I've got a Ph.D. in quarterback and played for some great coaches. If it helps, yes, for sure."
Bohn's decision looms uniquely large, across the college football landscape.
"Getting the right guy is hard and we've been trying for a while," Palmer said. "But I'm excited."
Before long, he'll find out if that excitement is well-placed.
