LOS ANGELES — Steve Sarkisian beamed in front of a large news conference Tuesday at the University of Southern California and said he did not leave the University of Washington for a rebuilding process here.
"We will not shy away from expectations," said Sarkisian, who was hired Monday to replace interim USC head football coach Ed Orgeron, who led the Trojans to a 6-2 record since Lane Kiffin was fired Sept. 28 after a 3-2 start.
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"We will embrace them. We are here to win championships," Sarkisian said. "We're going to recruit players with the talent and desire to do something special.
"We are not rebuilding. 'Rebuilding' is not a word around here."
Sarkisian, 39, a former USC assistant under Pete Carroll and the Washington head coach the past five years, met with the USC players Monday night. At that meeting he faced some players who had grown extremely close to Orgeron and were upset he was not hired.
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There was also a mixed reaction from USC's fan base, on the internet and on talk radio.
"The idea of what the perception is on the outside is not that concerning to me," Sarkisian said. "What concerns me is in the locker room, in the weight room.
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"At the end of the day, then we can evaluate a year, two, or three down the road. Let's evaluate the hire a few years down the road. If we're beating UCLA and Notre Dame and competing for national championships, it's a good one. If we're not, it's not."
USC sophomore quarterback Cody Kessler had grown particularly close to Orgeron.
Southern California quarterback Cody Kessler, center, and safety Josh Shaw, right, listen to the new football head coach Steve Sarkisian at Tuesday's introductory news conference in Los Angeles.(Photo: Jae C. Hong, AP)
"He meant so much to me that this is difficult," Kessler said. "But Coach Sark is our coach right now, and I'm grateful for that, too. Coach O always said 'One team, one heartbeat,' and Coach Sark said he believes in that, too.
"It's never easy to lose your coach, and we've lost two this year. We've been through so much this year that I don't think anything can hurt us."
Sarkisian apologized for a statement he made over the weekend that indicated he was not close to taking the USC job.
"I should have just said that I had been interviewed at USC," Sarkisian said. "I was looking out for the best interests of 105 players at Washington and 105 players at USC."
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"Forty-eight!" interjected USC athletic director Pat Haden, who made the decision to hire Sarkisian.
The Trojans face one more smaller recruiting class from NCAA sanctions. After two previous smaller recruiting classes and injuries, they had a noticeable lack of depth this season.
But Sarkisian didn't even mention the sanctions.
"I'm focusing on getting these kids' confidence right," he said. "I think we have a championship roster right now.
"I feel so honored to be part of the Trojan family. USC is about being the best. I want to be the best. I think we have the opportunity to do so."
Haden, a former USC quarterback, said the decision, especially in regard to Orgeron, made for "the hardest few days of my life. I have such respect for Coach O. ... He is one of the greatest Trojans of them all.
"My job is to make the best decision for USC and I am convinced I have done that," Haden said.
Orgeron, 52, was offered a pay raise and a spot on Sarkisian's staff but declined and offered his resignation.
"As you can imagine, Ed was disappointed," Haden said. "We tried everything we could to keep him here. But Ed wants to be a head coach. He deserves to be a head coach.
"I hope he goes somewhere and makes me look like an idiot."
Haden said offensive coordinator Clay Helton will serve as head coach in USC's upcoming bowl game.
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