One of the great walk-ons for Pitt football in recent years. He started his post-college career looking to the media and then moved to the coaching side with USC. Now Yogi Roth faces a tough choice.

Lane Kiffin, USC’s former offensive coordinator and the Oakland Raiders new head coach, made an offer to Roth to become the assistant receivers coach with the Raiders. On Friday, USC made a counterproposal.

Now comes a big decision for the 25-year-old. Be sure of this: Roth will attack whatever job he has with a vigor that is unmatched.

“The philosophy at SC is to do whatever you do better than it’s ever been done before,” Roth said. “Hopefully, I did my job better than anybody before me. What’s crazy is you buy into that. Be the best in the world at it.”

For all the things that Roth has done successfully in his life — walking on at Pitt and becoming a starting wide receiver, going overseas and earning his keep by teaching children English, starting at the bottom of SC’s coaching staff and working his way up — I have to disagree that it’s something he learned at SC.

Maybe it was cemented there, but Roth always had a drive from inside. Saw it in that first football game, and you could tell it from how seriously he took his job bussing tables at J.J. Bridges. What Roth has achieved, he’s earned. So that he now has the choice of two or three cherries on top is no surprise. Nor is the fact is that he’s remembered everyone along the way.
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“The nice thing is (Carroll) has been a friend to me first,” Roth said. “That’s not going to change. I’d love to stay here forever. This has been the coolest two years of my life. They’ve instilled a philosophy, a belief system, a vision that I live. It’s very critical to me. His son is my best friend. It’s a difficult thing to leave but what an exciting thing to do.”

Whether Roth stays or goes, it probably will be about which he perceives to be the greatest challenge. That’s how he lives, never afraid to fall flat on his face, and get back up and start scaling the mountain.

It’s that drive that will push Roth to the top of his profession. So, don’t be surprised six or seven years from now when he’s the guy wearing the headset on the sideline and calling all the shots. And maybe coming back to haunt Pete Carroll.

He’d be an assistant. Unlike Kiffin in the big role, it can’t hurt Roth to be an assistant at any level in the NFL. Still, his offer at USC is to be the Wide Receivers Coach. Not sure which is really the better offer. Honestly, if it was not for the whole Reggie Bush cloud, I’d lean to USC. But if the Trojans get nailed because of the Bush issues…

Still, Yogi Roth is in good shape if that’s his worst concern.