Andy Enfield USC: Pros and Cons of Leaving Florida Gulf Coast for Trojans

According to Dan Wetzel of Yahoo! Sports, the USC Trojans are targeting Florida Gulf Coast head coach Andy Enfield. The Trojans would be looking to hire Enfield for that same position for their program.

The question is, do the pros outweigh the cons of Enfield potentially leaving Florida Gulf Coast for USC?

This is the question that Enfield must decide upon as he moves forward with his budding career. The future is long and far ahead of the Florida Gulf Coast general at age 43.

So why should or shouldn't Enfield consider USC as a realistic option?

The Pac-12 is far from the powerful conference that it used to be. The days of UCLA dynasties and Arizona's NBA prospects have passed, but there is one important factor to acknowledge.

The Pac-12 is on the rise.

UCLA pieced together a masterful recruiting class in 2012 and should be able to do so again under Steve Alford in 2013. Much like Andy Enfield, Alford transformed a mid-major school, New Mexico, into a powerful contender.

Arizona, meanwhile, had a superb recruiting class of its own and should continue its rise in 2013.

Should Enfield join USC, he'd enter the ranks of a budding conference. This is an intriguing factor for recruiting and NCAA tournament-seeding purposes.

Something that is likely to entice Andy Enfield, regardless of what he decides to do.

There is no reason to believe that Andy Enfield will be the next coach in line for NCAA sanctions. That would be an outrageous question of his character, which we have no grounds to offer.

With that being said, USC has a long history with the NCAA in terms of recruiting violations.

This may not have too much of an impact, but we cannot deny how controversial a program USC has proven to be. That includes the self-imposed sanctions that came as a result of O.J. Mayo's violations and an inability to hold onto head coaches.

USC has had five different coaches since 2005.

When it comes right down to it, there is no comparison between the Pac-12 and Atlantic Sun. The Pac-12 garners national respect when at its highest point, while the Atlantic Sun is not quite a "mid-major."

Only two Atlantic Sun teams finished with an overall record of .500 or better.

The key to all of this is that the top recruits are often looking to attend teams that play in major conferences. USC can stake that claim as a member of a reincarnated Pac-12.

Conventional wisdom subsequently tells us that Andy Enfield would have a greater chance of landing an elite recruit at USC than he does at Florida Gulf Coast.

If a coach of Andy Enfield's profile arrived at USC, there's a strong possibility that recruits would soon follow. Not only would they come from the California area, but those in Florida, as well.

With that being said, USC has landed two ESPN 100 recruits since 2008—one of whom, Bryce Jones, has since transferred to UNLV.

A case could be made that poor coaching and recruiting has led to USC's woes. It could also be said that UCLA is a more attractive option for California recruits, if any in-state schools at all.

Keep in mind, the California Golden Bears made it to the Round of 32 during the 2013 NCAA Tournament—USC didn't even make the field.

If Andy Enfield is to return to Florida Gulf Coast, he will be in direct competition with the Florida Gators and Miami Hurricanes for recruits. Florida made it to the Elite Eight in 2013, and Miami reached the Sweet Sixteen.

The Gators took down the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles, for what it's worth.

Not only are those two teams members of high-profile conferences, but the Florida State Seminoles join them in that regard. Florida Gulf Coast, meanwhile, is the fourth most notorious school in the state of Florida.

USC has a UCLA program in a state of flux and a California school that hasn't been to the Sweet Sixteen since 1997.

USC may not be much better off, but it is a high-profile school with the capacity to land great recruits. More importantly, the Trojans can compete at a higher level than Florida Gulf Coast, from a recruitment perspective.

When it comes to landing elite players, USC presents a more realistic opportunity to do so.

To put it simply, a small school that has experienced Sweet Sixteen success is quite inclined to stick with its head coach through difficult times. A major program, however, is far less tolerant.

That would be the case for Enfield at USC, no matter how much stock he's earned at Florida Gulf Coast.

When it comes right down to it, Enfield has spent two seasons at the Division I level as a head coach. In that time, he's made a Sweet Sixteen appearance in 2013 and gone 15-17 in 2012.

The ability and upside is there—the established history is not. Not outside of Florida Gulf Coast.

As previously acknowledged, USC has seen five different head coaches since 2005.