Pete Carroll is on the 'short list' of coaching candidates at USC

One week after firing Steve Sarkisian as their head football coach, the University of Southern California is setting some lofty goals in their quest to find their next coach.

According to Dan Patrick of "The Dan Patrick Show," two sources "behind the scenes" at USC told him that Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll is on their "short list" of coaching candidates and that they think he can be talked into returning to USC, where he coached for nine seasons and won two national championships.

"Pete Carroll is on that short list right now," Patrick said. "Not that Pete would leave Seattle. But the alumni are all in on trying to get Pete back ... The people who help make decisions there, they think Pete Carroll is in play. This what I was told, before the loss [on Sunday], if it goes south in Seattle, they think there is a chance that Pete would listen to go back to USC."

Patrick described the sources as "people who are behind the scenes," but not people making the decisions.

Patrick had previously reported that Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh is also on their list of candidates.

Kevin Sumlin at Texas A&M is also on the short list, but Patrick said "they don't think they can get him." Sumlin was reportedly the Trojans' top choice in 2013 when Sarkisian was hired, but declined to stay at Texas A&M.