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USC head coach Clay Helton wasn't surprised by offensive coordinator Graham Harrell's eventful offseason, as wave after wave of interest came from other schools and even the NFL.

"I told Graham when he came here from North Texas, I said, 'Graham, I really think you're a superstar in this profession, and you're going to go from me talking to you to the whole world talking to you after a year.' And that's happened," Helton told TrojanSports.com.

But Harrell is indeed back for his second year with the Trojans, and expectations are sky-high for the offense as spring practice gets underway Wednesday.

Harrell and others involved in his offseason courtships reflected back on everything that played out these last few months for the fast-rising coordinator.

“I think this a special place. I’ve said this since I’ve been here, and we’ve got a lot of great guys and we have a chance to be really, really good," Harrell said last week while meeting with reporters for the first time since December. "Again, we’re happy here. My family enjoys it here. Got a lot of special players here, a lot of guys I have a great relationship with here. To be honest with you, a lot of the reason I get interest from other places is because the players we have here and the success we’ve had on the field here. So I wanted to see it through with some of those guys, and to have success with them is something that excites me and ultimately why I wanted to be here.”

It's no secret that Harrell has a strong connection with sophomore quarterback Kedon Slovis in particular, and Slovis breakout freshman season under his tutelage was surely a major impetus for the interest Harrell attracted this offseason.

Over the final eight games last season, after Slovis returned from missing most of two games due to a concussion, USC averaged 34.4 points and 475.6 yards per game. Overall, the Trojans ranked 35th nationally in scoring at 32.5 points per game (up from 26.1 the previous year) and 20th in total offense at 454 yards per game (up from 382.6).

And the football world took notice. First, it was the Texas Longhorns pursuing Harrell for their offensive coordinator position. That prompted USC to increase its investment in Harrell in December, offering him a three-year contract extension reportedly worth $1.2 million annually.

Later, the Philadelphia Eagles came calling, bringing Harrell in for an interview for their coordinator position. And finally he became a candidate for Washington State's head coaching position.

“It can be stressful, but you know, it’s obviously a humbling experience and you’re excited about it because you got a lot of great opportunities, but especially for a family it can be tough. You think you’ve figured out what you’re going to do and where you’re going to be," Harrell said. "But again, this is a great place and obviously a great university with a lot of great players here. My family is happy here so that obviously helps the cause and plays into it."

It's unclear if USC made any subsequent changes to Harrell's contract after the initial extension, but athletic director Mike Bohn spoke about going through that whole process.

"Keeping Graham Harrell twice is impressive, and my hat's off to Clay Helton for that. ... It wasn't twice, it was three times," Bohn said. "I think in the end it's important for every one of our employees to feel valued, and I believe in my heart he feels valued and understands his impact. He's committed to championships and playing at the highest level."

The Trojans kept Harrell for 2020, but if all goes as everyone involved hopes on the field this process will surely play out against next offseason. Which raises the question of what are the kind of jobs that could one day pull Harrell away from the Trojans?

He's known to be very pragmatic, and according to his close friend and USC tight ends coach John David Baker, Harrell had multiple opportunities to leave North Texas before deciding the Trojans job was the right one to make it happen after three years as coordinator there.

"He has a close-knit circle of people that he trusts. So when he goes through that stuff, he’s very analytical in how he thinks about things. He tries to see things from every angle," Baker said. "He was blessed with a lot of different offers. When he sat down and looked at it, he thought this was the best one. He didn't want to leave. His family's happy, we've got a great opportunity to be really, really good next year. He believes in this place. He knows how special this place is and wants to be here and make it as great as it can be. ...

"To be honest with you, it's been like [this] the last three years, but I will say this. I always trust him -- because more than likely his decision affects me -- I always trust his decision [that] he's going to make the right one. Because, one, he's a man of faith, he's not going to do anything flying by the seat of his pants."

Regarding the Eagles' interest, Harrell said he had never really thought much about the NFL being in his coaching future, and in listening to his and Baker's perspective it sounds unlikely that will be the next move in his career.

Baker noted that Harrell coming from a background where his grandfather and father were both high school football coaches, that was always what he thought could be his path as well.

"The NFL is probably the last thing on his mind. He is truly an educator. He enjoys growing people and growing kids. I don’t know that for a fact, but I don’t think you get to do that as much at the NFL level. So I think college fits him best because that's what he loves to do," Baker said.

Said Harrell: "I think a lot of people, their ultimate goal is to be in the NFL. That’s kind of what they view as their end goal or what they’re striving for. To be honest with you, I always thought I was going to be a high school football coach. That’s all I’ve ever known. So being in college is fun and I enjoy it. Going to the NFL is not something I really considered too much until the opportunity arises and you really do start thinking about it. I do think it’s a great opportunity and one day it may be the right time and the right opportunity for me to go do it. This just wasn’t it."

It also seems unlikely that another college coordinator job could offer Harrell a better opportunity to advance his career than what he has at USC, with a young star quarterback and the Trojans' perennial pipeline of highly-ranked receivers joining the program.

If Harrell was going to chase a bigger payday or leave for another coordinator job, Texas and returning to his home state would have made a lot of sense.

So it seems more likely that it would be a college head coaching job that ultimately becomes his next career move.

“Once I got into college coaching, I think my goal’s always been to be a college head coach," Harrell acknowledged. "So that’s kind of more where I’ve seen my career going than the NFL until you get opportunities in the NFL. Then you have to consider those. Again, to leave here it’s going to have to be a real special opportunity, and it’s a great place, so it’s a place we’re happy, it’s a place we love to be in. It’s a place where you can win a national championship and that’s always the goal in college coaching and it’s something I always wanted to do. I think this is the place you can do that and contend for that year in and year out. I think to leave here would have to be the perfect fit and a great opportunity, but my goal is to be a head coach. That’s what I want to do.

"Maybe it will be in the NFL at some point, but college head coaching, once I got into my coaching career and I was in college, kind of thought that’s where I’d like to end up at some point. We’ll see where it goes from here."

In the meantime, Harrell is a Trojan, and as he noted, he has an absolutely loaded offense at every position aside from the offensive line, where USC does have some major questions.

Expectations are high that the unit could be even better than last year, and if that happens, well, next offseason should be even more interesting for Harrell and the Trojans.