BREAKING: Kliff Kingsbury has deal in principle to become USC OC

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Kliff Kingsbury has agreed in principle to be USC's offensive coordinator, sources have confirmed.

A contract has not been finalized, as it first must be approved by the Board of Trustees before it can be signed. Sources said the deal includes several guarantees.

The former Texas Tech head coach met with Clay Helton this afternoon and has since boarded a private jet home with USC swag in tow. I'm told Kingsbury did not meet with AD Lynn Swann.

Helton has called a players' meeting in the next hour, presumably to relay the news that Kingsbury will be taking over the offense.

***UPDATE***

Multiple sources reaffirmed Thursday evening that Kingsbury to USC is a done deal and that he is being hired. An official announcement from the school could come as soon as Friday, though sometimes takes a few days. Kingsbury is scheduled to meet with the offensive players soon.

RELATED: Join the discussion at Trojan Talk | Going deep inside the numbers on Kingsbury's resume

While Kingsbury posted a 35-40 overall record with four losing seasons in six years with the Red Raiders, his upside as an offensive mind is obvious.

A former stat-stuffing Texas Tech quarterback under Mike Leach, Kingsbury rose quickly through the coaching ranks. After debuting as a quality control coach at Houston in 2008 and later become the co-offensive coordinator and QBs coach there for the 2010-11 seasons, leading Houston to average 49.3 points and 599.1 yards per game.

Kingsbury then followed head coach Kevin Sumlin from Houston to Texas A&M to serve as offensive coordinator for the Aggies in 2012, a season in which his quarterback Johnny Manziel would win the Heisman Trophy as the team averaged 44.5 points and 558.5 yards per game. Kingsbury was named a finalist for the Broyles Award, given to the nation's top assistant coach.

With that, Kingsbury cashed in for his first head coaching opportunity, returning to Texas Tech. There he developed future NFL star QB Patrick Mahomes, who passed for 4,653 yards in 2015 and 5,052 yards in 2016 for the Red Raiders.

Kingsbury's offenses at Texas Tech remained productive, but the overall success didn't materialize for the program due to struggles on the other side of the ball. At USC, he'd merely be tasked if improving an offense that ranked tied for 90th in scoring at 26.0 points per game and 83rd nationally with 382.6 yards per game -- with head coach Clay Helton taking over play-calling duties from former OC Tee Martin down the stretch of the season.

Kingsbury has never led an offense as an OC or head coach that didn't average at least 30.5 point or 474.6 yards per game.

And he'd be walking into a situation with a rising sophomore quarterback in JT Daniels, a prized national recruit coming off an inconsistent debut season, and a stable of offensive playmakers expected to include proven wide receivers Michael Pittman, Tyler Vaughns and Amon-Ra St. Brown along with returning running backs Stephen Carr and Vavae Malepeai.