Four days of speculation came to an end this morning, as the Seattle Seahawks officially announced that former University of Southern California head coach Pete Carroll will become the team’s eighth head coach.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but it is believed Carroll signed a five-year deal worth up to $35 million. Carroll turned in his resignation to USC on Sunday. According to the Los Angeles Times, Carroll sent out a text message to a Trojans assistant coach that was distributed to the rest of his assistant coaches and players, telling them that he would not be returning.

Carroll is expected to be introduced to the media on Tuesday.

“We are excited to add Pete as our coach. He brings a great passion for winning and a positive attitude that is contagious,” Seahawks CEO Tod Leiweke said in a prepared statement. “We now turn our full attention to the hiring process for a general manager. Our intended structure is for Pete and the new GM to work in a collaborative capacity on football matters.”

Carroll’s full duties with the team have not been disclosed, although it is believed the team will hire a general manager that will handle all personnel matters and Carroll will be in charge of the players on the field, with both reporting to Leiweke.

Carroll built an impressive résumé during his nine seasons at USC, winning 84 percent of his games, seven straight Pacific-10 Conference titles and two national championships. But Carroll reportedly longed to return to the NFL to prove he could win at the highest level.

He compiled a 33-31 record as a head coach in the league, including one season with the New York Jets and three with the New England Patriots, making the playoffs twice in four seasons. However, Carroll’s tenure in the pros, which ended in 1999, is viewed as mixed. Carroll said he thought his chance at coaching in the NFL had passed him by.

“I had given up on it,” Carroll told the Los Angeles Times, “but it came out of nowhere.”

The Seahawks created a head coaching opening by firing Jim Mora on Friday after he finished with a 5-11 record in his first and only season in charge in Seattle.

The Seahawks may be calling for Carroll at the right time, with the Trojans facing the possibility of NCAA sanctions and Carroll’s relationship with USC athletic director Mike Garrett becoming strained.

However, in his first interview since the team’s announcement, Carroll denied that the possibility of sanctions had no affect on his decision.

“Not in any way,” Carroll told The Times. “Because I know where we stand. It’s just a process we have to go through. We know we’ve fought hard to do right.”