University of Southern California Football

Lincoln Riley's Accolades 3 Heisman Trophy Winners coached 4 Big 12 Championships 3 College Football Playoff Appearances 2018 Big 12 Coach Of The Year 3 QBs ...

Aaron Amaama is in his first season as USC's Director of High School Recruiting Relations, bringing a strong track record of building relationships with players, families and coaches—especially in the Polynesian community. He came to USC in the spring of 2024 as a personnel assistant working to curate top recruiting classes. Prior to arriving at Troy, he was a member of Tennessee's recruiting staff for two seasons (2022-23). A former offensive lineman at Utah from 2014 to 2018, Amaama joined the Utes' staff after exhausting his eligibility and served as a player analyst through 2022. During that time, he built strong ties with local high school programs as a member of the recruiting department. Amaama earned First Team All-State playing for Bingham HS (Utah) and was recognized as Region 3's Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman his senior year in 2013. Known as "Coach Dogg," Amaama is respected for his genuine approach, his strong presence in the Polynesian pipeline and his ability to make families feel part of the Trojan program from day one.

Abbie Dow, a sports dietitian, enters her second season with USC Football. Dow also serves as the team dietitian for USC's baseball and soccer teams. In 2024, she earned her Master of Science in nutrition from Lamar University. Dow began working with USC Football in 2023 after completing an internship with Medical City Healthcare in Dallas, Texas under the direction of Terry Brown. She earned her second bachelor's degree in nutrition and dietetics from Texas Woman's University in 2022. In 2019, Dow earned her Bachelor of Science in exercise science from Southern Arkansas University, where she also played collegiate softball. She completed a Sports Nutrition Internship under the Trojan's current Director of Sports Nutrition, Rachel Suba, for Oklahoma Football's 2019 season. Dow is a current member of the American Sports and Performance Dietitians Association and the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

AJ Howard enters his first season as a defensive analyst / assistant linebackers coach at USC. Previously, Howard was the outside linebackers coach at App State from 2023-24. He was named to the 35 Under 35 Class for 2024 from the American Football Coaches Association as a first-year App State assistant. Working with App State's outside linebackers, Howard helped mentor true freshman Nate Johnson, who was named a Freshman All-American with 7.5 sacks and 8.5 TFLs. Johnson entered the postseason tied for first place nationally in sacks by an FBS freshman. During the 2024 season, outside linebackers Thomas Davis and Johnson combined for 5.5 sacks, while Howard also worked with App State's "Star" defenders. Davis contributed to sacks in three games, and Johnson closed the year with a two-sack performance. Howard spent 2021 and 2022 as a Southeast area scout for the Patriots. Howard began his coaching career at Louisville as a graduate assistant in 2020. He played in the NFL for two seasons (2018-19) and won a Super Bowl ring as a member of the New England Patriots in 2019. A 2017 graduate of App State, Howard started every game at strong safety in 2014, 2016 and 2017 and led the Mountaineers to three straight bowl wins in their first three years being bowl eligible from 2015-17. He earned All-Sun Belt honors his junior and senior years while helping the program to its first two Sun Belt Conference titles. He totaled 222 tackles in 51 career games played (38 starts), while also ta

Anthony Jones Jr. enters his third season as USC’s running backs coach. In 2026, Jones added assistant head coach for offense to his title. In 2025, Jones led a room of outstanding running backs. The Trojans finished the season No. 5 nationally in third down conversion percentage (.513) and No. 8 nationally and fist in the Big Ten in total offense (465.5). Jones coached RB Wymond Jordan in his Division I debut season. After winning the 2024 JUCOWeekly Trophy (junior college’s equivalent to the Heisman Trophy), Jordan was averaging 107.4 yards per game prior to suffering an injury against Michigan that sidelined him for the remainder of the season. Going into the Michigan game with a full room of healthy backs, USC rushed for an average of 227 yards per game which was the ninth best among Power Four teams. RB King Miller burst onto the scene becoming the nation’s most well-known walk-on. Miller led the Trojans with 990 rushing yards on 156 carries, leading the Big Ten with 6.23 yards per carry. with 8 TDs. He recorded four 100-yard games in 2025. He totaled 26 runs of 10+ yards with a long of 75 on the season. In his debut game as the feature-back against No. 15 Michigan after stepping in for injured Jordan and fellow RB Eli Sanders, he lead the Trojans to a 31-13 victory. Miller recorded a career-high 158 rushing yards on 18 attempts (8.8 avg.) with 1 TD. Miller’s 158 rushing yards were most by any individual player against the Wolverines all season, and were almost more than

Caesar Martinez enters his fourth season at USC. Prior to the 2024 season, he took on the role of Assistant Head Director of Football Sports Performance. Fro...

Chad Bowden, a nationally renowned college football administrator with proven success constructing championship-caliber rosters, enters his first season as general manager at USC. Bowden arrives at Troy from Notre Dame, where he served as the program's first general manager, overseeing all the Fighting Irish's personnel and recruiting strategies. Earlier this month, Bowden was named the 2024 FootballScoop Player Personnel Director of the Year for his outstanding roster construction and exceptional utilization of the transfer portal. Throughout his four seasons in South Bend, Ind. (2021-24), Bowden rose up the personnel ranks, beginning as a defensive recruiting coordinator. He was quickly promoted to defensive director of recruiting before being named Notre Dame's director of recruiting in February 2022. Bowden held this role during the 2022 and 2023 seasons before earning the promotion to general manager in March 2024. During his time at Notre Dame, Bowden helped construct four unanimously ranked Top 12 recruiting classes from 2022-2025. At the conclusion of the 2023 season, Bowden's transfer portal efforts helped Notre Dame land the No. 15 class in the On3 2024 College Football Team Transfer Portal Rankings. When Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman accepted the Fighting Irish defensive coordinator position in 2021, he brought Bowden with him. Bowden worked previously as Cincinnati's director of recruiting under head coach Luke Fickell. Prior to his promotion, Bowden was a

Chad Savage, one of the nation's top recruiters, enters his second season as USC's tight ends/inside receivers coach. In 2026, Savage added pass game coordinator duties to his title. Savage tutored 2025 Biletnikoff winner Makai Lemon. Lemon was USC’s second-ever recipient of the Biletnikoff Award. Additionally, Lemon was named the 2025 Polynesian College Football Player of the Year. He was also selected a unanimous First Team All-American. He was USC's first unanimous selection since QB Caleb Williams and DT Tuli Tuipulotu were unanimous selections in 2022, also under Riley. Lemon also earned First Team All-Conference honors by the Big Ten. Per PFF, Lemon was the highest graded wide receiver in college football holding an overall grade of 90.4 and the nation's top receiving grade of 91.3. He finished the regular season leading the Power Four in receiving yards (1,156) and receiving yards per game (96.3). He also led the Big Ten in receptions per game (6.6), yards after catch (502) and tied for most receiving TDs (11). Lemon finished the regular season third in the Power Four with 19 receptions of 20+ yards, and he was tied for first nationally with 50 catches for first downs. In 2025, Lemon scored 11 receiving TDs, 2 rushing TDs and threw a passing TD. Lemon was the first Big Ten player to catch 2 TDs and throw a TD in a game (versus Oregon) since Minnesota's Eric Decker versus Cal on Sept. 19, 2009. He recorded five 100-yard receiving games in 2025 and seven in his career. H

Cheryl Taplin currently holds the position of director of football student services and operations at USC, where she is now in her 12th season. She brings a ...

Clarke Stroud, who had spent 30 years in various leadership roles at Oklahoma, enters his fourth season on USC's support staff. Prior to the 2025 season, Str...

Conor McQuiston enters his first season as director of football analytics for USC. Before arriving at Troy, he worked at Prize Picks where he served for a year (2024-2025) as an associate data scientist for game operations with a focus on the NFL. Prior to his time at Prize Picks, McQuiston spent two years at the NFL as both a lead research analyst and before that a seasonal research analyst for Next Gen Stats. In the summer of 2022, he worked for the Arizona Cardinals as an analytics assistant intern. He was a football research intern with Pro Football Focus for a year (2021-2022). McQuiston served as an analytics manager for the Hula Bowl during the 2021 season. He also worked as an undergraduate analytics manager for the Michigan football team during the 2021 season. McQuiston received his bachelor's degree in Physics and Mathematical Physics from Michigan in 2021.

Dave Emerick, who has spent almost 26 years working in college football, enters his fourth season at USC. Prior to the 2025 season, Emerick took on the role of Senior Associate Athletic Director Football Administration. From 2022-24, he served as the Senior Associate Athletic Director for Football/General Manager. Emerick spent 2020 and 2021 seasons working at Mississippi State with the late head coach Mike Leach serving as the Bulldogs' Senior Associate Athletic Director for Football. He oversaw all of MSU's football recruiting efforts, while also working closely with senior administration as it related to the program. He joined the MSU staff following an eight-year stint at Washington State where he served as Coach Leach's Chief of Staff and Senior Associate Athletic Director, a position similar to what he held while he and Coach Leach were at Texas Tech. Emerick joined WSU's staff in 2012 and was promoted to Senior Associate Athletic Director/Chief of Staff for Football prior to the 2013 season. He spent the 2010-11 seasons at the University of Arizona, where he oversaw Arizona's recruiting efforts as Assistant Director of Operations and Director of On-Campus Recruiting. Emerick joined the Arizona football staff in February 2010 after six years working with Coach Leach at Texas Tech. From 2008-10, he was Chief of Staff and Assistant Athletic Director, overseeing recruiting for the Red Raiders' football program and assisting in the organization and execution of football cam

De-Neita Peoples is a director of athletic compliance at USC. She joined in the office in November 2018. Peoples oversees athletic compliance for men's and women's track and field and cross country, women's rowing and women's basketball. She also serves as the compliance liaison for student-athlete academic services, degree progress, and is a member of the athletic department's Student-Athlete Wellness Committee. Previously, Peoples served as the assistant athletic director for compliance at New Hampshire and the assistant director for compliance at Rensselar Polytechnic Institute. Peoples graduated with a bachelor's degree in political science from the UC Santa Cruz in 2009 and earned her law degree from Southern University Law Center in 2013. Peoples is an active member of the National Association of Collegiate Athletic Directors (NACDA), the National Association for Athletics Compliance (NAAC), Women Leaders in College Sports (formerly the National Association of Collegiate Women Athletics Administrators) and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. She has previously served as a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Regional Rules Seminars Division III Working Group and as a panelist for numerous conventions, including the NACDA and College Sports Information Directors of America Convention and the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Association Conference Convention. Peoples was selected to the NAAC Athletic Compliance Elite (ACE) Mentoring Program, the NCAA Leadershi

Dennis Simmons enters his fifth season at USC as the assistant head coach, co-offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach. He has coached some of the collegiate game’s elite receivers and has mentored three Biletnikoff winners. Throughout his career, Simmons has coached 20 NFL Draft picks, including 5 first rounders. In 2025, Simmons was named FootballScoop’s Wide Receivers Coach of the Year. Simmons mentored 2025 Biletnikoff winner Makai Lemon throughout his entire USC career. Lemon was USC’s second-ever recipient of the Biletnikoff Award. Additionally, Lemon was named the 2025 Polynesian College Football Player of the Year. He was also selected a unanimous First Team All-American. He was USC's first unanimous selection since QB Caleb Williams and DT Tuli Tuipulotu were unanimous selections in 2022, also under Riley. Lemon also earned First Team All-Conference honors by the Big Ten. Per PFF, Lemon was the highest graded wide receiver in college football holding an overall grade of 90.4 and the nation's top receiving grade of 91.3. He finished the regular season leading the Power Four in receiving yards (1,156) and receiving yards per game (96.3). He also led the Big Ten in receptions per game (6.6), yards after catch (502) and tied for most receiving TDs (11). Lemon finished the regular season third in the Power Four with 19 receptions of 20+ yards, and he was tied for first nationally with 50 catches for first downs. In 2025, Lemon scored 11 receiving TDs, 2 rushing TDs

Derrick Baker enters his first season as the assistant strength and conditioning coach at USC. In 2024, Baker was a strength and conditioning coach for Exos, as well as a strength coach in the 58th Special Operations Wing for the United States Air Force. There, he led and designed strength and conditioning programs for pilots, load masters, maintainers and combat officers. He also developed personalized strength and conditioning programs for the specific needs of different Air Force specialties. In 2022, he was New Mexico's director of athletic performance. Baker supervised and led all strength, speed, agility and conditioning programs for the football program. He developed training programs tailored to athletes' needs that would ensure peak performance during off-season, pre-season and in-season phases. In collaboration with sports medicine professionals, he also implemented injury prevention strategies and rehabilitation protocols for injured athletes. Baker was the assistant strength and conditioning coach at San Diego State from 2015 to 2021. There, he contributed to the development of elite athletes through strategic training programs. Baker earned his Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology and Exercise Science with an emphasis in Fitness Specialist from SDSU in 2014. While at SDSU, the Aztec football program won three conference championships (2012, 2015 and 2016) and nine straight bowl games. His certifications include AHA CPR and AED, USAW Level 1 Sport Performance Coach,

Dre Brown enters his first season as assistant general manager at USC. Brown previously served as Director of Player Personnel at Illinois. He helped the Fighting Illini tie the program's single-season wins record with 10 in 2024. Illinois was ranked by the CFP selection committee for a program-record four straight weeks, appeared in 12 AP Top 25 polls and tied the program record for ranked wins with four. He began as a football recruiting coordinator at Tennessee before moving on to Notre Dame, where he was hired as an offensive recruiting coordinator in 2021. Brown served as a defensive analyst in 2022 and then became a recruiting analyst focusing on high school relations in 2023. In March 2024, he was promoted to director of recruiting. From 2021-23, Brown helped Notre Dame land a Top 12 recruiting class in three straight seasons. The Irish recruited the No. 6 class in the nation in 2022 according to On3 and Rivals. As a player, Brown rushed for 902 yards and 7 TDs during his career at Illinois from 2015-19, including 584 rushing yards and 5 TDs as a senior in 2019. He was also a standout kick returner, ranking 21st in the nation and fifth in the Big Ten in kickoff return average in 2019 (25.3) on his way to leading the Illini in all-purpose yards (1,299).

Dustin West joined the USC Athletic Medicine staff in July of 2024 as the head football athletic trainer for USC. Prior to arriving at Troy, West served as t...

Eric Espinoza, USC's director of football video operations, enters his 31st football season and 24th at USC. Espinoza has worked for a variety of prominent h...

Eric Michael enters his third season as director of cinematography & post-production at USC. He has worked on groundbreaking projects like "Only USC" and "Arrival of the Trojan". Prior to his time at USC, Michael was the assistant director of creative video at Florida where created projects for men's football and men's basketball. In 2021, he was the creative videographer for the Cincinnati Bearcats football team during their College Football Playoff appearance. Michael served as the basketball videographer for the Smith League in Cincinnati in 2021, while also working as a digital media intern at the University of Cincinnati for two years (2020-2021). While living in Cincinnati, he worked on content for Crossroads Church in 2021 and the Queen City Church in 2019. Today, he is involved at Vintage Church in Los Angeles. Micheal received his bachelor's degree in Business Administration with a focus in Marketing, and a double minor in Electronic Media and Sports Administration from Cincinnati in 2021. He got his start in the creative space by making highlight reels of his favorite athletes when he was in eighth grade.

Gary Patterson, a decorated former Power Four head coach and defensive innovator, enters his first season as USC's defensive coordinator in 2026. Patterson, who was recently named to the 2026 College Football Hall of Fame class, was the head coach at TCU for 21 seasons (2001-21). He was the Horned Frogs all-time winningest head coach with 181 victories (.696) and won 22 national coach of the year honors and four conference coach of the year honors throughout that time. In 2009 and 2014, he was recognized as the National Coach of the Year by the Associated Press, AFCA, FWAA and Walter Camp. He finished his tenure in Fort Worth with a 181-79 record, including an undefeated 13-0 season in 2010 that was capped by a Rose Bowl victory over Wisconsin. TCU notched six conference championships under Patterson’s tutelage: Conference USA in 2002, Mountain West in 2005, 2009, 2010 and 2011 and one share of the Big 12 title in 2014, with TCU being the first team left out of the initial four-team College Football Playoff. His teams won at least 10 games in 11 different seasons with 11 AP Top 25 finishes, with seven of those being AP Top 10 finishes, including No. 2 in 2010 and No. 3 in 2014. Prior to his arrival in Fort Worth in 1998, TCU had just four 10-win seasons in its history. Patterson led TCU to 17 bowl appearances during his tenure as head coach, and he went 11-6 in those bowls. He earned BCS berths three times: the 2009 Fiesta Bowl, the 2010 Rose Bowl and the 2014 Peach Bowl. Dur

Gavin Morris enters his 11th season on USC’s coaching support staff. He was named Assistant Athletic Director/Player Relations in 2019. He began at USC in 2015 as a recruiting analyst, then was high school relations coordinator in 2016 and director of player development in 2017 and 2018. From 2011 to 2014, Morris was director of player development for the B2G 7-on-7 football program. He worked in the marketing department for NASCAR in 2000, then in operations and community relations for the Atlanta Braves in 2001. He was in the banking and real estate industries from 2002 to 2010. He attended Morehouse College, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in marketing in 2001. Morris played football at St. Monica High in Santa Monica (Calif.). He and his wife, Erin, have a son, Gavin II, and a daughter, Glynne. His uncle is former USC defensive lineman Willard “Bubba” Scott (1967-69), a member of USC’s famed 1969 “Wild Bunch” defensive line.

Jackson Polk enters his fourth season on the USC support staff. In 2024, he was elevated to Director of Sports Science. From 2022-23, he served as the Assistant Director of Sports Science. He spent the previous 4 seasons (2018-21) as a student videographer with Oklahoma’s football team. He also was a volunteer performance analyst with the program in 2021. While at Oklahoma, he co-founded the Oklahoma Sports and Data Analytics Club in 2021, which won the Pro Football Focus Analytics Blitz contest. He also was an information technology intern with ConocoPhillips in 2016-17. He received his bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Oklahoma in December of 2021. He then began work on a master’s degree in data science and analytics at Oklahoma.

Jenna Mohiuddin enters her second season on the USC support staff. Prior to the 2025 season, she took on the role of Director of Football Operations. In 2024...

A veteran with over 35 years of experience in college football, John McDonell enters his first season with the Trojans as a senior offensive analyst in 2025. McDonell joined the USC staff from LSU where he served in the same role for the last two years. Prior to his time at LSU, he spent 4 years in the Canadian Football League where he served as offensive line coach for Edmonton (2020-21) and Ottawa (2018-19), who went to the Grey Cup in 2018. He has 29 years of experience coaching the offensive line at the NCAA Division I level including 12 bowl appearances. Prior to his move to the CFL, McDonell served as a senior analyst and tight ends coach at Georgia State from 2016-17. He coached the offensive line at Tulane from 2012-15. In 2011, he was the offensive line coach at Idaho. Before Idaho, McDonell spent the 2010 season in the same capacity at the University of Memphis and he also served for one season in the same role at Bowling Green State University (2009), where he helped the Falcons to the Humanitarian Bowl. Before Bowling Green, McDonell's previous coaching stops included Purdue (2006-08) where he helped them to the Champs Bowl in 2006 and the Motor City Bowl in 2007 and also played an instrumental role in Dustin Keller's first-round selection (30th overall) in the 2008 NFL Draft. McDonnell made two stops at Stanford (2001, 2005) where he was a member of their Seattle Bowl appearance in 2001 and coached Eric Heitmann to First Team All-America honors that same season.

Katie Ryan, USC's director of football communications, enters her 13th season working with the USC football team. She is responsible for managing all communications and public relations efforts for the Trojan football program. She is one of seven women overseeing football communications in the Power Four conferences, and she is the youngest among the group. During her time at USC, Ryan has promoted a Heisman Trophy winner, 17 First Team All-Americans, a Walter Camp Player of the Year, a Maxwell Award winner, a Thorpe Award winner, a Ray Guy Award recipient, a Jet Award winner, two Polynesian College Players of the Year, a Pop Warner Award winner, a CSC Academic First Team All-American, 50 NFL Draft selections (including the 2024 No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams, the 2018 No. 3 overall pick Sam Darnold and 7 other first rounders), 37 All-Conference selections, 5 Conference Players of the Year and many of the nation's top football coaches. Ryan has spearheaded a variety of communications plans that have made national news including developing a media plan for USC head coach Lincoln Riley's hiring, in addition to the introductory press conference in late November of 2021. Ryan was the recipient of the 2023 Rising Star Award. She graduated from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in 2014 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Journalism with an emphasis in Public Relations. She was a student-athlete and setter on the women's volleyball team. In 2022, Ryan graduated from USC with a Master of

Kevin Mark joined USC in July 2024 as an assistant athletic trainer working with the Trojan football program. He earned his bachelor's degree in Athletic Training from Cal State Long Beach in 2017, and earned his certification in 2018. He earned his master's degree in Tactical Strength and Conditioning from PennWest California in 2021. Prior to working at USC, Mark worked at Mt. San Antonio College, a local community college located in Walnut, Calif. as a certified athletic trainer providing coverage for all sports offered. Mark also worked for the Los Angeles City Fire Department, as a tactical strength and conditioning coach and an athletic trainer, assisting with injury prevention and injury management with sworn firefighting members.

Education: California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo - Bachelor of Science (Physical Education and Kinesiology) 2000 University of Southern California – Doctorate (Physical Therapy) 2003 Board of Certification Number: 060402690 PT (CA) License: 2849 NPI Number: 1699813477 Certifications: Orthopaedic Clinical Specialist, Sports Certified Specialist, Owens Recovery Science Blood Flow Restriction Fellowship: Gray Institute of Functional Transformation Fellow of Applied Functional Science 2017 Sport Responsibility: Football

Logan Snead enters his first season as a recruiting analyst at USC. He previously worked as a recruiting intern at Notre Dame in 2024. Snead graduated from the University of San Diego with a bachelor's degree in Psychology and was a linebacker for the Torero's football team. Logan is the son of Los Angeles Rams General Manager Les Snead.

Lonnie Maddox enters his first season as associate director of football sports performance. Maddox most recently served as an assistant strength coach at Kansas State for the 2024 season as the Wildcats went 9-4 and defeated Rutgers 44-41 in the 2024 Rate Bowl. From 2020-23, he was the head strength and conditioning coach at Valdosta State, overseeing all 14 sports. The Blaze football program recorded a 29-10 record throughout three seasons and reached the 2021 NCAA DII national championship game and the 2023 NCAA DII quarterfinals. Maddox served as the head strength and conditioning coach at Alcorn State from 2017-19. While working with the Braves, Maddox helped the football program achieve back-to-back Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) Championships and a pair of appearances in the Celebration Bowl in 2018 and 2019. In conference play, the Braves went 19-4 throughout three seasons with Maddox leading the charge in the weight room. In addition to success on the gridiron, Maddox helped the softball program to win SWAC East Division titles in 2017 and 2018, and the women's tennis team made back-to-back appearances in the SWAC Championship. He received his start in the strength and conditioning field at Troy for the 2014 and 2015 seasons. He then worked at South Carolina with the football program as an intern in 2016. Maddox earned his bachelor's degree in sport and fitness management from Troy in 2008. He then earned his master's degree in exercise science from Auburn Mo

Luke Cuellar enters his third season at USC as the football art director. Cuellar graduated from Oregon State in 2023 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Design. As an undergrad, he worked as a designer for Beaver Football for four years. Cuellar's hometown is Beaverton, Ore., home of the Nike World Headquarters, which inspired him to pursue a career in athletic visual arts.

Luke Huard, who comes from a family of outstanding quarterbacks, enters his fifth season at USC. After transitioning from inside receivers to quarterbacks coach for the 2024 season, Huard added offensive coordinator duties in 2025. In 2025, the Trojans finished No. 5 nationally in third down conversion percentage (.513), No. 5 nationally and first in the Big Ten in passing offense (296.0), No. 8 nationally and first in the Big Ten in total offense (465.5) and No. 10 nationally and first in the Big Ten in passing yards per completion (13.74). Huard tutored QB Jayden Maiava, an All-Big Ten Third Team honoree, recorded 265-of-403 (.658) for 3,711 yards with 24 TDs throughout the 2025 season. Maiava led the nation with a 91.2 QBR. He finished the season leading the Big Ten in passing yards (3,711), passing yards per game (285.5), passing yards per completion (14.00) and total offense (297.5). Great throws beat great coverages, and Maiava’s precision and athleticism displayed this throughout the entire season. His accuracy was showcased through his excellent ball placement and timing through his high-value and high-difficulty passes as he finished the regular season No. 7 in the nation with 27 big time throws, per PFF. In 2024, Huard mentored the Trojan quarterbacks. Offensively, the Trojans finished the season ranked in the national Top 25 in passing offense (10, 291.9), third down conversion percentage (25, 0.448), total offense (23, 437.2) and first downs offense (24, 303). QB

Max Stienecker, most recently serving as the general manager at Wisconsin, enters his first season as Executive Director of Player Personnel at USC. Stienecker was instrumental in helping build Wisconsin's last two recruiting classes. Wisconsin's 2024 recruiting class set a program record with 11 four-star 247Sports Composite signees and was ranked in the top No. 23 nationally by 247Sports, On 3 and Rivals. Wisconsin's 2025 class ranks No. 21 in the nation by Rivals. Stienecker spent two seasons (2023-24) at Wisconsin under head coach Luke Fickell. Upon his hiring at 22-years-old, he was the youngest director of player personnel at a Power 5 school in college football history. He was elevated to general manager prior to the 2024 season which made him the youngest general manager in Power 4 football at only 24 years old. Stienecker was named to 2023 247Sports' 30 Under 30 for his outstanding work. Additionally, he was listed on On3's 2022 Rising Star Personnel Staffers You Need to Know. He began his career at Cincinnati as a student assistant in 2018 before moving into a full-time director of on-campus recruiting role prior to the 2021 season.

Mike Ekeler, a highly regarded coach who has over 23 years of experience at some of the winningest college football programs in history, enters his first sea...

Rachel Suba enters her fourth season as USC Athletics' Director of Sports Nutrition. A former competitive gymnast and current powerlifter, the Cleveland, Ohio, native puts her background in culinary arts to use in keeping USC student-athletes fueled for success. Each day, Suba and her staff aim to leave an impact that stretches beyond the playing field. Before USC, Suba spent 6.5 years (2016-2022) at The University of Oklahoma where she held 3 positions: Graduate Assistant Sports Dietitian (1 year), Assistant Director (3 years) and Director (2.5 years). Suba was part of 23 conference titles (5 football, 5 men's gymnastics, 1 wrestling, 2 men's golf, 5 women's gymnastics, and 5 softball) and 12 national championships (4 women's gymnastics, 4 softball, 3 men's gymnastics, and 1 men's golf). She received her bachelor's degree in nutrition and dietetics from the University of Akron in 2015 where she also interned with the athletic department for two years. She also received her master's degree in Adult and Higher Education with an emphasis in Collegiate Athletics from The University of Oklahoma in 2018. Suba is credentialed as a Registered Dietitian (RD), a Board-Certified Specialist in Sports Dietetics (CSSD), and Licensed Dietitian (LD). An active member of the Collegiate & Professional Sports Dietitians Association (CPSDA) as well as the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND).

Rob Ryan, a Super Bowl-winning coach with 36 years of experience enters his second season at USC. In his 35 years of coaching, including 24 seasons in the NFL, Ryan has served as the defensive coordinator for the Oakland Raiders (2004-08), Cleveland Browns (2009-10), Dallas Cowboys (2011-12) and New Orleans Saints (2013-15), while also holding coaching positions with the Arizona Cardinals (1994-95), New England Patriots (2000-03), Buffalo Bills (2016), Washington Redskins (2019), Baltimore Ravens (2021) and Las Vegas Raiders (22-24). Throughout his career, Ryan coached multiple Pro Football Hall of Famers and All-Pros. In 2025, Ryan coached LB Desman Stephens who led the Trojans with 89 tackles on the season. He also collected 3 TFLs for minus 6 yards, a forced fumble and a QB hurry. LB Eric Gentry recorded 75 tackles, including 7 for loss of 26 yards (with 3 sacks for minus 15 yards), 4 forced fumbles, 2 PBUs and 12 QB hurries. His 4 forced fumbled led the Big Ten and were no. 3 in the nation. Gentry was a Lott IMPACT Trophy Quarterfinalist and was a 2026 East-West Shrine Bowl invitee. Prior to arriving at Troy, Ryan most recently served as a senior defensive assistant for the Las Vegas Raiders from 2022-24. During the 2022 season, Ryan helped guide DE Maxx Crosby to his second Pro Bowl selection after recording career bests in tackles (88), tackles for loss (22) and sacks (12.5). Crosby's 88 tackles are the most in a single season by a Raiders defensive lineman, and he beca

Ryan Dougherty enters his fifth season at USC. Prior to the 2026 season, he transitioned to Co-Special Teams Coordinator / Specialists Coach. In 2025, Dougherty coached K Ryon Sayeri. In addition to kicking field goals, Sayeri also handled kickoff duties. While appearing in all 13 games, he hit 21-of-25 field goals and all 48 of his PAT attempts. He totaled 89 kickoffs for 5,715 yards (64.2 avg.) with 63 touchbacks. He broke USC’s single-season field goal record (19) and set a new one with 21. Sayeri was named to the All-Big Ten Third Team and was a Lou Groza Award Semifinalist. He was a two-time Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week. In his first season as Special Teams Coordinator, Dougherty tutored Trojan punter Eddie Czaplicki became USC’ 177thFirst Team All-American and USC’s first-ever Ray Guy Award winner for being the nation’s best punter. Czaplicki not only earned All-Big Ten First Team honors by the coaches and the media, but he was named the Eddleman-Fields Punter of the Year by the Conference. USC ranked first in the nation in net punting (45.4). He led the nation in percentage of punts inside the 20 for punters with a minimum of 30 attempts. Twenty-five of his punts were inside the 20, 10 were inside the 10 and 4 inside the 5. Additionally, Makai Lemon was named to the All-Big Ten Third Team as a return specialist. Lemon led USC with 19 kickoff returns for 514 yards (27.1 avg) with a long of 80 yards. He finished the reason ranked No. 6 in the nation (No. 2 in

Sean McMannes is entering his seventh season as an assistant athletic trainer for USC football. In 2019, McMannes joined the USC football training staff, whe...

Dr. Seth Gamradt is a specialist in the field of orthopaedic surgery and sports medicine at the Keck Medical Center of USC. Dr. Gamradt is the Director of Orthopaedic Athletic Medicine for USC Athletics. Dr. Gamradt's practice has an emphasis on arthroscopic shoulder surgery; arthroscopic knee surgery and ligament reconstruction (ACL surgery); shoulder replacement; and elbow arthroscopy/ligament reconstruction. He has a special interest in caring for athletes of all ages and is a team physician for the USC Trojans. Dr. Gamradt is also a team physician for United States Women's Soccer. A native of Minnesota, Dr. Gamradt attended college at Pepperdine University where he graduated Magna Cum Laude. Dr. Gamradt then graduated with honors from Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City. He completed his residency training in Orthopaedic Surgery at UCLA during which he completed a one-year research fellowship. After residency, Dr. Gamradt completed a sports medicine and shoulder surgery fellowship at the top-ranked Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City. During fellowship, Dr. Gamradt was an assistant team physician to the New York Giants football team. Prior to his appointment at USC, Dr. Gamradt spent many years as a team physician and orthopaedic surgeon at UCLA. Dr. Gamradt is part of the exclusive international association comprised of shoulder and elbow surgeons: The American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons. He is one of the "Top Doctors" as ranked by US News and World

Shaun Nua, a former NFL Super Bowl-winning defensive end who has coaching experience in the Pac-12 and Big Ten, enters his fifth season at USC and third as defensive end coach. In 2025, the Trojans went 9-4 and 7-2 in USC’s sophomore season in the Big Ten. Nua had high production from his defensive ends. DE Kameryn Crawford recorded 41 tackles and led the Trojans with 10.5 TFLs for minus 42 yards and also had a team-leading 55 sacks for minus 34 yards. DE Braylan Shelby tallied 29 tackles, including 7 for loss of 20 yards (third-most on the team) with 4.5 sacks for minus 17 yards (second-most on the team). Including in the signing of the unanimous No. 1 recruiting class in the nation in 2025, Nua signed the No. 1 overall recruit in the nation, DE Luke Wafle. In 2024, Nua’s unit and the Trojan defense significantly improved. USC held opponents to an average of just 24.1 points per game, improving from 34.4 in 2023. The Trojans finished the 2024 season ranked No. 21 in the nation and No. 2 in the Big Ten Conference in third-down conversion percentage defense (0.335), compared to ranking No. 106 (0.436) in 2023. USC’s defense improved in a variety of other statistical categories including ranking No. 33 in passes intercepted (12) and No. 53 in rushing defense (141.2) in 2024. The Trojan defense ranked No. 58 in turnovers gained by collecting 18 throughout the season and ranked No. 69 in red zone defense (0.830) in 2024. USC finished ranked No. 70 in team passing efficiency defen

Skyler Jones, who has both NFL and collegiate coaching experience, enters his third season at USC and first as defensive tackles coach in 2026. Jones has been with USC since 2024, previously serving as a defensive analyst under former Co-Defensive Coordinator / Run Game Coordinator / Defensive Line Coach, Eric Henderson. In 2025, the Trojans went 9-4 and 7-2 in USC’s sophomore season in the Big Ten. Jones coached defensive tackle Jahkeem Stewart who had a stellar collegiate debut making an immediate impact on the Trojan defensive line by decorating his stat sheet with 18 tackles, including 7.5 for loss of 27 yards (with 1.5 sacks for minus 11 yards), 1 INT returned for 4 yards, 1 fumble recovery returned for 22 yards and 1 QB hurry. Stewart was named an FWAA Freshman All-American and a PFF Freshman All-American, and he was selected to the Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year Award Watch List. FOX Sports named Stewart to the nation’s Top 10 impact freshmen ahead of the 2025 college football season. Jones also coached All-Big Ten Honorable Mention and Phil Steele All-Big Ten Fourth Team members, defensive tackle Devan Thompkins. Thompkins tallied 31 tackles, including 6.5 for loss of 40 yards (with 3 sacks for minus 23 yards), 2 PBUs, 1 QH hurry and 1 forced fumble. In 2024, Jones joined the Trojan defense and contributed to its significant improvement. USC held opponents to an average of just 24.1 points per game, improving from 34.4 in 2023. The Trojans finished the 2024 seas

Spencer Missioreck enters his third season as football video & systems specialist for USC, bringing over a decade of experience in football video operations....

Trovon Reed enters his second season as USC's cornerbacks coach. Reed tutored CB DeCarlos Nicholson who was fifth on the team with 42 tackles and was tied for a team-leading 4 PBUs with fellow CB Marcelles Williams. Williams also recorded 41 tackles. USC signed the nation’s unanimously ranked No. 1 recruiting class highlighted by cornerbacks Jayden Crowder, Elbert “Rock” Hill IV and Brandon Lockhart. Prior to arriving at Troy, Reed was the cornerbacks coach at UCF. During his one season with the Knights, Reed developed a room of impressive cornerbacks. Redshirt senior Mac McWilliams, a Senior Bowl invitee, finished the 2024 season with 32 tackles, with 6.5 for loss of 23 yards (including 1 sack for minus 4 yards), 2 PBUs, 1 INT and 1 forced fumble. Per PFF, McWilliams was the fourth-highest graded cornerback in the Big 12. McWilliams was selected by the Philadelphia Eagles in the fifth round with the No. 145 overall pick of the 2025 NFL Draft. Senior Brandon Adams, another Senior Bowl invitee, tallied 14 tackles, including 1 for loss of 1 yard. He tied for a team-leading 2 INTs and notched 2 PBUs. Reed was the only cornerbacks coach in the nation to have two of his players compete in the 2025 Reese's Senior Bowl. Reed also tutored freshman Chasen Johnson. A two-time PFF Freshman of the Week, Johnson collected 18 tackles, with 0.5 for loss of 1 yard and 2 PBUs while seeing action in 12 games with 4 starts. Prior to UCF, Reed spent three seasons (2021-23) at Auburn as the Tiger

Trumain Carroll, a two-decade expert in strength and conditioning, enters his first season as the director of football sports performance. He joined the USC staff in May of 2025. Carroll most recently served as the director of strength and conditioning at Kansas State where he helped oversee a culture change within the program. Throughout his time in Manhattan, Kan., the Wildcats recorded a combined 36-17 record, collected three bowl victories and the 2022 Big 12 Championship with a 31-28 overtime victory over No. 3 TCU. Since Carroll began working with the Wildcats prior to the 2021 season, K-State was one of only five Power 4 teams to win at least nine games in each of the last three seasons (2022-24) with at least one conference championship in that timeframe. Prior to arriving at K-State, he was the director of football strength and conditioning at South Florida in 2020 and spent two seasons (2018-19) as the director of strength and conditioning at Arkansas. From 2015-17, Carroll was the director of strength and conditioning at SMU. While in Dallas, Carroll oversaw all strength and conditioning for over 400 student-athletes throughout 17 sports with his primary focus being football. During his tenure at SMU, Carroll's efforts in the weight room aided in the development of First Team All-American wide receivers Courtland Sutton and Trey Quinn who were both drafted in 2018. Carroll was an assistant strength and conditioning coach at Oklahoma State from 2013-14. He was the h

Weston Zernechel enters his third season at USC and first as Director of Player Personnel. He joined the USC staff in February of 2022. He spent the previous...

Zach Hanson, regarded as one of the game’s top offensive line coaches, enters his fifth season at USC. After the 2024 season, he transitioned to USC's offensive line coach. From 2022-23, he was USC’s tight ends coach and in 2024, he added assistant head coach for offense to his title. In 2026 he added run game coordinator to his duties. In 2025, Hanson coached an offensive line unit that displayed incredible depth throughout the season. USC showcased eight different starting offensive line combinations throughout 13 games. The USC offensive line helped the Trojans average 296.0 passing yards per game (first in the Big Ten), while averaging 169.5 yards on the ground (sixth in the Big Ten). USC led the Big Ten in total offense (465.5). The line, which earned Joe Moore Award Midseason Honor Roll recognition, protected Maiava well. He was only sacked 11 times all season, marking the second fewest sacks in the Big Ten and the seventh fewest in the Power Four. USC led the Big Ten in tackles for loss allowed (3.85). The line’s run blocking allowed seven different Trojans to score a total of 29 rushing touchdowns. In 2024, he tutored a talented group of Trojan tight ends. USC finished the regular season first in the Big Ten and No. 11 in the nation in passing offense (291.7), third in the Big Ten and 19th in the nation in all-purpose yards (121.17), third in the Big Ten and No. 23 in the nation in total offense (440.3) and fourth in the Big Ten and No. 18 in the nation in first downs