The other day I made fun of how when I hear new Michigan defensive coordinator Wink Martindale’s name, I think of the game-show host. But let’s compare and contrast for a minute: Martindale has been a defensive coordinator for three NFL teams (Giants, Ravens, Broncos) and three colleges (Defiance, Western Illinois, Western Kentucky) prior to coming to Michigan. New USC defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn has … Continue reading USC Morning Buzz: Will The Experience Gap Matter?

Former USC wide receiver Michael Pittman has agreed to a 3-year, $70 million deal with the Colts that can reach up to $71.5 million with $46 million guaranteed, according to Ian Rapoport. Remember, Pittman was barely playing at USC until his father expressed his dissatisfaction on twitter and then a few days later Clay Helton suddenly started Pittman against Arizona State. It was a great … Continue reading USC Notes: Another Reminder Of Clay Helton Getting It Wrong

With spring practice starting next week, here’s a few basic questions: You can make an argument that USC doesn’t have to be “better” if the defense improves and certain people do their jobs. But it’s worth noting at the moment the Trojans are clearly not better at these positions than a year ago. And I am talking about the skill positions. The easy positions to … Continue reading Morning Buzz: Is USC Better At Glamour Positions?

Wayne Moses, who was the running backs coach on Pete Carroll’s first coaching staff at USC, died Thursday. He was 69. Moses also coached at UCLA from 1990-95 and 2008-11. During a 45-year coaching career, he coached at Pac-12 schools like Cal, Stanford and Washington along with a 2-year stint with the St. Louis Rams (2007-08). He played football at San Dimas High School and … Continue reading Former USC Running Backs Coach Wayne Moses Passes Away

Fox Sports plans to unveil a new package of “elite” Friday night college football games this season. The games will be from the Big Ten, Big 12 and Mountain West conferences and expected to feature some prominent games. REACTION: The details have not been revealed but that’s where problems occur. Fox wants big games on Friday nights. That sounds potentially bad. I bet Michigan and … Continue reading Get Ready For More Friday Night Football

For all the hundreds of recruits that seem to visit USC year-round, isn’t it shocking that Lincoln Riley isn’t getting Top 5 recruiting classes? At the bottom of this entry, I wrote about his legendary first encounter with actor Errol Flynn. Continue reading When Do Constant Visits Translate To Recruiting Success?

Tim Drevno, who was fired yesterday as UCLA offensive line coach, had a pretty good run in Southern California the past decade. And when I say pretty good run, I mean he got to live here and coach. He was at USC in 2014; went to Michigan from 2015-17; returned to USC from 2018-20 and then was at UCLA from 2021-23. And he still has … Continue reading USC Notes: Some Coaches Lucky Enough To Stay In So Cal

I keep hearing that Pete Carroll is having a tough time coming to terms with the fact no NFL teams offered him a job after his dismissal by the Seattle Seahawks. Maybe USC can hire Carroll as a consultant. He could offer some defensive pointers to D’Anton Lynn and help Lincoln Riley improve his people skills. Get him to agree to a couple public appearances … Continue reading USC Morning Buzz: A Perfect Job For Pete Carroll

Here’s how the coaching carousel works: Last month, Los Angeles Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh wanted to hire TCU running backs coach Anthony Jones. Jones turned Harbaugh down. So Harbaugh hired USC running backs coach Kiel McDonald. Now USC has replaced McDonald with Jones. Why would Jones turn down the Chargers but take the USC job? He thinks he will have a better chance to become … Continue reading The Coaching Carousel Works In Strange Ways

Lincoln Riley didn’t want anything to do with the SEC when he bolted Oklahoma. Does he want much to do with the Big Ten? Consider this: A couple weeks ago, Penn State coach James Franklin was reportedly booed by some fans at a dance marathon that raised money that covers 100 percent of all medical expenses for families with childhood cancer at Penn State Health … Continue reading USC Morning Buzz: Big Ten Pressure Isn’t Like Pac-12

Johnny Manziel said he will not attend another Heisman Trophy until Reggie Bush gets his Heisman back. Bush might have a better chance of getting his Heisman back if Manziel instead promised to attend every ceremony until the trophy is returned. Last player to leave the field Saturday night after the drills? Caleb Williams. Hung and said goodbye to all the folks who ran the … Continue reading USC Sunday Buzz: Quite A Heisman Statement

When you see some of the attention USC players are getting at the NFL combine, it really makes you think about how Lincoln Riley underachieved last season. Brenden Rice has gotten a lot of buzz. Marshawn Lloyd has increased his stock. So has Calen Bullock. Oh, and then there is someone named Caleb Williams. Isaac Guerendo of Louisville ran the fastest time for running backs … Continue reading Saturday Notes: The NFL Combine Shows USC Better Than It Performed

USC has interviewed TCU running backs coach Anthony Jones Jr. to replace former assistant coach Kiel McDonald per FootballScoop.com. Jones worked in 2022 at TCU with Garrett Riley, the brother of Lincoln Riley. He will immediately become the best running backs coach in the nation per the fanboy media if he takes the USC job. A group called USC Forward wanted the university to conduct … Continue reading Saturday Buzz: USC Close To Completing Staff?

The George Kliavkoff Era officially ended Thursday for the Pac-12. He leaves with a multi-million dollar severance package despite presiding over the demise of the conference. You can blame other people too, especially the university presidents, but when did Kliavkoff do one thing that assured the future of the Pac-12? When did he ever make a decision that rivaled the survival skills of Big 12 … Continue reading If It’s Friday, It’s Time For A USC Notes Column

Should I start calling him Lincoln “Lululemon” Riley because those are the brand pants he wears on the sideline at USC? It has a ring to it, I admit. “Between NIL money and endorsements, Caleb made millions in his final two seasons at USC, with multiple sources putting the number around $10 million. “It wasn’t like having a college quarterback on your roster,” said a … Continue reading USC Notes: Does Anyone Remember This Bush Moment?

I thought it was a bad sign when USC was given a worse chance than Arizona by BetOnline yesterday. But maybe it’s just as bad that Penn State is given a 33 percent chance while USC is at 17 percent. Why is that bad? Because James Franklin has a 12-26 record at Penn State against Top 25 teams. Then again, Lincoln Riley is 3-6 against … Continue reading Morning Buzz: Should USC Be Offended To Be Rated Worse Than Penn State?

BetOnline has released odds on who will make the 12-team College Football Playoff and USC is tied for 20th. Another way of looking at it is USC has a 17-percent chance. Ohio State, Oregon, Michigan and Penn State are ahead of the Trojans from the Big Ten. Arizona, which moves into the Big 12, is ahead of USC and tied for 12th overall. Here is … Continue reading USC Has Worse Odds To Make Expanded Playoff Than Arizona

I’ve had enough of the way the football coaching profession has created an entire bureaucracy of titles. Alabama has named Maurice Linguist and Colin Hitschler as co-defensive coordinators and defensive backs coaches. The only problem is Kane Wommack is also defensive coordinator. That is three defensive coordinators! It has to be a record. USC has two, by the way. D’Anton Lynn and Eric Henderson. Lynn … Continue reading USC Morning Buzz: The Football Bureaucracy Getting Worse

UCLA’s hired Eric Bieniemy as offensive coordinator. It’s funny how things work in coaching. Bieniemy’s name was floated as a candidate when Chip Kelly resigned. Now he’s settling for being a college offensive coordinator. But then who would guess two months ago that DeShaun Foster would be UCLA’s new head coach? Remember, Bieniemy was also supposed to be the heir apparent to Andy Reid in … Continue reading USC Notes: UCLA Makes A Move

Washington State swept Arizona this season after it defeated the Wildcats at McKale Center last night and is currently in first place in the Pac-12. How is USC doing? The Cougars were picked 10th in the Pac-12 media poll. USC was picked second. Pennell’s big break came in 1961, when he landed the lead role in the TV series Ripcord, where Pennell protrayed a skydiver. … Continue reading If It’s Friday, It’s Time For A USC Notes Column

You can make a case USC running backs coach Kiel McDonald, who is going to the Chargers, was just about the only coach to escape criticism the past 2 seasons. The defensive line (Shaun Nua) has been inconsistent; the linebackers (Brian Odom, Roy Manning) were unmemorable, the secondary (Donte Williams, Alex Grinch) was terrible. The offensive line was lousy (Josh Henson); the wide receivers disappointing … Continue reading USC Notes: A Position That Escaped Much Criticism

The Chargers are finalizing the hiring of USC running backs coach Kiel McDonald, according to Adam Schefter. Among the players McDonald coached at USC were Travis Dye, MarShawn Lloyd and Austin Jones. He also recruited last year’s freshmen, A’Marion Peterson and Quinten Joyner along with Mississippi State-transfer Jo’Quavious Marks. REACTION: McDonald is one of the few coaches who has escaped criticism the past 2 seasons … Continue reading USC Morning Buzz: Trojans Losing Coach To Harbaugh