The Trojans eked out a 31- 26 victory in the desert thanks to a tip-ball interception by Christian Rector. Whether the Trojans can reel in Foreman remains to be seen. He doesn’t believe COVID-19 will make him more likely to stay close to home, but USC’s relentless pursuit might. USC Trojans Football: Trojans football news, recruiting updates, and the latest rumors... USC Trojans News & Rumors. And it’s working.”. USC’s goal for a shortened football season? Months after revamping its staff in the wake of its most disappointing recruiting haul in recent memory, USC convinced three four-star 2021 prospects to commit over a four-day period in April — or one more than they had landed over the entire recruiting cycle. Except now, without practices and position meetings and all the usual minutiae consuming every waking moment of a coach’s day, Williams has never had so much time. “Rather than say, ‘Oh, we can’t get him,’ our message was, ‘Hey, let’s go to work on it,’” athletic director Mike Bohn said in January. USC had luck on its side when ASU’s mobile freshman quarterback Jayden Daniels didn’t play in 2019’s matchup due to injury. After failing to keep up with most of the Pac-12 in the recruiting game, USC coach Clay Helton and his staff are working toward their recruiting goals while navigating the limits imposed by the coronavirus outbreak. Top recruits took immediate notice; within his first two months, three four-star defensive backs committed. From the lowest win probability to the highest, USC is understandably a heavy favorite against New Mexico in Week 2. In February, he declared that the Trojans would be a “trendsetter,” taking back territory they rightfully owned. “Recruiting,” Williams says, “is still nonstop.”. Defensive line coach Vic So’oto, 32, was hired from Virginia, giving USC an up-and-coming recruiter with ties to the Polynesian community as well as East Coast connections. Other staffers were spread too thin; two left the program in 2018, telling The Times that USC was “severely undermanned.”. USC’s remaining hires followed a similar formula, doubling down on energy and recruiting acumen. Garry Paskwietz was a pioneer in bringing team-specific sports coverage to the internet. 1 NFL draft picks of all-time? Who’s funding his reelection? See what ESPN's Football Power Index predicted for each Trojan game in 2020. Schemes are installed over Zoom. USC’s lead in all-time NFL draft picks is down to one over Notre Dame after only two Trojans, Michael Pittman Jr. and Austin Jackson, were selected. Californians gave Trump $61 million. Trump’s refusal to say that he’d peacefully transfer power may just be bluster. A week later, in one of his first official days at USC, Sosna met with Joseph Wood, the football program’s chief of staff, to understand the scope of issues papered over by the previous administration. While USC subsisted with a single graphic designer for football, Ohio State had a graphics staff of five. To maximize return on any investments in recruiting, Helton — who fired two coordinators the day after a Dec. 27 loss to Iowa in the Holiday Bowl — came to understand further staff changes would be necessary. Helton was chief among them. In the days between, they communicate routinely via text thread, their usual outward energy translated into a steady stream of GIFs. The reigning Rose Bowl Champions have some rebuilding to do after losing quarterback Justin Herbert, four of its five offensive line starters and linebacker Troy Dye this offseason. Unbeaten Israel Adesanya defended his middleweight title with a dominant second-round stoppage of Paulo Costa at UFC 253 on Sunday in Abu Dhabi. USC’s Alijah Vera-Tucker and Jay Tufele declared their intentions to skip 2020, but will they change their minds with the Pac-12 season restored? Final paperwork was drawn up for USC to hire Louisiana State defensive coordinator Dave Aranda, whose unit helped the Tigers win the national title. Outside, it was a resounding public endorsement. His swagger was an adrenaline shot to the heart of an operation that USC’s new leadership knew had become stagnant.