What is your outlook for the 2013 football season?
If you told me all 67 of our currently healthy and eligible scholarship guys will remain healthy, we could have a really good season. Injuries will happen, as they do in football, so depth is going to be the biggest question for us. I am optimistic though. I think our defense is really going to be a lot better from what I have seen. When I evaluated last season, everyone talks about offensive issues, but it was really defense. We lost games scoring 51 and 36 points. New defensive coordinator Clancy Pendergast (pictured) has a different style, and with an influx of impact freshman on defense, I expect us to improve on that side of the ball.What are the planned improvements now that USC runs the Coliseum?
We just assumed operation of the Coliseum at the end of July, so we have been in there just a few weeks. But you will see some cosmetic changes this year in terms of cleanliness, food service and general presentation. As we are able to raise the money over the next few years, you will start seeing significant changes to the stadium's infrastructure, but that will not happen this year.
What are you looking forward to in this 125th anniversary season for USC Athletics?
What a continuum of sustained athletic excellence over 125 years. If you look back at our history, it is just phenomenal how many champions, Olympians and scholar-athletes have played here. I was just looking back the other day at all our football captains starting in 1888, and there are some pretty significant names in there. I am really looking forward to having our reunion teams come back. We have invited all our past student-athletes to join us on campus this fall.
Former USC student-athletes, please click here for reunion information.
Trojan Family, please click here to see our dedicated WE PLAY 125 website.
What sport are you especially excited to see this year?
Basketball. I am really excited about our two new basketball coaches, Cynthia Cooper and Andy Enfield. Our coaches inherited prior staff's teams and personnel, so there will be some adjustment time, but the style of play, particularly on our men's side, is going to be entertaining. Over the next two or three years, both coaches have a chance to build really strong programs.
USC is currently at 98 NCAA team titles (with 120 national championships), which program will get the Trojans to 100?
Our women's golf team could very well repeat. We return the entire squad that destroyed the field last year. They are going to be 99 or 100. The men's water polo team has a chance to win its sixth straight, so maybe that will be 99 and women's golf will get us to 100. But why stop at 100? Let's win three or four and get to 101 or 102.
