2020 USC Football Preseason Notes

10/7/2020

2020 ROSTER

2020 MEDIA GUIDE

PRE-SEASON HONORS

SNP Damon Johnson (Phil Steele) and P Ben Griffiths (Pro Football Focus) were named 2020 All-American first teamers. OL Alijah Vera-Tucker was a pre-season All-American second team pick, while QB Kedon Slovis (Phil Steele) and WR Amon-Ra St. Brown (Athlon, Phil Steele) were fourth teamers. Johnson, Griffiths, Vera-Tucker, Slovis, St. Brown, WR Tyler Vaughns, OLB Drake Jackson and S Talanoa Hufanga were selected to various pre-season All-Pac-12 first teams.

WATCH LISTS

The following Trojans have made official “Watch Lists” for national 2020 post-season awards, to date:

TB Stephen Carr	Doak Walker Award (top running back)
S Talanoa Hufanga	Bednarik Award (top defensive player) Nagurski Award (top defensive player) Thorpe Award (top defensive back) Lott IMPACT Trophy (defensive impact player)
OLB Drake Jackson	Bednarik Award (top defensive player) Nagurski Award (top defensive player)
SNP Damon Johnson	Mannelly Award (top long snapper)
TE Erik Krommenhoek	Campbell Trophy (top scholar-athlete)*
TB Vavae Malepeai	Doak Walker Award (top running back)
QB Kedon Slovis	Maxwell Award (top player) Davey O’Brien Award (top quarterback) Manning Award (top quarterback)
WR Amon-Ra St. Brown	Biletnikoff Award (top receiver) Hornung Award (most versatile player)
WR Tyler Vaughns	Biletnikoff Award (top receiver)
OL Alijah Vera-Tucker	Outland Trophy (top interior lineman)
Head Coach Clay Helton	Good Works Team (top community service)

*semifinalist

2020 SCHEDULE

*USC’s 2020 schedule was revised twice from its original iteration. The original 2020 schedule comprised 12 games, with 3 non-conference foes (Alabama, New Mexico, Notre Dame) and 9 league opponents (all but Washington State and Oregon State), with a Sept. 5 opener. In late July, the schedule was revised to 10 games versus conference-only opponents (kicking off on Sept. 26) to better deal with the COVID-19 pandemic. Several weeks later, however, the Pac-12 postponed sports competitions until 2021 due to COVID-19 concerns. In late September, the league resumed the football, basketball and winter sports seasons based on updated Pac-12 COVID-19 Medical Advisory Committee recommendations. Now, USC’s schedule features 7 games against conference-only opponents including all 5 Pac-12 South Division foes. Fans will not be allowed at any Pac-12 sports competitions until at least 2021, per league guidelines.

*USC opens its 2020 slate at home on Nov. 7 against Arizona State, with kickoff at 9 a.m. It is the earliest kickoff time for a Trojan home game since at least the early 1950s when complete records are available (a home contest against Loyola in the 1891 season began at 9:30 a.m.), as well as USC’s first pre-noon kickoff since an 11 a.m. home start against Utah State in 2016. It also marks the latest date that USC has started a season since 1918, when the Trojans opened against Stanford on Nov. 23 because public gatherings in Los Angeles were banned in October due to the Spanish flu. And it is the 10th consecutive year that USC plays the Pac-12’s first conference game of the year. After its ASU contest, USC goes to Arizona on Nov. 14 (USC’s latest road opener since 1918, when it played at Whittier Reform on Nov. 30). The Trojans remain on the road to visit defending Pac-12 South champion Utah on Nov. 21, then they host Colorado in the Coliseum on Nov. 28 of Thanksgiving weekend. USC stays in the Coliseum for its North Division crossover game against Washington State in a Friday night contest on Dec. 4 (the teams did not meet in 2019). It will be USC’s 14th Friday game since 1990. Troy then plays crosstown rival UCLA in the Rose Bowl on Dec. 12, tying the latest date that the teams have met (also in 1942). All Pac-12 teams will play a to-be-announced Championship Week opponent on the regular season’s final weekend, with the 2020 Pac-12 Championship Game against the North and South Division champions on Dec. 18 in a home-hosted format and the league’s other teams playing on Dec. 19, with hosts to be determined. This is the latest finish to USC’s regular season since 1946, when the Trojans concluded against Tulane on Dec. 21.

*This is the fewest regular season games USC has played since 1920, when the Trojans went 6-0. This is USC’s fewest home games in a season since playing 2 in 1910 (if Troy hosts a fourth home contest on the last weekend of this regular season, it would be its fewest since also hosting 4 in 1918). This also is the first time ever that USC plays a regular-season schedule composed only of conference opponents. The last time that USC opened its season against a conference opponent was in 1994 versus Washington. This is the first interruption since 1943-44-45 in the historic intersectional series between USC and Notre Dame. This also is the first time since 1914 that USC has not played at least California or Stanford in a season.

LAST YEAR

*In 2019, a young USC squad won 5 of its last 6 regular season games to go 8-5 overall and 7-2 in the Pac-12 South, qualifying for the Holiday Bowl. Those Trojans gave Utah its only regular season loss. Two of USC’s losses were by a field goal, including one in overtime on the road.

*USC was able to have a winning season despite a number of hurdles: fielding only 4 senior starters, having 26 starters or key backups miss action due to injuries, starting 3 different quarterbacks, and entering games down to a fourth-string tailback or with 4 defensive starters out or missing both starting cornerbacks or both starting defensive ends. As further evidence of its youth, Troy played 35 freshmen (including 21 true freshmen) in 2019, with 11 getting starts (7 by true frosh). Fifteen sophomores started games in 2019.

RETURNING TROJANS

*Sixteen starters (8 on offense and 8 on defense), plus the placekicker and punter, return from 2019.

*USC returns 90 squadmen from that 2019 team, including 67 who saw action. That is Troy’s most returning squadmen since 1993, when there were 92 (USC’s 22 lost squadmen from last season are its fewest since 1997, when there also were 22). Only 13 scholarship players from 2019 are missing. On the Trojans’ 114-man 2020 roster, 41 players have started at least once in their careers. The returnees will be joined by 24 newcomers, including 4 who enrolled at USC this past spring (although they got in just 1 day of spring drills after athletic competition and practices nationwide were shut down due to coronavirus concerns).

*USC’s offense—which averaged 455 total yards, including a school-record 335 passing yards, and 32 points a game—returns its top 2 passers, top 6 rushers, 7 of its top 8 pass catchers and 2 starting linemen from 2019. Quarterback Kedon Slovis, who was the 2019 Pac-12 Offensive Freshman of the Year and a Freshman All-American first teamer, completed a Pac-12 record and NCAA freshman record 71.9% of his passes for a USC frosh record 3,502 yards with 30 TDs to rank in the national Top 20 in completion percentage, passing yards, completions, passing efficiency, passing TDs and total offense. Wide receivers Amon-Ra St. Brown (77 catches) and Tyler Vaughns (74) each hauled in 6 touchdowns last fall, while Drake London added 5 TDs among his 39 grabs. Tailbacks Vavae Malepeai, Stephen Carr, Markese Stepp and Kenan Christon combined for 1,579 rushing yards with 16 scores last year. Tight ends Erik Krommenhoek and Josh Falo have 33 career receptions between them. Six linemen—Alijah Vera-Tucker, Jalen McKenzie, Andrew Vorhees, Liam Jimmons, Brett Neilon and Justin Dedich—have extensive starting experience.

*The Trojan defense welcomes back 11 of its top 13 tacklers from 2019, as well as its leaders in sacks, tackles for loss, interceptions, deflections and forced fumbles. The defensive front is anchored by Freshman All-American first team pick Drake Jackson, 2-year starter Marlon Tuipulotu and often-used Brandon Pili. Inside linebackers Palaie Gaoteote IV and Kana’i Mauga together tallied 119 tackles in 2019, while Jordan Iosefa was set to start last fall before being sidelined by injury. Safeties Talanoa Hufanga (90) and Isaiah Pola-Mao (73) were second and third on USC in tackles last year, while Pola-Mao added a team-best 4 picks. Cornerbacks Olaijah Griffin (team-high 9 deflections), Isaac Taylor-Stuart and Chris Steele and safety Greg Johnson (at nickelback) all saw plenty of action in 2019.

*Almost all of USC’s 2019 specialists return: placekicker Chase McGrath, who has 32 career field goals, Aussie punter Ben Griffiths (41.2 average in 2019), who doubles as the holder, kickoff specialist Alex Stadthaus, 3-year starting long snapper Damon Johnson and punt returners Tyler Vaughns and Amon-Ra St. Brown.

GONE FROM 2019

*Although the players not returning from the 2019 roster are few in number, the lost production is significant. All-Pac-12 first team wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr., who won the 2019 Pop Warner College Football Award and was a finalist for the Biletnikoff and Witten Awards, caught 101 passes with 11 TDs last season and was in the national Top 20 in receptions, receiving yards and receiving TDs. He is 12th on USC’s career receptions list (171) and was an NFL second rounder. Fellow All-Pac-12 first teamer Austin Jackson, a 2-year starter at left offensive tackle, declared for the NFL after his junior year (he was a first round pick). Defensive lineman Jay Tufele, who had 41 tackles (4.5 sacks) in 2019 as an All-Pac-12 first teamer, declared for the NFL this summer as a junior. Starting right tackle Drew Richmond came to USC last fall as a graduate transfer after starting 3 years at Tennessee. Three-year starting inside linebacker John Houston Jr., who led the Trojans in tackles in 2019 with 104, had 271 stops in his career. Defensive lineman Christian Rector notched 107 tackles while starting 23 games in his career. Quarterback JT Daniels, who started all of 2018 as a true freshman (throwing for 2,672 yards and 14 TDs) and was off to a great start in the 2019 opener before suffering a season-ending knee injury that opened the door for Kedon Slovis, has transferred. Wideout Velus Jones Jr. made his mark as a kick returner the past 3 seasons, running back a USC record 81 kickoffs in his career and finishing second on the school’s all-time kickoff return yardage chart (he also had 36 career catches). He transferred as a grad student.

CLAY HELTON

*Clay Helton guided the Trojans to a Rose Bowl victory in 2016 and a Pac-12 Championship Game win in 2017 before seeing his team struggle in 2018, but USC rebounded well in 2019 (his fourth full season at Troy). *The 48-year-old Helton, who has been at USC since 2010, is 40-22 (.645) as the Trojan head coach, with 12 victories over AP Top 25 teams, including 3 in the Top 5 and 4 in the Top 10. He was 8-5 in 2019, with wins over No. 23 Stanford and No. 10 Utah (for which he was named the Dodd Trophy Coach of the Week), was 5-7 in 2018 with a win over No. 19 Colorado, 11-3 in 2017 with wins over No. 14 Stanford twice (including in the Pac-12 Championship Game) and No. 23 Arizona, 10-3 in 2016 with wins over No. 4 Washington, No. 5 Penn State in a legendary Rose Bowl and No. 21 Colorado, 5-4 in 2015 with wins over No. 3 Utah and No. 22 UCLA, and 1-0 in 2013, beating No. 21 Fresno State.

*He was the first USC head coach to have 10-win seasons in each of his first 2 full seasons and he had more wins (21) in his first 2 full seasons than any USC coach. He led USC to a 19-game home winning streak from 2015 to 2018 (its longest since 2001-04), a 14-game Pac-12 home game winning streak from 2015 to 2018 (its longest since 2001 to 2004), a 13-game overall winning streak from 2016 to 2017 (its longest since 2003-04) and a 13-game winning streak over Power 5 opponents from 2016 to 2017. He is 24-4 in the Coliseum. He is 31-12 (.721) versus Pac-12 foes, including 20-4 (.833) against the Pac-12 South. Two of his career losses came while serving as USC’s interim head coach.

*His 2019 Trojans, with only 4 senior starters and despite being marred by injuries in which 26 starters or key backups missed action, rebounded well from a down 2018 season. USC won 5 of its last 6 regular season games to go 8-5 overall and 7-2 in the Pac-12 South, qualifying for the Holiday Bowl. The Trojans gave Utah its only regular season loss. Two of USC’s losses were by a field goal, including one in overtime on the road. Troy did this despite starting 3 different quarterbacks and entering games down to a fourth-string tailback or with 4 defensive starters out or missing both starting cornerbacks or starting defensive ends.

*His 2018 Trojans — which featured young players in key spots — were 5-7 overall, with the last 4 losses all by 7 points or less, and 4-5 in Pac-12 play.

*In 2017, his Trojans were 11-3 (ranked No. 12) despite playing all 12 regular season games without a bye. He led USC to an 8-1 Pac-12 record (the loss was by 3 points on Friday night on the road on a late field goal) and its first Pac-12 title since 2008 by winning the Pac-12 Championship Game (the first ever by a South Division team). Troy played in the Cotton Bowl Classic. He was the 2017 AP Pac-12 Coach of the Year and Athlon Pac-12 Coach of the Year and a finalist for the Paul “Bear” Bryant Coach of the Year Award (the second consecutive year he was a finalist). After the 2017 season, Helton had his contract extended through the 2023 season.

*After his Trojans started off 1-3 in 2016 in his first full season as head coach (all 3 losses were to AP Top 25 teams away from home), USC closed with a 9-game winning streak (its longest since 2008-09) while rising to a final No. 3 national AP ranking (USC’s highest since 2008 and the highest ever of any 3-loss team) and earning a berth in the Rose Bowl (finishing second in the Pac-12 South at 7-2) as it played a schedule ranked among the 10 most difficult in the nation. He was named a finalist for the 2016 Paul “Bear” Bryant Coach of the Year Award and won the Football Writers First Year Co-Coach of the Year Award.

*He guided the 2015 Trojans to 5 wins in the last 6 regular-season games (including victories over No. 3 Utah and No. 22 UCLA), the co-championship of the challenging Pac-12 South Division, a berth in the Pac-12 Championship Game and a trip to the Holiday Bowl. He was named the 2015 Los Angeles Sports Council Coach of the Year.

*After starting the 2015 season as the offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach, Clay Helton was named USC’s permanent head coach on Nov. 30 of that year, dropping the interim head coach title he had held for USC’s final 7 regular season games.

*Helton joined the USC staff in February of 2010 as the quarterbacks coach. He added the passing game coordinator role in 2012 and became the Trojans’ offensive coordinator in 2013 (he served as USC’s interim head coach in its victory over No. 21 Fresno State in the 2013 Las Vegas Bowl).

*He began his 10-year (2000-09) Memphis career as the running backs coach for 3 seasons, then coached the Tigers’ receivers for the next 4 seasons before becoming the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach the final 3 years. He served as Memphis’ interim head coach for several months in early 2006 when head coach Tommie West had off-season heart surgery.

*Before Memphis, he was the running backs coach at Houston, his alma mater, for 3 seasons (1997-99) under his father, head coach Kim Helton.

*He began his coaching career at Duke, serving as a graduate assistant in 1995 and then the running backs coach in 1996.

*He played quarterback at Houston in 1993 and 1994, playing for his father both seasons and captaining the Cougars as a 1994 senior. He spent 1991 and 1992 at Auburn, where he earned 1992 SEC All-Academic honors. He redshirted there in 1990. He prepped at Clements High in Sugar Land (Tex.).

*He and wife, Angela, have 3 children. Besides being Houston’s head coach from 1993 to 1999, his father, Kim, was an assistant in college, the NFL and CFL. His brother, Tyson, was USC’s quarterbacks coach and pass game coordinator (2016-17) and now is the head coach at Western Kentucky.

ASSISTANT COACHES

*After bringing in Graham Harrell as USC’s offensive coordinator in 2019 (with his “Air Raid” style attack), Helton made wholesale coaching changes on the defensive and special teams units for 2020. The Trojan defense gave up a school record in total yards in 2019.

*Todd Orlando, who has 15 years of experience as a collegiate defensive coordinator, including the past 3 seasons at Texas, will call the Trojan defense and handle the linebackers. Craig Naivar, a 26-year coaching veteran at schools such as Houston, Kentucky and most recently Texas, was named safeties coach. Donte Williams, who spent the past 2 years at Oregon and is regarded among the nation’s top recruiters, joins as the cornerbacks coach and defensive pass game coordinator. Vic So’oto, a former NFL player who coached Virginia’s defensive line the past 3 seasons, is the new defensive line coach.

*Sean Snyder, whose special teams at Kansas State annually ranked among the nation’s best, will be Troy’s special teams coordinator (he is the son of legendary retired K-State head coach Bill Snyder).

*Mike Jinks (running backs), Keary Colbert (wide receivers) and Tim Drevno (offensive line) return with Harrell on the offensive staff, while John David Baker was promoted from offensive quality control analyst to tight ends coach.

USC Trojans receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown celebrates with teammates

OFFENSIVE OVERVIEW

*Seven starters return on offense from 2019: quarterback Kedon Slovis, wide receivers Tyler Vaughns, Amon-Ra St. Brown and Drake London, tailback Vavae Malepeai, offensive linemen Jalen McKenzie and Brett Neilon and tight end Erik Krommenhoek. London and Krommenhoek split starts. Other offensive players back with starting experience are quarterback Matt Fink, tailbacks Stephen Carr and Kenan Christon, tight end Josh Falo and offensive linemen Alijah Vera-Tucker, Andrew Vorhees, Liam Jimmons and Justin Dedich.

*USC brings back most of its 2019 offensive production: its 2 leading passers, top 6 rushers and 7 of its top 8 pass catchers. Last fall, the Trojans averaged 455.4 yards of total offense, including a school-record 335.8 passing yards, and 32.5 points a game. USC was in the national Top 25 in 6 offensive categories last fall: fourth in completion percentage (.710), sixth in passing offense, 12th in passing efficiency (159.0), 20th in total offense, 21st in third down conversions (.456) and 24th in first downs (301). The 2019 Trojans also set school season pass marks for total passing yards (4,365), completion percentage (71.0%), completions (365) and attempts (514). But Troy’s 119.6 rushing yards last year were its fewest since 2001.

QUARTERBACKS

*USC has 3 quarterback with starting experience...and wins.

*However, USC did lose JT Daniels to transfer. After starting in 2018 as a true freshman and throwing for 2,672 yards with 14 TDs, he started 2019 on fire (73.5% completions and 215 yards in the first half of the opener) but then tore knee ligaments and was sidelined the rest of the season.

*The incumbent is precocious sophomore Kedon Slovis (282-of-392, 71.9%, 3,502 yds, 30 TD, 9 int in 2019), who had a record-setting debut last fall as a true freshman and now is showing up in various 2020 Heisman Trophy projections (he is the nation’s most accurate returning passer). The 2019 Pac-12 Offensive Freshman of the Year and Freshman All-American first teamer took over when starter Daniels went down late in the first half of last year’s opener and never looked back, completing a USC, Pac-12 and freshman NCAA record 71.9% of his passes for a USC frosh record 3,502 yards with 30 TDs and just 9 picks. His 167.6 passing efficiency mark was a school record, while his 282 completions and 3,445 yards of total offense were Trojan freshman standards. His 4 games with 400-plus passing yards—including a USC record 515 versus UCLA—set a USC season record and ties the school career mark. Slovis completed at least 67% of his passes in all but 1 of the 12 games he played last fall. He ranked in the nation’s Top 20 in completion percentage, passing yards, completions, passing efficiency, passing TDs and total offense.

*Slovis wasn’t immune to injury, either. When he suffered a concussion on the second play of last year’s Utah game, senior Matt Fink (58-of-88, 65.9%, 648 yds, 4 TD, 5 int in 2019) took over and led USC to a victory over the No. 10 Utes by throwing for 351 yards and 3 scores. He started the next game at Washington as Slovis remained sidelined and also played most of the second half against Iowa in the Holiday Bowl when Slovis hurt his throwing elbow.

*Coming this fall as walk-ons are senior graduate transfer Mo Hasan, who spent the past 2 years as a backup at Vanderbilt (throwing just 17 passes) but started in a victory over Missouri in 2019, and true freshman Isaac Ward (Clarke Central High in Athens, Ga.). Soph walk-on Brad Aoki moves from wideout.

Sophomore quarterback Kedon Slovis

RUNNING BACKS

*USC returns its entire stable of productive and effective tailbacks, and each supplies a different running style. Together, they combined for more than 1,500 rushing yards with 16 TDs in 2019.

*Seniors Vavae Malepeai (105 tcb, 503 yds, 4.8 avg, 6 TD in 2019, plus 15 rec, 70 yds, 4.7 avg, 1 TD) and Stephen Carr (72 tcb, 396 yds, 5.5 avg, 5 TDs in 2019, plus 22 rec, 143 yds, 6.5 avg, 1 TD and 6 KOR, 106 yds, 17.7 avg) are the veterans of the corps, able to carry and catch the ball equally well. The hard-charging Malepeai has 1,265 running yards with 14 scores in his career, including a team-high 503 yards and 6 TDs in 2019 with 7 starts despite missing 5 outings with a knee issue. He also has 33 receptions at USC (15 in 2019). The explosive Carr, who has 1,153 career rushing yards with 10 TDs as well as 47 receptions, ran for 396 yards with 5 TDs last fall and caught 22 passes, but missed 3 mid-season games with a hamstring strain. He also has returned 15 kickoffs in his career.

*Sophomore Markese Stepp (48 tcb, 307 yds, 5.7 avg, 3 TD in 2019) is a bruising runner at 235 pounds. He rumbled for 307 yards and 3 touchdowns in 2019 before missing the last 6 games with an ankle sprain. Adding lightning to Stepp’s thunder is soph speedster Kenan Christon (68 tcb, 373 yds, 5.5 avg, 2 TD in 2019, plus 11 rec, 126 yds, 11.5 avg, 3 TD and 1 KOR, 20 yds, 20.0 avg), who brought his 10.30 time in the 100 meters to USC’s track team this past spring (until the track season was cancelled due to the coronavirus) after winning the California state 100 and 200 meters as a high school senior. He played in USC’s last 7 games of 2019 and collected 373 rushing yards (he also caught 11 passes) while getting 3 starts. He had 103 second-half yards with 2 scores off the bench against Arizona when Malepeai, Carr and Stepp were sidelined by injuries.

*Senior Quincy Jountti (13 tcb, 38 yds, 2.9 avg in 2019, plus 6 tac), a one-time walk-on who was awarded a scholarship last fall, adds depth to the tailback rotation and also is a key special teams performer.

*There’s also senior Grant Jones, a converted inside linebacker, and fellow walk-on Ben Easington, a junior who has yet to carry the ball at USC (he missed last season with a torn knee ligament after a shoulder injury downed him for most of 2018). Senior Samuel Oram-Jones, a graduate transfer from Vanderbilt who also played in college in his native England, and true freshman Matt Colombo (St. John Bosco High in Bellflower, Calif.), both walk-ons, enroll this fall.

Senior running back Vavae Malepeai

WIDE RECEIVERS

*Although USC lost its leading pass catcher from 2019, its receiving corps is well stocked with the returning wideouts having accounted for 194 receptions and 18 touchdowns last fall.

*But the loss of All-Pac-12 first teamer Michael Pittman Jr. can’t be overlooked. The winner of the 2019 Pop Warner College Football Award and a finalist for the Biletnikoff and Witten Awards caught 101 passes with 11 TDs last season and was in the national Top 20 in receptions, receiving yards and receiving TDs. He ended his career 12th on USC’s career receptions list (171). And gone as a transfer to Tennessee is Velus Jones Jr., who grabbed 36 career passes (6 in 2019) but made his mark as a kickoff returner the last 3 years (he had a USC career record 81 kickoff runbacks and was second on the school’s all-time kickoff return yardage chart).

*Headlining USC’s 2020 receiver group are senior Tyler Vaughns (74 rec, 912 yds, 12.3 avg, 6 TD in 2019, plus 7 PR, 46 yds, 6.6 avg and 1 KOR, 10 yds, 10.0 avg and 3 tac), a 3-year starter, and junior Amon-Ra St. Brown (77 rec, 1,042 yds, 13.5 avg, 6 TD in 2019, plus 7 tcb, 60 yds, 8.6 avg, 1 TD and 12 PR, 66 yds, 5.5 avg). The vets each had 4 100-yard receiving games in 2019. Vaughns is ninth on USC’s all-time receptions list (189) and has 7 100-yard receiving outings and 17 TDs in his career. Last fall, he caught 74 passes with 6 scores. St. Brown joined Pittman as a 1,000-yard receiver in 2019 (he had 1,042) while snagging 77 passes with 6 TDs. In his career, he has 137 receptions with 9 scores to rank 19th on USC’s all-time list. Both also are experienced punt returners (Vaughns has 27 in his career, St. Brown has 13).

*Also back is promising sophomore Drake London (39 rec, 567 yds, 14.5 avg, 5 TD in 2019), who emerged by the middle of last season as a key option in USC’s passing attack. He caught 39 passes (all but 3 in the final half of the season) with 5 TDs (1 in each of the final 5 games). London, also a standout basketball player, joined the Trojan hoops team soon after football season ended.

*Four other young receivers from last year’s roster will battle for increased action: sophomores John Jackson III and Munir McClain (3 rec, 19 yds, 6.3 avg in 2019) and redshirt freshmen Kyle Ford (1 rec, 20 yds, 20.0 avg, 1 TD in 2019) and Bru McCoy. Jackson appeared in 11 games last fall but did not have a catch, McClain was off to a nice start in 2019 (he had 3 receptions) but tore knee ligaments in mid-season, Ford had a TD on his only catch of 2019 and was able to redshirt after seeing action in only 4 late-season games (however, he likely will miss this season with another knee injury) and McCoy sat out 2019.

*There also are 5 walk-ons in junior Jack Webster, soph Zach Wilson, redshirt freshman Chase Locke and true freshmen Danny Ryan (St. Ignatius Prep in San Francisco, Calif.) and Ty Shamblin (Oaks Christian High in Westlake Village, Calif.). Webster and Wilson have seen brief action in games, but have not caught a pass.

*Two receivers graduated a semester early from high school and joined the Trojans as freshmen this spring: prep All-Americans Gary Bryant Jr. (Centennial High in Corona, Calif.) and Joshua Jackson Jr. (Narbonne High in Harbor City, Calif.).

Senior wide receiver Tyler Vaughns

TIGHT ENDS

*Most of USC’s tight end crew from 2019 is back. Look for the position to become more involved in the passing attack in 2020.

*Seniors Erik Krommenhoek (11 rec, 122 yds, 11.1 avg in 2019) and Josh Falo (4 rec, 23 yds, 5.8 avg, 1 TD in 2019, plus 1 tac) manned the position last year, but were used primarily as blockers. Between them, they have 33 career receptions, including 15 in 2019.

*Two redshirt freshmen, Jude Wolfe and Ethan Rae, will push to get into the mix. Wolfe saw limited time in 4 games in 2019 and was able to redshirt, while Rae sat out last fall while recuperating from a high school knee injury.

*There also are a pair of untested walk-ons in senior Scott Voigt and redshirt freshman Sean Mahoney.

Senior tight end Josh Falo

OFFENSIVE LINEMEN

*USC will have to replace both offensive tackles, and they were good ones. Left tackle Austin Jackson was a 2-year starter who earned All- Pac-12 first team honors last season. He declared for the NFL as a junior. Drew Richmond, the right tackle, came to USC in 2019 as a graduate transfer after starting for 3 seasons at Tennessee.

*But there are plenty of talented offensive linemen remaining. In fact, five linemen on the 2020 roster have notched quality starts.

*Leading the way is junior Alijah Vera-Tucker, who Pro Football Focus ranked as the conference’s top guard in 2019 (he was on the left side). Versatile junior Jalen McKenzie started primarily at right guard last year, but he also was used at right tackle. Fellow junior Brett Neilon started 11 games at center in 2019, a steady anchor to the line.

*Senior Liam Jimmons, who came to USC as a defensive lineman but moved to offense last year, rotated often with McKenzie at guard, starting twice. Junior Andrew Vorhees started 2017 and 2018 at right guard, but an early-season ankle injury knocked him out last season. Sophomore Justin Dedich started twice last year at center when Neilon was hurt.

*Looking to get into the playing rotation are a number of returning linemen with limited experience to date: seniors Frank Martin II and Bernard Schirmer, sophomores Liam Douglass and AJ Mageo and redshirt freshmen Jason Rodriguez and Gino Quinones.

*Also available are walk-ons Mark Zuvich, a sophomore, and juniors Damian Lopez and Joe Bryson, a transfer from Colorado Mesa.

*Half of USC’s 2020 signing class was offensive linemen. Coming aboard in the fall as freshmen are prep All-American Jonah Monheim (Moorpark High in Moorpark, Calif.), along with Casey Collier (Barbers Hill High in Mont Belvieu, Tex.), Andres Dewerk (Los Gatos High in Los Gatos, Calif.), Courtland Ford (Cedar Hill High in Cedar Hill, Tex.), Andrew Milek (Brophy Prep in Phoenix, Ariz.) and Caadyn Stephen (Camas High in Camas, Wash.).

Alijah Vera-Tucker - USC Trojans Football

Junior offensive lineman Alijah Vera-Tucker

DEFENSIVE OVERVIEW

*Eight defensive starters return from 2019: outside linebacker Drake Jackson, defensive lineman Marlon Tuipulotu, safeties Talanoa Hufanga and Isaiah Pola-Mao, co-starting inside linebackers Palaie Gaoteote IV and Kana’i Mauga, cornerback Olaijah Griffin, co-starters at cornerback Isaac Taylor-Stuart and Chris Steele and safety Greg Johnson. Other defensive players back with career starts are inside linebacker Jordan Iosefa, defensive linemen Brandon Pili, Caleb Tremblay, Connor Murphy and Jacob Lichtenstein, safety Chase Williams, safety Max Williams, cornerback Dorian Hewett, outside linebacker Hunter Echols and inside linebacker Eli’jah Winston.

*The Trojan defense has 11 of its top 13 tacklers back from 2019, as well as its leaders in sacks, tackles for loss, interceptions, deflections and forced fumbles. But last year the defense allowed a USC opponent record 408.7 total yards (including 246.2 through the air) and 29.4 points (the most since 2000) while getting just 16 takeaways.

DEFENSIVE LINEMEN

*The defensive front should be a position of strength for USC despite losing linemen Jay Tufele, an All-Pac-12 first teamer in 2019 when he made 41 tackles with 4.5 sacks (he declared for the NFL this summer as a junior), and Christian Rector, who started 23 games in his career and made 107 tackles.

*Plugging the middle is effective junior Marlon Tuipulotu (46 tac, 6 for loss, 2 sack, 3 dfl, 1 FF in 2019), a 2-year starter with 81 tackles and 11.5 stops for a loss in his career. Experienced senior Brandon Pili (18 tac, 5 for loss, 1.5 sack, 3 dfl, 1 FF in 2019) has filled in often at various line spots.

*Several of the backups have seen key playing time, including seniors Caleb Tremblay (16 tac, 3 for loss, 2 sack in 2019) and Connor Murphy (5 tac, 1 sack, 1 BLK FG in 2019), who each own career starts, and juniors Nick Figueroa (10 tac, 1 sack, 1 FR, 1 dfl in 2019) and Jacob Lichtenstein, who missed 2019 with a knee injury. Then there are sophomore Trevor Trout and redshirt freshmen De’jon Benton (3 tac in 2019), Stanley Ta’ufo’ou and converted inside linebacker Maninoa Tufono (2 tac in 2019), all who saw brief action last fall.

*Prep All-American Kobe Pepe (St. John Bosco High in Bellflower, Calif.) graduated from high school a semester early and enrolled at USC as a freshman this spring. Joining in the fall as frosh areprep All- American Jamar Sekona (Marin Catholic High in Kentfield, Calif.) and Tuli Tuipulotu (Lawndale High in Lawndale, Calif.), Marlon’s younger brother.

Junior defensive lineman Marlon Tuipulotu

OUTSIDE LINEBACKERS

*USC’s cadre of outside linebackers is led by sophomore Drake Jackson (46 tac, 11.5 for loss, 5.5 sack, 3 dfl, 1 FF, 1 safety in 2019), a 2019 Freshman All-American first teamer when he led the Trojans in tackles for loss (11.5) and sacks (5.5). He attacked from the edge as a defensive lineman in 2019.

*Juniors Hunter Echols (9 tac, 1.5 sack, 1 FR, 1 dfl in 2019) and Juliano Falaniko (12 tac, 1.5 for loss, 0.5 sack, 1 FR in 2019) are experienced. Echols started twice last year, but is coming off late-season shoulder surgery.

*Sophomore Abdul-Malik McClain (2 tac, 2 sack in 2019), Munir’s older brother, showed well in 2019 when healthy. Shoulder and knee injuries limited him to 5 games last year (he had post-season surgery on his shoulder).

*There also are 2 walk-ons: junior Bryce Matthews, who is coming off a back injury that knocked him out all of 2019, and Peter Esparza.

Sophomore outside linebacker Drake Jackson

INSIDE LINEBACKERS

*Gone is 3-year starting inside linebacker John Houston Jr., who led the Trojans in tackles in 2019 with 104. He had 271 stops in his career. But USC is deep at the inside linebacker spot.

*Juniors Palaie Gaoteote IV (58 tac, 3 for loss in 2019) and Kana’i Mauga (61 tac, 7 for loss, 3 sack, 2 dfl, 1 FF, 1 int in 2019, plus 1 KOR, 0 yds) shared starts inside in 2019 next to Houston, with Mauga getting 8 and Gaoteote 7. Mauga was fourth on the Trojans in tackles last fall with 61 and Gaoteote was right behind with 58 despite missing 5 games with ankle injuries.

*Senior Jordan Iosefa, who has 16 career starts at inside and outside linebacker, was in line to start on the inside last fall but he dislocated his kneecap in fall camp and missed the 2019 season.

*Several other returnees have some playing experience and will compete for time: sophomores Ralen Goforth (6 tac in 2019) and Eli’jah Winston (8 tac, 1 for loss in 2019), who missed the first half of 2019 with an ankle sprain (he started once), and redshirt freshman Tuasivi Nomura, who appeared briefly in 4 games in 2019 but did not make a tackle. Winston likely will miss the 2020 season with an ankle injury.

*After being sidelined his first 2 seasons at USC with a foot injury, sophomore Solomon Tuliaupupu is hopeful he can get on the field in 2019. And soph Tayler Katoa is back after a 2-year Mormon mission.

*Three walk-ons bolster the inside linebacker unit: soph Spencer Gilbert (1 tac in 2019), redshirt freshman Clyde Moore, who sat out last year with a knee injury, and true freshman Danny Lockhart Jr. (St. John Bosco High in Bellflower, Calif.).

Jordan Iosefa vs. Texas on September 15, 2018

Senior inside linebacker Jordan Iosefa

DEFENSIVE BACKS

*USC’s secondary, which was young in 2019 but is now experienced and deep, welcomes almost everyone back in 2020.

*The Trojans feature one of the nation’s top safety duos in juniors Talanoa Hufanga (90 tac, 7.5 for loss, 3.5 sack, 3 dfl, 2 FF in 2019) at strong safety and Isaiah Pola-Mao (73 tac, 5.5 for loss, 1.5 sack, 4 int, 2 dfl in 2019) at free safety. Hufanga (90) and Pola-Mao (73) were second and third on the team in tackles last year. Hufanga’s 18 tackles against UCLA were the most by a Trojan since Troy Polamalu’s 20 against Utah in 2001. Pola-Mao had a team-best 4 picks last fall, including 1 in 3 consecutive games (the first Trojan to do so since 1998) and 2 of his thefts were in the end zone. In their careers, Hufanga has 141 stops and Pola-Mao has 81. Hufanga had post-season shoulder surgery.

*Three players who shared primary time at cornerback in 2019 return: junior Olaijah Griffin (37 tac, 0.5 for loss, 9 dfl in 2019), who led the Trojans in deflections last fall with 9, and sophomores Isaac-Taylor Stuart (36 tac, 1 for loss, 1 int, 4 dfl in 2019) and Chris Steele (35 tac, 1 for loss, 5 dfl, 1 FR in 2019), who split starts in 2019. Taylor-Stuart suffered torn knee ligaments in last year’s Holiday Bowl.

*Junior Greg Johnson (35 tac, 2 for loss, 1 sack, 4 dfl, 2 int, 1 FR, 1 FF in 2019), who was USC’s nickelback last fall, also returns, but has moved to safety this fall.

*There are plenty of tested backups in the secondary. At safety, there are sophomores Chase Williams (29 tac, 1 for loss in 2019), who has 5 career starts, Briton Allen (5 tac in 2019), Kaulana Makaula (6 tac, 2 dfl in 2019) and Raymond Scott (1 tac in 2019), who has also played inside linebacker, and redshirt frosh Max Williams (6 tac, 1 sack, 1 dfl, a FF in 2019), who started twice last year at nickelback. At corner, there are sophomores Dorian Hewett (10 tac, 1 dfl in 2019), who started once in 2019, and Jayden Williams (6 tac in 2019) and redshirt freshman Adonis Otey (1 tac in 2019).

*Four walk-ons also are available: senior graduate transfer safety Micah Croom from Dartmouth, soph safety Jordan McMillan (6 tac in 2019), junior cornerback Jack Drake and true freshman safety Tommy Maurice (Brookfield Central High in Brookfield, Wisc.).

Isaac Taylor-Stuart - USC Trojans Football

Sophomore cornerback Isaac-Taylor Stuart

SPECIAL TEAMS OVERVIEW

*USC returns all but its kickoff returner on special teams: its punter (Ben Griffiths), placekickers (Chase McGrath, Michael Brown), kickoff specialist (Alex Stadthaus), long snapper (Damon Johnson), holder (Ben Griffiths) and punt returners (Amon-Ra St. Brown, Tyler Vaughns).

*Troy’s punting average (41.2) last year was its highest since 2012 and only 10 of the team’s 52 punts were returned (just 3 were touchbacks). USC’s 14 field goals were its fourth most since 2008. The Trojans had a punt return for a TD in 2019 and they blocked 2 field goals. But USC’s 5.6-yard punt return average was its lowest since 1986 and its 21.2-yard kickoff return mark was its fifth lowest since 2002. Its kickoff return defense (29.8) ranked last nationally in 2019 and USC allowed 2 scoring kick returns for the first time since 2011.

*At punter, USC brings back strong-legged sophomore Ben Griffiths (41.2 P avg in 2019), who played professional Australian rules football before arriving at USC last season. He averaged 41.2 yards per boot in 2019, with 22 of his 52 punts pinning opponents within the 20-yard line. He only had 3 touchbacks. Behind him are a trio of walk-ons: redshirt freshmen Will Rose and Michael Shahidi and true freshman Michael McAllister (La Costa Canyon High in Carlsbad, Calif.).

*USC features a pair of placekickers with extensive experience. Junior Chase McGrath (14-of-17 FG, 54-of-54 PAT in 2019), Troy’s kicker in 2017 and 2019 (and for 3 games in 2018 before getting hurt), has 32 career field goals and has missed just 1 PAT in 119 tries. Last season, he was 14-of-17 on field goals and 54-of-54 on extra points. Senior Michael Brown (1 tac in 2019) was the kicker in 2018 after McGrath was injured, making 7-of-9 field goals and all 32 of his PAT tries. In 2019, he kicked off 17 times, with 8 touchbacks (he even recovered his own onside kick). Junior Alex Stadthaus (4 tac in 2019) handled most of USC’s kickoffs in 2019 after doing so all of 2018. In his career, he has touchbacks on 48.8% of his kickoffs (60-of-123), including 19 times in 62 kickoffs last year. He has not done any placement kicks at USC. Prep All-American Parker Lewis (Saguaro High in Scottsdale, Ariz.) graduated a semester early from high school and enrolled as a USC freshman this spring. He drilled touchbacks 82.6% of the time as a prep junior and senior, plus as a punter he averaged more than 50 yards per punt.

*Senior Damon Johnson (2 tac, 1 FR in 2019) returns for his fourth year as the starting long snapper, a job he has handled flawlessly. He is backed by walk-ons Jac Casasante, a sophomore who has yet to play at USC, and redshirt freshman Nathan Weneta, a Purdue transfer.

*Sophomore punter Ben Griffith was USC’s holder in 2019 and should do so again in 2020. His backup last year was senior quarterback Matt Fink.

*USC must replace reliable kickoff returner Velus Jones Jr., who ran back a USC record 81 kickoffs in his 3-year career and is second on the school’s all-time kickoff return yardage chart. He had 29 kickoff returns for a 24.3-yard average in 2019, with a touchdown. He transferred to Tennessee. Among the candidates to take over the kick return duty are senior tailback Stephen Carr (6 KOR, 106 yds, 17.7 avg in 2019), the most experienced kickoff returner on the roster, fleet sophomore tailback Kenan Christon (1 KOR, 20 yds, 20.0 avg in 2019), senior wide receiver Tyler Vaughns (1 KOR, 10 yds, 10.0 avg in 2019), junior wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown and redshirt freshman cornerback Adonis Otey. All were deep on kickoffs at some point in 2019. Both of USC’s primary punt returners from 2019 are back this season: junior wideout Amon-Ra St. Brown (12 PR, 66 yds, 5.5 avg in 2019) and senior wideout Tyler Vaughns (7 PR, 46 yds, 6.6 avg in 2019). Vaughns handled the punt return job in 2018, when his 10.5 average ranked 13th nationally (he had an 82-yard scoring runback that season).

Random Notes

***USC is the only FBS school never to have had surnames on the back of its jerseys.

***USC is one of only 3 NCAA FBS (formerly Division I-A) schools that has never played an FCS (formerly non-Division I-A) opponent since the divisions were established in 1978. The other schools are UCLA and Notre Dame, both Trojan opponents nearly every season.

***USC’s 623 games played in the Coliseum (including 6 wins vacated by NCAA penalty) are the second most that any school has played in its home stadium, behind Georgia Tech’s 703 in Bobby Dodd Stadium.

***Some tidbits about USC’s 2020 schedule:

USC’s 9 a.m. kickoff against Arizona State is the earliest kickoff time for a Trojan home game since at least the early 1950s when complete records are available (a home contest against Loyola in the 1891 season began at 9:30 a.m.), as well as USC’s first pre-noon kickoff since an 11 a.m. home start against Utah State in 2016.
USC’s Nov. 7 opener against Arizona State marks the latest date that USC has started a season since 1918, when the Trojans opened against Stanford on Nov. 23 because public gatherings in Los Angeles were banned in October due to the Spanish flu.
Troy’s game against Arizona State is the 10th consecutive year that USC plays the Pac-12’s first conference game of the year.
USC’s Nov. 14 game at Arizona is the Trojans’ latest road opener since 1918, when it played at Whittier Reform on Nov. 30).
USC’s game against Washington State is Troy’s 14th Friday game since 1990.
USC’s Dec. 12 at UCLA ties the latest date that the teams have met (also in 1942).
USC’s Dec. 18 or 19 end of the regular season is the latest finish to USC’s regular season since 1946, when the Trojans concluded against Tulane on Dec. 21.
This is the fewest regular season games USC has played since 1920, when the Trojans went 6-0.
This is USC’s fewest home games in a season since playing 2 in 1910 (if Troy hosts a fourth home contest on the last weekend of this regular season, it would be its fewest since also hosting 4 in 1918).
This also is the first time ever that USC plays a regular-season schedule composed only of conference opponents.
The last time that USC opened its season against a conference opponent was in 1994 versus Washington.
This is the first interruption since 1943-44-45 in the historic intersectional series between USC and Notre Dame.
This is the first time since 1914 that USC has not played at least California or Stanford in a season.

***USC is 216-69-14 (.745) during presidential election years. The Trojans are 127-29-5 (.804) in years when Republicans won the White House and 89-40-9 (.678) when Democrats won. (Does not include 1 win vacated due to NCAA penalty; revised record: 217-69-14, .747 overall and 128-29- 5, .806 with Republicans.) USC has won 4 national championships (1928- 32-72-2004) during presidential election years. Since 1929 (beginning with Herbert Hoover), USC has played in the Rose Bowl during the term of every U.S. President except Donald Trump.

***In USC’s 127 seasons, the Trojans have lost 4 or more games 43 times. Following 9 of those 4-plus loss seasons, USC “turned it around” to win the Rose Bowl the next year (1938-43-62-67-72-76-78-84-16).

***USC’s future non-conference schedule features home games versus BYU (2021, 2023), San Jose State (2021, 2024), Fresno State (2022, 2025), Rice (2022) and Nevada (2023) and Mississippi (2025, 2026). Since 1926, USC has annually (except during World War II and in 2020 because of COVID-19 limitations) played Notre Dame in a home-and-home series that currently runs through 2026. Since 2000, Troy also has had Alabama, Ohio State, Texas, Auburn, Nebraska, Penn State, Arkansas, BYU, Virginia Tech, Kansas State, Syracuse, Boston College, Hawaii, Minnesota, Virginia, Fresno State, UNLV, Utah State, Western Michigan, Idaho and Arkansas State on its regular season non-conference slate.

***Eleven Trojans previously attended other 4-year schools: OL Joe Bryson (Colorado Mesa), S Micah Croom (Dartmouth), DL Nick Figueroa (Cal Poly), QB Mo Hasan (Syracuse, Vanderbilt), TB Quincy Jountti (Sacramento State), OL Damian Lopez (UC Irvine), WR Bru McCoy (Texas), ILB Clyde Moore (Colorado), TB Samuel Oram-Jones (Durham, Vanderbilt), CB Chris Steele (Florida) and SNP Nathan Weneta (Purdue).

***USC currently has 23 players who graduated at least a semester early from high school and enrolled in college that spring. QB Matt Fink and OL Liam Jimmons enrolled in the spring of 2016. DL Marlon Tuipulotu and OL Andrew Vorhees enrolled in the spring of 2017. OL Justin Dedich, S Talanoa Hufanga, ILB Kana’i Mauga, S Raymond Scott and S Chase Williams all enrolled in the spring of 2018. S Briton Allen, ILB Ralen Goforth, OLB Drake Jackson, OL Gino Quinones, QB Kedon Slovis, DL Stanley Ta’ufo’ou, S Max Williams and TE Jude Wolfe all enrolled in the spring of 2019. WR Gary Bryant Jr., WR Joshua Jackson Jr., PK Parker Lewis and DL Kobe Pepe all enrolled in the spring of 2020. Two other early enrollees: WR Bru McCoy enrolled briefly at USC in the spring of 2019 before transferring to Texas (he returned to USC in the summer of 2019), while CB Chris Steele enrolled at Florida in the spring of 2019 before transferring to USC in the summer of 2019. Since 1999, 62 Trojans have graduated at least a semester early from high school and come to USC (2 graduated a full year early).

***Fourteen Trojans already earned their bachelor’s degrees. Each wears a “Graduate” patch on their uniform jersey. PK Michael Brown received his bachelor’s degree in real estate development at USC in the spring of 2020 and is working on a master’s in project management. S Micah Croom earned his bachelor’s degree in political science from Dartmouth in the spring of 2020. QB Matt Fink received his bachelor’s degree in communications from USC in the summer of 2019 and is now working on a master’s degree in communication management. QB Mo Hasan received his bachelor’s degree in economics and history from Vanderbilt in 2020. SNP Damon Johnson received his bachelor’s degree in sociology major at USC in the spring of 2020 and is now working on his master’s in communication management. TB Grant Jones received his bachelor’s degree in business administration from USC in the summer of 2020 and now is working on a master’s degree in social entrepreneurship. TB Quincy Jountti received his bachelor’s degree in psychology from USC in the summer of 2020 with a 3.13 GPA and now is working on a master’s degree in applied psychology. TB Vavae Malepeai received his bachelor’s degree in communication at USC in the fall of 2019 and is now working on a master’s in project management. TB Samuel Oram-Jones earned his bachelor’s degree in business and management in 2019 from Durham in England and then worked on his master’s degree in finance at Vanderbilt. DL Brandon Pili received his bachelor’s degree in non-governmental organizations and social change at USC in the spring of 2020. DL Caleb Tremblay received his bachelor’s degree in sociology at USC in the summer of 2020. WR Tyler Vaughns received his bachelor’s degree in communication at USC in the spring of 2020. TE Scott Voigt received his bachelor’s degree in accounting at USC in the spring of 2020. OL Andrew Vorhees received his bachelor’s degree in business administration at USC in the spring of 2019 and now is working on his master’s degree in communications management.

***Who’s the fastest among the 2020 Trojans? TB Kenan Christon has bests of 10.30 (10.26 wind-aided) in the 100 meters and 20.55 in the 200 meters. At the 2018 CIF San Diego Division 2 meet, he won the 100, was second in the 200 and third in the long jump, then was sixth in the 100 and 200 at the 2018 California state meet. He won 4 events at the 2019 CIF San Diego meet (100, 200, long jump, 400 relay), then was the California state meet champion in the 100 (in a state meet record-tying 10.30) and 200. He was named the 2019 Gatorade California Boys Track and Field Athlete of the Year. Christon sprinted for USC’s track team in 2020 before the season was halted because of COVID-19. CB Dorian Hewett has a best of 10.51 (10.33 wind-aided) in the 100 meters. He was fifth in the 100 at the 2019 Texas 6A State Championship meet and ran legs on the 400- and 800-meter relay teams that placed third and fifth, respectively, in that meet.

***Besides TB Kenan Christon and CB Dorian Hewett (above), a number of other Trojans competed in track and field in high school: TB Matt Colombo (sprints), S Micah Croom (sprints), OL Liam Douglass, TB Ben Easington (shot put, discus), ILB Ralen Goforth, TB Quincy Jountti (triple jump, long jump), WR Chase Locke (sprints, long jump, high jump), ILB Kana’i Mauga (sprints, hurdles, weights, jumps), S Tommy Maurice (sprints, pole vault), OL Andrew Milek (shot put, discus), DL Connor Murphy (shot put, discus), OL Brett Neilon, CB Adonis Otey (sprints), DL Brandon Pili (shot put, discus), S Isaiah Pola-Mao (sprints, hurdles, long jump, high jump), OL Jason Rodriguez (shot put, discus), DL Jamar Sekona (shot put, discus), WR Ty Shamblin (sprints), OL Caadyn Stephen (shot put), CB Isaac Taylor-Stuart (sprints, long jump, triple jump), DL Trevor Trout (shot put, discus), WR Jack Webster (sprints) and S Max Williams (sprints).

***As high schoolers, USC football players also competed in a wide range of other sports. In addition to track and field (above), they played primarily basketball (OL Joe Bryson, OLB Peter Esparza, S Talanoa Hufanga, WR Chase Locke, WR Drake London, S Kaulana Makaula, OLB Bryce Matthews, OLB Abdul-Malik McClain, WR Munir McClain, OL Brett Neilon, S Isaiah Pola-Mao, OL Gino Quinones, TE Ethan Rae, OL Jason Rodriguez, WR Danny Ryan, WR Ty Shamblin, PK Alex Stadthaus, DL Caleb Tremblay, DL Maninoa Tufono, WR Tyler Vaughns, QB Isaac Ward, TE Jude Wolfe) and baseball (PK Michael Brown, OL Liam Douglass, DL Nick Figueroa, WR John Jackson III, TB Grant Jones, S Tommy Maurice, TE Ethan Rae, P Will Rose, WR Tyler Vaughns, QB Isaac Ward, OL Mark Zuvich). They also participated in soccer (PK Michael Brown, OL Justin Dedich, PK Alex Stadthaus), lacrosse (S Briton Allen, TE Sean Mahoney, WR Danny Ryan), wrestling (OL Liam Douglass, S Tommy Maurice, DL Brandon Pili, DL Marlon Tuipulotu), volleyball (OL AJ Mageo, P Michael Shahidi) and ice hockey (TE Scott Voigt).

***TB Kenan Christon (track), WR Drake London (basketball) and TB Grant Jones (baseball) are 2-sport athletes at USC. Christon joined the USC track team as a sprinter in the spring of 2020. He had indoor bests of 6.84 in the 60 meters and 21.55 in the 200 meters and an outdoor best of 10.39 in the 100 meters (it was his only outdoor race before the track season was cancelled due to coronavirus concerns). He also ran a leg on a 400-meter relay team that clocked 39.81. London joined the 2020 USC men’s basketball team soon after the 2019 football season ended. He saw brief action in 3 games. He did not score, but he grabbed 3 rebounds (1.0 avg). Jones was on the USC baseball team in the fall of 2016 and 2017 as a lefthanded pitcher but did not continue with the team into either spring. Also, TE Scott Voigt was on USC’s club ice hockey team in 2018 and 2019.

***DL Marlon Tuipulotu was the Oregon state Class 5A 285-pound wrestling champion as a junior in high school.

***P Michael Shahidi won the 2016 AAU Under-16 boy’s beach volleyball national championship, represented the U.S. at the 2017 ISF World Schools Beach Volleyball International Championship in Tahiti, and then won the 2018 AAU Under-18 boy’s beach volleyball national championship to qualify for the 2019 ISF World Schools Beach Volleyball International Championship in Sicily (finishing ninth).

***TB Samuel Oram-Jones was an award-winning kart and then race car driver from age 8 until 18.

***WR Tyler Vaughns credits a ballet class he took in high school with helping him with his pass catching ability.

***PK Alex Stadthaus started kicking after winning a halftime fan field goal kicking contest as a high school sophomore (he nailed a 60-yarder).

***P Ben Griffiths played forward for 8 seasons (2010-17) for the Richmond Tigers, a professional Australian rules football team in the Australian Football League. He was the team’s second round draft pick in 2009. He played in 63 games in his career, getting 42 goals. He retired in early 2018 because of injuries and concussions. He then trained to punt with Prokick Australia, an Australian-based kicking academy. He is the Trojans’ second Australian punter, joining former P Chris Tilbey (2016 and 2018).

***DL Brandon Pili is USC’s first football letterman from Alaska. OL Caadyn Stephen spent his sophomore year of high school in Alaska.

***OLB Juliano Falaniko, who attended Leone High in Pago Pago, American Samoa, is the first Trojan footballer who prepped in American Samoa since Travis Tofi (2003-06). ILB Palaie Gaoteote IV spent his youth in American Samoa.

***OL Brett Neilon grew up in Japan, home of his mother, where he participated in baseball, basketball, soccer and the martial art of aikido.

***TB Samuel Oram-Jones is from England. He was a running back and special teamer on Durham (England) University’s American football team (2017-19), his first seasons playing the sport.

***WR Amon-Ra St. Brown is fluent in German (his mother, Miriam, is from Germany) and French (he lived in Paris as a fourth grader). CB Chris Steele and OL Jason Rodriguez speak Spanish (they recorded a video in Spanish for Latinx Heritage Month to celebrate is Mexican heritage) and S Micah Croom speaks Japanese.

***DL Trevor Trout, a journalism major, wrote an article in June 2020 for Medium.com about his experience growing up in Ferguson, Mo. (the site of 2014 protests and riots after the fatal police shooting of Michael Brown) and the systemic racism that he has observed.

***WR John Jackson III’s father, John Jr., who was a 2-time (1988-89) Academic All-American wide receiver and outfielder at USC before playing in the NFL and minor leagues, has recovered well from a massive stroke suffered in early December of 2018. Jackson Jr., whose father (John) was USC’s running backs coach when Charles White (1979) and Marcus Allen (1981) won Heisman Trophies, has been part of the Trojan radio broadcast since 2003 (sideline reporter, then analyst). He continued on the radio team in a limited role at home games last season while he recovered.

***Offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Graham Harrell is such a huge WWE fan that he named his son (Herschel Hawk Harrell) in honor of WWE star Triple H. Harrell also presents a WWE-type championship belt weekly to a USC quarterback who wins that week’s skills competition.

***ILB Solomon Tuliaupupu cut his long hair in 2017 for the first time since the fifth grade as a show of support of cancer victims and survivors.

***While at Vanderbilt, QB Mo Hasan founded Second Spoon, a non- profit organization that distributes extra food from the student-athletes’ training table to the homeless in Nashville and Miami through the Hunger ReliefMobile (a converted FedEx truck). P Ben Griffiths has volunteered with the Australian Working Dog Rescue.

***QB Kedon Slovis’ quarterbacks coach at Desert Mountain High in Scottsdale (Ariz.) was NFL Hall of Famer Kurt Warner.

***CB Olaijah Griffin’s father is rapper and hip-hop producer Warren G.

***SNP Nathan Weneta’s plays piano.

***OL Andrew Vorhees got married in March of 2018 (his wife’s name is Samantha). PK Michael Brown was married in May of 2019 (his wife’s name is Lauren).

***P Ben Griffiths is the fifth oldest player in college football this season (28, born Sept. 17, 1991) and one of the oldest Trojans ever. USC’s youngest player is DL Tuli Tuipulotu (17, born Sept. 3, 2002).

***In February of 2020, WR Amon-Ra St. Brown participated in the NCAA Elite Student-Athlete Football Symposium in Indianapolis, which provides high-profile college athletes with information and networks to help them make decisions and understand issues surrounding a professional career in their sport.

***Both of TE Erik Krommenhoek’s parents attended USC’s crosstown rival, UCLA. ILB Spencer Gilbert’s mother, Caryl Smith Gilbert, was an All-American sprinter at UCLA.

***ILB Tayler Katoa, who spent 2018 and 2019 on a Mormon mission in Virginia, was the first Trojan footballer to serve on a Mormon mission since Faaesea Mailo did so in 1997-98 in Japan.

***USC’s roster features players who are a Jr. (WR Gary Bryant Jr., WR Joshua Jackson Jr., ILB Danny Lockhart Jr.), a II (OL Frank Martin II), a III (WR John Jackson III) and a IV (ILB Palaie Gaoteote IV). There also are 4 players with hyphenated surnames: S Isaiah Pola-Mao, TB Samuel Oram-Jones, CB Isaac Taylor-Stuart and OL Alijah Vera-Tucker.

***No USC football letterman in history has a longer non-hyphenated single word surname than the 12-letter last name of DL Jacob Lichtenstein. Four former lettermen also have 12-letter surnames: TE Daniel Imatorbhebhe (2016-17), WR Josh Imatorbhebhe (2017), TE Dean Lingenfelter (1973) and P Mike MacGillivray (1998-2001). Also on the Trojan roster is the 11-letter surnamed TE Erik Krommenhoek. Fortunately, USC does not put players’ last names on the back of its jerseys.

***OLB Abdul-Malik McClain and WR Munir McClain and DLs Marlon and Tuli Tuipulotu are USC’s only brothers. DLs Marlon and Tuli Tuipulotu and S Talanoa Hufanga are cousins, as are TB Vavae Malepeai and OL Bernard Schrimer.

***USC has 3 players with the same last name of Williams (S Chase, CB Jayden, NB-CB Max) and 3 players named Jackson (OLB Drake, WR John III, WR Joshua Jr.), as well as 2 players named Johnson (SNP Damon, S Greg) and Ford (OL Courtland, WR Kyle), but none are related. Then there’s OLB Drake Jackson and his name opposite: CB Jackson Drake (he goes by Jack).

***ILB Jordan Iosefa’s real first name is Loveni, SNP Jac Casasante’s is John, WR Bru McCoy’s is Horace and head coach Clay Helton’s is Charles. OL AJ Mageo’s initials stand for Andrew James. WR Amon- Ra St. Brown’s full name is Amon-Ra Julian Heru J. St. Brown (he was named after the Egyptian sun god Amon-Ra and sky god Heru), while ILB Solomon Tuliaupupu’s is Solomon Nokeakua-Stroud Tuliaupupu. ILB Solomon Tuliaupupu’s nickname is “Solo,” ILB Palaie Gaoteote IV’s is “E.A.,” OL Bernard Schirmer’s is “Beeno” and S Briton Allen’s is “Bam.” DL Kobe Pepe was named after late legendary Los Angeles Laker Kobe Bryant.

***USC has 2 players who “blueshirted,” which by a one-time NCAA rule allowed a non-recruited student-athlete to receive athletic financial aid after beginning practice and have that student-athlete count towards the next year’s signing class if the school had reached its NCAA-maximum aid limit for the current year. PK Michael Brown arrived in the fall of 2016 and OT Jalen McKenzie joined in the fall of 2017.

***There are 7 former Texas high school quarterbacks on USC’s coaching staff: head coach Clay Helton (Clements HS), offensive coordinator/ quarterbacks coach Graham Harrell (Ennis HS), running backs coach Mike Jinks (Judson HS), tight ends coach John David Baker (Lake View HS), safeties coach Craig Naivar (Taylor HS), offensive graduate assistant Stanton Keane (Cooper HS) and offensive quality control analyst Seth Doege (Crane HS, Frenship HS).

***Head coach Clay Helton played for his father, Kim, at Houston (1993- 94). In 1993, Clay completed 1-of-3 passes in late duty in the Cougars’ 49-7 loss to USC in the Coliseum.

***S Isaiah Pola-Mao’s uncle, Troy Polamalu, played in Super Bowls XLIII and XLV with the Pittsburgh Steelers, OL Jalen McKenzie’s uncle, Raleigh McKenzie, played in Super Bowls XXII and XXVI with the Washington Redskins, ILB Palaie Gaoteote IV’s uncle, Ma’a Tanuvasa, won Super Bowls XXXII and XXXIII with the Denver Broncos, DL Jamar Sekona’s uncle, Haloti Ngata, won Super Bowl XLVII with the Baltimore Ravens and ILB Ralen Goforth’s brother, Randall, was on injured reserve with the Philadelphia Eagles when they won Super Bowl LII.

***The Trojan Athletic Fund, founded in 1923, provides the funding necessary to sustain USC’s athletic excellence. The TAF motto is “Investing In Today’s Champions and Tomorrow’s Leaders.” TAF members form a global group of more than 5,000 alumni, parents, former student-athletes and friends who directly contribute to the success of our student-athletes. TAF members who join the Trojan Club, Cardinal & Gold, Women of Troy, Cardinal & Gold Premier, Committee or Scholarship Club receive a variety of benefits and event invitations. For more information, go to: http://www.trojanathleticfund.com .

***Eight members of the Trojan coaching and support staff played at USC: assistant coach Keary Colbert (2000-03), offensive graduate assistant Viane Talamaivao (2014-17), Lenny Vandermade (2000-03) and Dane Stevens (2013), offensive quality control analyst Chris Claiborne (1996-98), defensive quality control analysts Michael Hutchings (2013- 16) and Hayes Pullard (2011-13) and assistant strength and conditioning coach Christian Tupou (2007-09, 11).

***Offensive quality control analyst Chris Claiborne was USC’s first Butkus Award winner in 1998.

***Assistant strength and conditioning coach Christian Tupou spent time as an actor after his NFL career ended.

***Several Trojan staffers have been part of national championship teams.

Assistant coach Keary Colbert set the since-broken USC career receptions record as a senior on Troy’s 2003 national championship team, then was an offensive analyst on Alabama’s 2015 national champs.
Offensive quality control analyst Lenny Vandermade was a starting offensive guard on USC’s 2003 national championship team.
Head strength and conditioning coach Aaron Ausmus worked with the Trojans’ 2003 national titlists (he also won the 1997 NCAA indoor shot put title while at Tennessee).
Assistant coach Tim Drevno was the offensive coordinator and offensive line coach at San Diego when the Toreros were named back- to-back NCAA Division I-AA Mid-Major national champions in 2005 and 2006.
Football executive assistant Cheryl Taplin was a sprinter on 7 of LSU’s NCAA champion outdoor and indoor women’s track and field teams.
Director of football video production Jacob Brown and assistant director of football video production Will Stout worked in the video department for LSU’s 2019 national championship football team.

***Several Trojans have relatives with USC football connections.

WR John Jackson III’s father, John Jr., set USC’s career pass receptions record (163 catches) as a 4-year (1986-89) wide receiver, earning All-Pac-10 first team honors as a 1989 senior on the Rose Bowl champion Trojans and also being named a 2-time (1988-89) Academic All-American (he also won an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship in 1989) before playing in the NFL with the Phoenix Cardinals (1990-92) and Chicago Bears (1996) and also starring in baseball at USC as an outfielder (1988-90), setting the school career mark for stolen bases (54) and leading the team in hitting in 1989 (.356) when he made All-Pac-10 first team before playing minor league baseball (1990-95); he then became a sports broadcaster, including analyst (2012-20) and sideline reporter (2003-11) duties on USC’s football radio and high school football coverage on FOX Sports West (in a well-documented story, his announcing was limited in 2019 while recovering from a late 2018 stroke). His grandfather, John Sr., was USC’s running backs coach and offensive coordinator for 6 seasons (1976-81), helping Charles White (1979) and Marcus Allen (1981) win Heisman Trophies as the Trojans won 3 Rose Bowls; he also coached at Hofstra (1968-69), Dartmouth (1970), Illinois (1971-75) and UNLV (1999-2004) and worked 17 years with California Sports for Jerry Buss (running Forum Boxing and helping develop the Prime Ticket sports cable network). His aunt, Tracie, was employed at USC.
TB Quincy Jountti’s brother, Corbin, was a tailback at USC in 2017 after transferring in from Northern Arizona (2014-16).
PK Parker Lewis’ grandfather, Ben Butler, was set to play football at USC before suffering a career-ending shoulder injury as a 1948 high school senior.
ILB Clyde Moore’s brother, Grant, was an inside/outside linebacker at USC (2015-17) who earned USC’s Joe Collins Walk-on Award in 2016 before earning a scholarship in 2017. His father, Rex, was a 4-year (1984- 87) letterman linebacker at USC, leading the Trojans in tackles while earning team Most Inspirational Player accolades in 1986.
S Isaiah Pola-Mao’s uncle is former USC 2-time All-American safety Troy Polamalu (1999-2002), while his great uncle is former USC fullback (1982-85) and assistant coach (2000-03, 2010-12) Kennedy Polamalu.
OL Bernard Schirmer’s uncle, Titus Tuiasosopo, was an offensive guard at USC (1990-92).
DLs Marlon and Tuli Tuipulotu’s cousin is former USC defensive tackle Fili Moala (2005-08).
Assistant coach Keary Colbert is the cousin of former USC wide receiver Earl McCullouch (1967), who also ran track at USC (winning a pair of NCAA high hurdles titles and leading off the 1967 world record-setting NCAA champion sprint relay team), and ex-USC defensive lineman Tommie Townsend (who also played at Arizona State).
Assistant coach Sean Snyder’s father, Bill (the legendary longtime head coach at Kansas State), was on the USC coaching staff in 1966.
Assistant coach Vic So’oto is a second cousin of USC Athletic and Pro Football Hall of Fame linebacker Junior Seau.
Assistant coach Donte Williams’ cousins are former USC defensive backs Kris Richard (1998-2001) and Darnell Lacy (1996-98).
Director of high school relations Armond Hawkins Jr.’s brother, Chris, was a USC defensive back (2014-17) and graduate assistant coach (2019).
Director of equipment operations Todd Hewitt and assistant equipment manager Travis Hewitt are the son and grandson, respectively, of former USC equipment manager Don Hewitt.
Assistant athletic director/player development Gavin Morris’ uncle is former USC defensive lineman Willard “Bubba” Scott (1967-69), a member of USC’s famed 1969 “Wild Bunch” defensive line.

***Speaking of genes:

OL Casey Collier’s sister, Charli, is a junior center on the Texas women’s basketball team.
S Micah Croom’s brother, Larry Jr., was a running back at UNLV and then played for the Arizona Cardinals (2004-05), Tennessee Titans (2005), Detroit Lions (2005), San Diego Chargers (2006) and Pittsburgh Steelers (2007), as well as in Europe with the Hamburg Sea Devils (2005), Amsterdam Admirals (2006), Dresden Monarchs (2011-12) and Berlin Adler (2013-2019).
TE Josh Falo’s brother, Nu’umotu Jr., was an outside linebacker at Colorado (2015-16, 18-19), while brother, Nate, was a defensive tackle at San Jose State (2013-15).
ILB Palaie Gaoteote IV’s uncle is Ma’a Tanuvasa, who played defensive end at Hawaii (1990-92), then with the Denver Broncos (1995- 2000), where he won Super Bowls XXXII and XXXIII, San Diego Chargers (2001) and Atlanta Falcons (2002), while his cousin, also named Ma’a Tanuvasa, was a safety at Boise State (2017) and another cousin, Haskell Garrett, is a senior defensive tackle at Ohio State.
ILB Spencer Gilbert’s mother, Caryl Smith Gilbert, is USC’s director of track and field (the Women of Troy won the 2018 NCAA outdoor title) after previously serving as Central Florida’s women’s head coach (2008- 13) and a women’s assistant at Tennessee (2003-07), Alabama (2000- 02) and Penn State (1998-99) following an All-American sprinting career at UCLA, while his father, Greg Gilbert, is a senior director of development in the USC athletic department who played linebacker at Alabama (1985- 88) and in the NFL with the Chicago Bears (1989), Indianapolis Colts (1990), Oakland Raiders (1990-91) and Philadelphia Eagles (1991) before playing in the World League of American Football with the San Antonio Riders (1991) and Barcelona Dragons (1991-92).
ILB Ralen Goforth’s brother, Randall, was a cornerback at UCLA (2012- 16) who spent 2017 on injured reserve with the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles and then was with the Arizona Hotshots of the Alliance of American Football in 2019.
QB Mo Hasan’s father, Anthony, ran track at Florida.
S Talanoa Hufanga’s brother, T.J., was a linebacker at Oregon State in 2013 and 2014.
ILB Tayler Katoa’s father, Fotu, was a tight end at BYU (1985, 1988- 90), his mother, Elizabeth, was a distance runner at BYU in 1990, his sister, Eliza, was an outside hitter on Utah’s volleyball team (2014-16) and also played on the Utes’ beach volleyball team in 2017, his brother-in-law, Rhett Nelson, pitched at Santa Clara (2010) and BYU (2014) and his uncle, Fred Katoa, was a nose guard at BYU (1989-90).
TB Vavae Malepeai’s uncles, Silila (1990-94), Pulou (1993-95) and Tasi (1994-96), played football at Oregon.
OLB Abdul-Malik McClain’s and WR Munir McClain’s grandfather, Lawrence Williams, played basketball at UNLV and then as an All- Conference player on the 1977 Texas Southern team that won the NAIA championship.
WR Bru McCoy’s father, Horace II, was a tight end at Northern Illinois (1994) and his mother, Shelby, was a record-setting 4-time (1991- 94) All-Conference setter for Northern Illinois volleyball.
OL Jalen McKenzie’s father, Reggie McKenzie, was a linebacker at Tennessee (1981-84) and then played in the NFL with the Los Angeles Raiders (1985-88), Phoenix Cardinals (1989-90) and San Francisco 49ers (1992) and in the World League of American Football with the Montreal Machine (1992), then was an assistant coach at Tennessee in 1993, worked in the Green Bay Packers’ front office from 1994 to 2011, was the general manager of the Oakland Raiders (2012-18) and now is a senior personnel executive with the Miami Dolphins, while his brother, Kahlil, was a defensive lineman at Tennessee (2015-17) who played offensive line with the Kansas City Chiefs (2018) and Seattle Seahawks (2019) and the XFL’s Los Angeles Wildcats (2020). His uncle, Raleigh McKenzie (Reggie’s twin brother), was a center at Tennessee (1981-84) and then played in the NFL with the Washington Redskins (1985-94, where he won 2 Super Bowls), Philadelphia Eagles (1995-96), San Diego Chargers (1997- 98) and Green Bay Packers (1999-2000), and then was a scout with the Oakland Raiders.
ILB Clyde Moore’s uncle, Rob, was a fullback at Stanford (1980- 83) who then attended USC for an MBA. His grandfather, Robin, was the NCAA 50-yard freestyle swimming champion in 1956 for Stanford (he once set a world record) and then participated in team roping in rodeo competitions.
DL Connor Murphy’s brother, Trent, was a consensus All-American outside linebacker at Stanford (2010-13) and played for the Washington Redskins (2014-17) and now Buffalo Bills (2018-20), while his sister, Kayli, played women’s basketball at Arizona State (2007-10) and competed in the 2011 Miss Arizona USA pageant.
OL Brett Neilon’s aunts were on the USC golf team (Kim Saiki from 1985-88, who played on the LPGA Tour, and Laura Saiki from 1988-91).
DL Brandon Pili’s sister, Alissa, is a sophomore on the USC women’s basketball team (she was the 2020 Pac-12 Freshman of the Year).
S Isaiah Pola-Mao’s father, Tracey, played football at San Diego State (1988-90, 1992, where he was the 1992 team captain and Most Inspirational Player) and with the Arena League’s Arizona Rattlers (1994-96).
OL Bernard Schirmer’s sister, Brooklyn, is a junior outside hitter on the USC women’s volleyball team, while his cousin, Blake Sabol, was a catcher for the Trojan baseball team (2017-19) who is now in the Pittsburgh Pirates system. His uncle, Matt Toeaina, played defensive tackle at Oregon (2003-06) and for the NFL’s Cincinnati Bengals (2007) and Chicago Bears (2007-12).
DL Jamar Sekona’s uncle is Haloti Ngata, who played defensive line at Oregon (2003-05, earning All-American honors in 2005) and in the NFL with the Baltimore Ravens (2006-14, including on the XLVII Super Bowl champs), Detroit Lions (2015-17) and Philadelphia Eagles (2018).
WR Ty Shamblin’s father, BJ, was a wide receiver at UC Santa Barbara in the early 1990s.
WR Amon-Ra St. Brown’s father, John Brown, was a bodybuilder who won 2 Mr. Universe and 3 Mr. World titles in the 1980s, while his brother, Equanimeous, was a wide receiver at Notre Dame (2015-17) who in his 3 meetings against USC blocked a punt that was returned for a TD in 2015, caught a TD pass among his 7 receptions in 2016 and caught another TD in 2017 (he now is with the Green Bay Packers), and his brother, Osiris, is a junior wide receiver at Stanford (he had 2 catches versus USC in 2019).
TB Markese Stepp’s father, Marcus Stepp, played football at Miami (Ohio) in 1994 and 1995, while his brother, Marcus Jr., was an outside linebacker at Saint Francis (2015-18), which won the 2016 and 2017 NAIA national championships.
L Maninoa Tufono’s father, Albert, played inside linebacker at Washington (1983-84, 1987), while his brother, Jack, is a junior offensive lineman at Idaho State.
ILB Solomon Tuliaupupu’s father, Turnbull, was an offensive lineman at Southern Utah (2000-01).
WR Tyler Vaughn’s brother, Aaren, was a wide receiver at Mt. San Antonio JC and Utah State (2017-18), while brother, Geoffrey, was a defensive back at Mt. SAC and his brother, Jonathan, is a freshman defensive back at UCLA.
SNP Nathan Weneta’s brother, Jay, was a long snapper at UCLA (2011-12).
ILB Eli’jah Winston’s brother, La’Mar, was a linebacker at Oregon (2016-19).
E Jude Wolfe’s father, Mark, played football at Western Michigan (1977-80), his brother, Jakob, was a tight end at Stony Brook (2014), his sister, Jacqueline, played volleyball at Hawaii Pacific (2015) and his cousin, Ryan Gutierrez, was a safety at California (2001-04).
Head coach Clay Helton’s father, Kim, was Houston’s head coach from 1993 to 1999, as well as an assistant in college (Florida, Miami and Alabama Birmingham), the NFL (Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Houston Oilers, Los Angeles Raiders, Washington Redskins) and the CFL (Toronto Argonauts) following his playing career at Florida. His brother, Tyson, is the head coach at Western Kentucky.
Assistant coach Keary Colbert has 2 cousins who played college football--defensive back Clarence Oliver at San Diego State (1967-68) and tight end Josh Oliver at San Jose State (2015-18)--and 2 who played Major League Baseball: infielder/outfielder Bob Oliver (1965-75) and pitcher Darren Oliver (1993-2013).
Assistant coach Graham Harrell’s brother, Clark, played quarterback at Tulsa (2007) and Abilene Christian (2008-10).
Defensive quality control analyst Brett Arce’s father, Mark, was the athletic director (2015-18) and head men’s basketball coach (2001-18) at West Hills Community College in Coalinga (Calif.) after previously serving as an assistant coach at Utah State and Cal State Bakersfield and the head coach at Bakersfield Junior College.
Offensive quality control analyst Seth Doege’s brother, Jarret, is a quarterback at West Virginia (previously at Bowling Green), while his cousin, Kyle Herm, played quarterback at Rice (2000-03).
Assistant director of football operations Gordon Thomas’ father, Gordon, played football at Cheyney University.
Assistant strength and conditioning coach Christian Tupou’s brother, Fenuki, played at Oregon.