Long Live the Trojan

The structure and layout of the USC football team develops and changes season by season. But for Trojan fans who have watched USC football for the last half-decade, Jonah Monhein has been a constant.

When looking back at his childhood growing up in Moorpark, Calif., sports were always the center of his life.

"It was sports year-round. All my friends came from playing sports in the neighborhood I lived in," said Monheim. "We were always just going outside shooting hoops, playing catch, throwing a football around, playing little two-touch games and little tackle games in the grass."

As a Southern California native, Monheim embraced his hometown teams wholeheartedly. When he wasn't on a field or on a court, he could always be found watching the Angels, Lakers, Clippers -- you name it.

"I grew up an Angels fan because Vladimir Guerrero was my favorite player, and then Mike Trout became my favorite player. But I have been to more Dodger games just based on where I lived, so I was always a fan of both teams growing up," said Monheim. "I liked rooting for the Lakers and the Clippers just because they were always on TV growing up, and they were fun to watch when I was younger. You'd watch Kobe on the Lakers and Blake Griffin and Chris Paul on the Clippers."

Of course, the NFL is always on the scheduled programming, but Monheim finds himself watching his former teammates on their respective teams rather than any one team in particular.

When Monheim was in youth football, he played a variety of positions such as defensive end, linebacker, fullback and tight end. He then attended Moorpark High School where he primarily played left tackle and defensive lineman.

Four years later, Monheim was an hour down the road wearing the Cardinal and Gold. Troy was not unknown territory for him as his mother attended USC in the early 90's. Los Angeles college football was not underrepresented in the Monheim household either as his father played tight end at the school across town, UCLA.

"Neither of them were biased or too heavy on what they thought I should do in terms of where I should play. They were really good sounding boards to help me," said Monheim. "They did so much for me growing up, helped me so much with everything and supported me with everything. I trusted them, but I knew at the end of the day I had to do what I thought was best."

Monheim has played the entirety of his five-year career at USC and maintains his confidence in why he came to Troy in the first place.

"The combination of academics and athletics you get here is just second to none across the country," said Monheim. "We obviously all want to play football for as long as we can, but none of us know when or have control over when it's going to end so, you have to be smart and position yourself for success, regardless of football."

Additionally, Monheim experienced the coaching staff shift that occurred in 2021. While this would be an adjustment for any player, Monheim was excited and confident in Lincoln Riley taking over the program.

"Coach Riley came, and I liked Oklahoma a lot in high school. I visited Norman multiple times and had a really good relationship with Coach Riley and a lot of that staff," said Monheim. "For him to come here, that was really awesome for me and obviously for this program so, I had never wavered."

Having gone through a major coaching transition, a conference change and QB rotations, there haven't been a lack of lessons learned for the center. The 2024 season thus far has been full of highs and lows as the Trojans adjust to playing in the Big Ten, but Monheim is navigating the journey exquisitely.

"Navigating in the moment has been the case this season and throughout my whole time at USC," said Monheim. "It's about staying in the present moment, taking things one day at a time, one opponent at a time and one game at a time. Although there certainly have been some highs and lows, I try to just stay neutral and keep a consistent force both for myself and the people around me."

Monheim is not only a veteran player but also a veteran captain who has had many reps in the role. And as someone who has rightfully earned his stripes, he knows that every day and every opportunity he is given is constantly earned, not given.

"It means a lot to me, especially, when I remember coming in as a young guy and looking up to those guys that were previously captains of our team," said Monheim. "It comes down to how you are as a player on the field, but more importantly, how you are as a teammate, how you are as a person to those people and the connections you have within the locker room. And so, I'm definitely proud of those things."

Monheim has played a key role in the USC offensive line in his collegiate career. With that, he has had to continuously build strong relationships with his quarterbacks because he is their human shield. And the chemistry No. 79 has had with his QB's has been palpable.

"You have to earn that trust, that respect and that relationship throughout the whole year. Caleb did a great job of earning our respect from the moment he got here, and it was our job to do the same thing for him," said Monheim. "That's transitioned to my relationships now with Jayden and Miller and the whole quarterback room. We really trust each other."

Caleb Williams, former USC quarterback and current Chicago Bears quarterback, had such a strong bond with Monheim and his offensive line, that he included them in one of the biggest nights of his life by bringing them to the Heisman Trophy ceremony in New York City.

"That certainly was an incredible experience and an awesome moment to share. I'm very grateful that Caleb did that for us and just goes to show the person and teammate that he is - on top of being the most deserving player in the country for that award," said Monheim. "It was tons of fun to both see him win and get to experience a bit of New York City together with my offensive line teammates and Caleb. It's something that I'll no doubt remember forever, as well as that 11-1 season."

Another pivotal change Monheim has had to make this season was moving from left tackle to center.

"With every new transition there's natural growing pains," said Monheim. "There's constantly things that I need to get better at and things that I keep adjusting, but it's nothing that I can't handle and nothing that I haven't enjoyed."

The future is bright for Jonah Monheim. But be assured that there will always be the heart of a Trojan under every single jersey he wears from this point forward.

"Being a Trojan means a lot to me. It's something that I always wanted to be growing up in Southern California. Being a Trojan is being tough. It's being resilient. It's always fighting on regardless of what's happening. It's trusting the process over outcomes. It's attacking every day. It's being team first. It's a set of values that will guide me on and off the field throughout the rest of my life."

Players Mentioned

Jonah Monheim

Caleb Williams

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University Southern California Trojans

Players Mentioned

Jonah Monheim

Caleb Williams

Long Live the Trojan

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