Football
- Title:
- Director of Football Student Services and Operations
- Email:
- ctaplin@usc.edu
- Phone:
- (213) 821-7375
Cheryl Taplin currently holds the position of director of football student services and operations at USC, where she is now in her 12th season. She brings a wealth of experience to this role, having previously served as the executive assistant to the head football coach and as the assistant director of operations for eight years (2014-21).
Prior to her tenure at USC, Taplin held similar roles at the University of Washington from 2007 to 2013.
Taplin is responsible for overseeing essential aspects of football operations such as budgeting, planning, scheduling, team travel coordination, and student-athlete support programs covering financial aid, housing, and related services. She collaborates with university departments to create and execute academic and professional development plans for student-athletes while maintaining vital connections with university stakeholders, administration, alumni, and parents.
Originally from Seattle, Washington, Cheryl Taplin is a Cleveland High School alumna. She boasts an impressive athletic career, having been a 16-time All-American sprinter at Louisiana State University (LSU) and inducted into the LSU Hall of Fame in 2006 and the Penn Relays Wall of Fame in 2014. Notably, she earned gold medals in the 4x100 meter relay at the Goodwill Games in 1994 and 1998, as well as the 1998 World Cup.
Taplin earned a bachelor's degree in general studies with minors in business and speech communication at LSU and a master's degree in communication management from the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism.
