2020 USC Trojans football team

The 2020 USC Trojans football team represented the University of Southern California in the 2020 NCAA Division I FBS football season. They played their home games at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and competed as members of the South Division of the Pac-12 Conference. They were led by fifth-year head coach Clay Helton.

2020 USC Trojans football
Pac-12 South Division champion
ConferencePac-12 Conference
DivisionSouth Division
Ranking
CoachesNo. 21
APNo. 21
2020 record5–1 (5–0 Pac-12)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorGraham Harrell (2nd season)
Offensive schemeAir raid
Defensive coordinatorTodd Orlando (1st season)
Base defense3–3–5
Captain
Home stadiumUnited Airlines Field at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (Capacity: 77,500)
Uniform
2020 Pac-12 Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
Team W L    W L 
North Division
Washington x  3 1     3 1  
Stanford  4 2     4 2  
Oregon y$  3 2     4 3  
California  1 3     1 3  
Washington State  1 3     1 3  
Oregon State  2 5     2 5  
South Division
No. 21 USC xy  5 0     5 1  
Colorado  3 1     4 2  
Utah  3 2     3 2  
Arizona State  2 2     2 2  
UCLA  3 4     3 4  
Arizona  0 5     0 5  
Championship: Oregon 31, USC 24
  • $ Conference champion
  • x Division champion/co-champions
  • y Championship game participant
  • Note: Due to COVID-19, the Pac-12 suspended the season on August 11, but later decided to begin play on November 6. In addition to the title game on December 18, the conference seeded all remaining teams for a game during that weekend.[1]
Rankings from AP Poll.

On August 11, the Pac-12 Conference initially canceled all fall sports competitions due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[2] On September 24, the conference announced that a six-game conference-only season would begin on November 6, with the conference's championship game to be played on December 18. Teams not selected for the championship game would be seeded to play a seventh game.[3]

USC compiled a 5–0 regular season record, and qualified for the Pac-12 Championship Game, which they lost to Oregon. The following day, USC announced that it would not play in any bowl game,[4] ending the season with an overall 5–1 record.

Previous season

The Trojans finished 8–5 in 2019 and 7–2 in Conference play, placing 2nd place in the South Division behind the South Division Champions Utah

Offseason

Transfers

The Trojans lost nine players to transfer.

NameNumberPos.HeightWeightYearHometownTransfer to
Clayton Bradley#76OT6'5295Senior Orange, CAUNLV Rebels
JT Daniels#10QB6'3210Sophomore Santa Ana, CAGeorgia Bulldogs
Thomas Fitts#15PK6'1185Senior Dallas, TXSMU Mustangs
Daniel Imatorbhebhe#88TE6’3240Senior Suwanee, GAIllinois Fighting Illini
Velus Jones Jr.#1WR6'0190Senior Saraland, ALTennessee Volunteers
C.J. Pollard#28S6'1195Senior Carson, CAUtah State Aggies
Jack Sears#13QB6'3205Sophomore San Clemente, CABoise State Broncos
Devon Williams#2WR6'4205Junior Lancaster, CAOregon Ducks
Jack Yary-TE6’6255FreshmanMurrieta, CAWashington Huskies

The Trojans added 5 player via transfer.

NameNumberPos.HeightWeightYearHometownTransfer from
Joe BrysonOT6'8285JuniorCastle Pines, COColorado Mesa Mavericks
Micah CroomDB6'1210Senior Miami, FLDartmouth Big Green
Mo HasanQB6'3190Senior Miami, FLVanderbilt Commodores
Samuel Oram-JonesTB5'8200GraduateMilton Keynes, UKVanderbilt Commodores
Nathan WenetaLS6'2210FreshmanSan Diego, CAPurdue Boilermakers

Returning Starters

USC returns 37 starters in 2020 including 15 on offense, 19 on defense, and 3 on special teams.

Key departures include Michael Pittman Jr. (WR – 13 games), Austin Jackson (OT – 13 games), Drew Richmond (OT – 12 games), Christian Rector (DE – 10 games), John Houston Jr. (ILB – 13 games)

Other departures include Jack Sears (QB – 1 game in 2018), Dominic Davis (WR – 9 games), and Jacob Daniel (OG – 6 games).

Recruiting class

NFL Combine

The official list of participants for the 2020 NFL Combine included USC football players Michael Pittman (WR) and Austin Jackson (OT).

Team players drafted into the NFL

PlayerPositionRoundPickNFL Team
Austin JacksonOffensive tackle118Miami Dolphins
Michael Pittman Jr.Wide receiver234Indianapolis Colts
Christian RectorDefensive endUDFA
John Houston Jr.Inside linebackerUDFAPittsburgh Steelers
Drew RichmondOffensive tackleUDFA

Preseason

Pac-12 media polls

In the 2020 Pac-12 preseason media poll.

Personnel

Coaching staff

NamePositionSeasons at
USC
Alma materBefore USC
Clay HeltonHead coach10Houston (1994)Memphis – Offensive coordinator (2009)
Graham HarrellOffensive coordinator / Quarterbacks coach2Texas Tech (2009)North Texas – Offensive coordinator / Quarterbacks coach (2018)
Todd OrlandoDefensive coordinator / Linebackers coach1Wisconsin (1993)Texas – Defensive coordinator / Linebackers coach (2019)
Sean SnyderSpecial Teams coordinator1Kansas State (1993)Kansas State – Assistant head coach / Special Teams coordinator / Senior Special Teams analyst (2019)
Mike JinksTailbacks coach2Angelo State (1993)Bowling Green – Head coach (2018)
Keary ColbertWide receivers coach6USC (2006)Alabama – Offensive analyst (2015)
John David BakerInside wide receivers / Tight ends coach2Abilene Christian (2013)North Texas – Offensive quality control coach (2018)
Tim DrevnoOffensive line coach / Running game coordinator / Pass protection coordinator4Cal State Fullerton (1992)Michigan – Offensive coordinator / Offensive line coach (2015)
Vic So'otoDefensive line coach1BYU (2011)Virginia – Defensive line coach (2019)
Donte WilliamsCornerbacks coach / Defensive Pass game coordinator1Idaho State (2006)Oregon – Cornerbacks coach (2019)
Craig NaivarSafeties coach1Hardin-Simmons (1993)Texas – Co-Defensive coordinator / Safeties coach (2019)
Aaron AusmusHead strength and conditioning coach4Tennessee (1998)Tennessee – Director of strength and conditioning (2009)

Roster

2020 USC Trojans Football roster

Quarterback

  •  9 Kedon Slovis – Sophomore (6'3, 215)
  • 10 Mo Hasan – Senior (6'3, 205)
  • 13 Isaac Ward – Freshman (6'0, 175)
  • 19 Matt Fink – Senior (6'3, 210)
  • 38 Brad Aoki – Sophomore (5'9, 170)

Tailback

  •  7 Stephen Carr – Senior (6'0, 215)
  • 23 Kenan Christon – Sophomore (5'10, 185)
  • 26 Samuel Oram-Jones – Senior (5'8, 200)
  • 27 Quincy Jountti – Senior (5'10, 215)
  • 29 Vavae Malepeai Senior (6'0, 200)
  • 30 Markese Stepp – Sophomore (6'0, 235)
  • 34 Matthew Colombo – Freshman (5'11, 185)
  • 37 Ben Easington – Junior (5'10, 215)
  • 46 Grant Jones – Senior (6'2, 225)

Wide Receiver

  •  1 Gary Bryant Jr. – Freshman (5'11, 170)
  •  4 Bru McCoy Freshman (6'3, 220)
  •  6 Joshua Jackson Jr. – Freshman (6'1, 185)
  •  8 Amon-Ra St. Brown – Junior (6'1, 195)
  • 15 Drake London – Sophomore (6'5, 210)
  • 17 Zach Wilson – Sophomore (6'1, 205)
  • 21 Tyler Vaughns Senior (6'2, 190)
  • 22 Jack Webster – Junior (6'0, 190)
  • 40 Ty Shamblin – Freshman (6'0, 185)
  • 42 Danny Ryan – Freshman (6'2, 175)
  • 80 John Jackson III – Sophomore (6'2, 205)
  • 81 Kyle Ford – Freshman (6'2, 210)
  • 86 Chase Locke – Freshman (6'4, 200)

Tight End

  • 18 Jude Wolfe – Freshman (6'5, 250)
  • 46 Scott Voigt – Senior (6'3, 215)
  • 83 Josh Falo – Senior (6'6, 235)
  • 84 Erik Krommenhoek – Senior (6'5, 260)
  • 85 Ethan Rae – Freshman (6'5, 245)
  • 89 Sean Mahoney – Freshman (6'5, 230)

Placekicker

  • 38 Alex Stadthaus – Junior (6'2, 205)
  • 40 Chase McGrath – Junior (6'0, 190)
  • 48 Parker Lewis – Freshman (6'3, 205)
  • 49 Michael Brown – Senior (6'1, 205)
 

Offensive Lineman

  • 51 Bernard Schirmer – OT – Senior (6'6, 285)
  • 56 Andres Dewerk – OT – Freshman (6'7, 295)
  • 57 Justin Dedich – C-OG – Sophomore (6'2, 300)
  • 61 Joe Bryson – OT – Junior (6'8, 295)
  • 62 Brett Neilon – C – Junior (6'2, 305)
  • 63 Damian Lopez – OG-OT – Junior (6'6, 315)
  • 64 AJ Mageo – OG-OT – Sophomore (6'5, 310)
  • 65 Frank Martin II – OG – Senior (6'4, 310)
  • 66 Gino Quinones – C-OG – Freshman (6'3, 290)
  • 67 Mark Zuvich – C – Sophomore (6'3, 250)
  • 68 Liam Douglass – OG-OT – Sophomore (6'5, 315)
  • 69 Casey Collier – OT – Freshman (6'7, 290)
  • 70 Jalen McKenzie – OT – Junior (6'5, 315)
  • 71 Liam Jimmons – OG-OT – Senior (6'4, 315)
  • 72 Andrew Vorhees – OG – Junior (6'6, 320)
  • 73 Caadyn Stephen – OT – Freshman (6'5, 285)
  • 74 Courtland Ford – OT – Freshman (6'5, 305)
  • 75 Alijah Vera-Tucker – OG – Junior (6'4, 315)
  • 77 Jason Rodriguez – OT – Freshman (6'6, 320)
  • 78 Andrew Milek – C-OT – Freshman (6'5, 290)
  • 79 Jonah Monheim – OG – Freshman (6'5, 290)

Defensive Line

  • 45 Maninoa Tufono – Freshman (6'3, 245)
  • 47 Stanley Ta'ufo'ou – Freshman (6'3, 280)
  • 49 Tuli Tuipulotu – Freshman (6'3, 265)
  • 50 Nick Figueroa – Junior (6'5, 260)
  • 77 Jamar Sekona – Freshman (6'2, 300)
  • 79 De'jon Benton – Freshman (6'3, 300)
  • 90 Connor Murphy – Senior (6'7, 270)
  • 91 Brandon Pili – Senior (6'4, 325)
  • 93 Marlon Tuipulotu Junior (6'3, 305)
  • 94 Kobe Pepe – Freshman (6'1, 300)
  • 95 Trevor Trout – Sophomore (6'4, 310)
  • 96 Caleb Tremblay – Senior (6'5, 270)
  • 97 Jacob Lichtenstein – Junior (6'5, 265)

Outside Linebacker

  • 31 Hunter Echols – Junior (6'5, 245)
  • 41 Juliano Falaniko – Junior (6'4, 235)
  • 48 Peter Esparza – Sophomore (6'1, 215)
  • 53 Bryce Matthews – Junior (6'3, 225)
  • 99 Drake Jackson – Sophomore (6'4, 255)
 

Inside Linebacker

  •  1 Palaie Gaoteote IV – Junior (6'2, 250)
  • 10 Ralen Goforth – Sophomore (6'2, 235)
  • 18 Raymond Scott – Sophomore (6'2, 220)
  • 26 Kana'i Mauga – Junior (6'2, 245)
  • 34 Eli'jah Winston – Sophomore (6'3, 240)
  • 36 Clyde Moore – Freshman (6'0, 225)
  • 44 Tuasivi Nomura – Freshman (6'1, 225)
  • 52 Spencer Gilbert – Sophomore (6'0, 220)
  • 54 Tayler Katoa – Sophomore (6'2, 230)
  • 56 Jordan Iosefa – Senior (6'2, 235)
  • 57 Danny Lockhart II – Freshman (6'0, 220)
  • 58 Solomon Tuliaupupu – Sophomore (6'3, 240)

Cornerback

  •  2 Olaijah Griffin – Junior (6'0, 175)
  •  6 Isaac Taylor-Stuart – Sophomore (6'2, 195)
  •  8 Chris Steele – Sophomore (6'1, 190)
  • 13 Adonis Otey – Freshman (6'1, 185)
  • 14 Jayden Williams – Sophomore (6'1, 195)
  • 22 Dorian Hewett – Sophomore (6'0, 185)
  • 44 Jack Drake – Junior (5'10, 190)

Safety

  •  4 Max Williams – Freshman (5'9, 180)
  •  7 Chase Williams – Sophomore (6'2, 195)
  •  9 Greg Johnson – Junior (5'11, 195)
  • 15 Talanoa Hufanga – Junior (6'1, 215)
  • 17 Micah Croom – Senior (6'1, 210)
  • 21 Isaiah Pola-Mao – Junior (6'4, 205)
  • 23 Kaulana Makaula – Freshman (6'3, 210)
  • 25 Briton Allen – Sophomore (6'0, 185)
  • 30 Jordan McMillan – Sophomore (5'11, 195)
  • 37 Tommy Maurice – Freshman (5'9, 190)

Punter

  • 24 Ben Griffiths Sophomore (6'5, 245)
  • 35 Michael McAllister – Freshman (6'2, 230)
  • 36 Will Rose – Freshman (6'1, 180)
  • 47 Michael Shahidi – Freshman (6'0, 180)

Long Snappers

  • 39 Jac Casasante – Sophomore (6'0, 215)
  • 53 Nathan Weneta – Freshman (6'2, 215)
  • 59 Damon Johnson – Senior (6'0, 210)

2020 USC Football Roster (10/21/2020)

Depth chart

  • Official Depth Chart as of 11/6/2020[5]

True Freshman
Double Position : *

Scholarship distribution chart

redshirt year used / redshirt year eligible / * Former Walk-on

– 85 scholarships permitted, 82 currently allotted to players

– 81 recruited players on scholarship (on former walk-ons)

– Transfer portal out : Palaie Gaoteote IV (ILB, -), Abdul-Malik McClain (OLB, Jackson State), Chase McGrath (K, -)

– COVID-19 Opt out to NFL : Jay Tufele (DL)

Scholarship Distribution 2020

Schedule

Regular season

USC had games scheduled against Alabama, New Mexico, and Notre Dame, but canceled these games on July 10 because the Pac-12 Conference decided to play a conference-only schedule because of the COVID-19 pandemic.[6]

DateTimeOpponentRankSiteTVResultAttendance
November 79:00 a.m.Arizona StateNo. 20FoxW 28–27
November 1412:30 p.m.at ArizonaNo. 20FoxW 34–30
November 217:30 p.m.at UtahNo. 20ESPNW 33–17
November 2812:30 p.m.ColoradoNo. 18
  • Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
  • Los Angeles, CA
ABCNo Contest
December 64:30 p.m.Washington StateNo. 20
  • Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
  • Los Angeles, CA
FS1W 38–13
December 124:30 p.m.at UCLANo. 15ABCW 43–38
December 185:00 p.m.OregonNo. 13
FoxL 24–31

Game summaries

Arizona State

Arizona State Sun Devils at USC Trojans
1 2 34Total
Sun Devils 3 14 7327
No. 20 Trojans 7 7 01428

at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, California

  • Date: November 7, 2020
  • Game time: 9:07 a.m. PT
  • Game weather: 57 °F (14 °C) Partly Sunny
  • Game attendance: 0
  • Referee: Chris Coyte
  • TV announcers (Fox): Gus Johnson, Joel Klatt, Jenny Taft

Arizona

USC Trojans at Arizona Wildcats
1 2 34Total
No. 20 Trojans 10 7 31434
Wildcats 7 6 71030

at Arizona Stadium, Tucson, Arizona

Utah

USC Trojans at Utah Utes
1 2 34Total
No. 20 Trojans 3 21 6333
Utes 3 14 0017

at Rice-Eccles Stadium, Salt Lake City, Utah

  • Date: November 21, 2020
  • Game time: 7:30 p.m. PST
  • Game weather: 34 °F (1 °C) Mostly Clear, Humidity at 58%
  • Game attendance: 0
  • TV announcers (ESPN): Dave Flemming, Rod Gilmore, Stormy Buonantony

Washington State

Washington State Cougars at USC Trojans
1 2 34Total
Cougars 0 6 0713
No. 20 Trojans 28 7 3038

at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, California

UCLA

USC Trojans at UCLA Bruins
1 2 34Total
Trojans 0 10 132043
Bruins 7 14 14338

at Rose Bowl, Pasadena, California

  • Date: December 12, 2020
  • Game time: 4:30 pm PST
  • Game weather: Temperature: 59 °F (15 °C) • Wind: NE at 21 miles per hour (34 km/h) • Weather: Sunny Humidity at 59%
  • Game attendance: 0
  • TV announcers (ABC): Dave Pasch, Greg McElroy, Allison Williams

Oregon

Oregon Ducks vs USC Trojans (2020 Pac-12 Football Championship Game presented by 76)
1 2 34Total
Ducks 14 7 7331
No. 13 Trojans 7 7 3724

at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, CA

  • Date: December 18, 2020
  • Game time: 5:00 PM PST
  • Game weather: Temperature: 63 °F (17 °C) • Wind: NW at 6 miles per hour (9.7 km/h) • Weather: Sunny, Clear, Humidity at 51%
  • Game attendance: 0
  • Referee: Chris Coyte
  • TV announcers (Fox): Joe Davis (play-by-play) and Mark Helfrich (analyst)

Rankings

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking.
NR = Not ranked. RV = Received votes. т = Tied with team above or below. ( ) = First place votes.
Week
Poll Pre 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Final 
AP 17 NR NR NR RV RV 25 24 21 20 20 20 19 17 15 13 21 21 
Coaches 17 NR NR NR RV RV 24 23 20 20 20 19 18 16 16 13 19  
CFP Not released 18 20 15 13 17 Not released

Statistics

Pac-12 opponents

1 2 3 4 Total
USC 48 42 12 31 133
Pac-12 opponents 13 40 17 13 83

Offense

Defense

Key: POS: Position, SOLO: Solo Tackles, AST: Assisted Tackles, TOT: Total Tackles, TFL: Tackles-for-loss, SACK: Quarterback Sacks, INT: Interceptions, BU: Passes Broken Up, PD: Passes Defended, QBH: Quarterback Hits, FR: Fumbles Recovered, FF: Forced Fumbles, BLK: Kicks or Punts Blocked, SAF: Safeties, TD : Touchdown

Special teams

References

  1. Pac-12 Conference. "Pac-12 announces resumption of football, basketball & winter sports seasons". Pac-12 Conference. Retrieved 24 September 2020.
  2. "Pac-12 Conference postpones all sport competitions through end of calendar year". pac-12.com. August 11, 2020. Retrieved August 11, 2020.
  3. "Pac-12 announces resumption of football, basketball & winter sports seasons". pac-12.com. September 24, 2020. Retrieved September 24, 2020.
  4. "USC Football Opts Out Of Playing In A Bowl". usctrojans.com. December 19, 2020. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
  5. https://www.si.com/college/usc/football/usc-football-announces-depth-chart-team-captains
  6. Bromberg, Nick. "Pac-12 follows Big Ten's lead and won't play non-conference games in 2020". Yahoo News. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
  7. "Washington to face USC in 2020 Pac-12 Football Championship Game, presented by 76". pac-12.com. Pac-12 Conference. December 12, 2020. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
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