2020 USC Trojans football team

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2020 USC Trojans football
USC Trojans logo.svg
Pac-12 South Division champion
Pac-12 Championship Game, L 24–31 vs. Oregon
ConferencePac-12 Conference
DivisionSouth Division
Ranking
CoachesNo. 21
APNo. 21
2020 record5–1 (5–0 Pac-12)
Head coach
  • Clay Helton (5th season)
Offensive coordinatorGraham Harrell (2nd season)
Offensive schemeAir raid
Defensive coordinatorTodd Orlando (1st season)
Base defense3–3–5
Captain
4
Home stadiumUnited Airlines Field at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (Capacity: 77,500)
Uniform
Sc trojans football unif.png
Seasons
← 2019
2021 →
2020 Pac-12 Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
North Division
Washington x   3 1     3 1  
Oregon y$   3 2     4 3  
Stanford   4 2     4 2  
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.

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.

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.

Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Transfer to
Clayton Bradley #76 OT 6'5 295 Senior Redshirt Orange, CA UNLV Rebels
JT Daniels #10 QB 6'3 210 Sophomore Redshirt Santa Ana, CA Georgia Bulldogs
Thomas Fitts #15 PK 6'1 185 Senior Redshirt Dallas, TX SMU Mustangs
Daniel Imatorbhebhe #88 TE 6’3 240 Senior Redshirt Suwanee, GA Illinois Fighting Illini
Velus Jones Jr. #1 WR 6'0 190 Senior Redshirt Saraland, AL Tennessee Volunteers
C.J. Pollard #28 S 6'1 195 Senior Redshirt Carson, CA Utah State Aggies
Jack Sears #13 QB 6'3 205 Sophomore Redshirt San Clemente, CA Boise State Broncos
Devon Williams #2 WR 6'4 205 Junior Redshirt Lancaster, CA Oregon Ducks
Jack Yary - TE 6’6 255 Freshman Murrieta, CA Washington Huskies

The Trojans added 5 player via transfer.

Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Transfer from
Joe Bryson OT 6'8 285 Junior Castle Pines, CO Colorado Mesa Mavericks
Micah Croom DB 6'1 210 Senior Redshirt Miami, FL Dartmouth Big Green
Mo Hasan QB 6'3 190 Senior Redshirt Miami, FL Vanderbilt Commodores
Samuel Oram-Jones TB 5'8 200 Graduate Milton Keynes, UK Vanderbilt Commodores
Nathan Weneta LS 6'2 210 Freshman San Diego, CA Purdue 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[]

2020 NFL Draft[]

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[]

Player Position Round Pick NFL Team
Austin Jackson Offensive tackle 1 18 Miami Dolphins
Michael Pittman Jr. Wide receiver 2 34 Indianapolis Colts
Christian Rector Defensive end UDFA
John Houston Jr. Inside linebacker UDFA Pittsburgh Steelers
Drew Richmond Offensive tackle UDFA

Preseason[]

Pac-12 media days[]

Pac-12 media polls[]

In the 2020 Pac-12 preseason media poll.

Preseason All-Pac-12 teams[]

Personnel[]

Coaching staff[]

Name Position Seasons at
USC
Alma mater Before USC
Clay Helton Head coach 10 Houston (1994) Memphis – Offensive coordinator (2009)
Graham Harrell Offensive coordinator / Quarterbacks coach 2 Texas Tech (2009) North Texas – Offensive coordinator / Quarterbacks coach (2018)
Todd Orlando Defensive coordinator / Linebackers coach 1 Wisconsin (1993) Texas – Defensive coordinator / Linebackers coach (2019)
Sean Snyder Special Teams coordinator 1 Kansas State (1993) Kansas State – Assistant head coach / Special Teams coordinator / Senior Special Teams analyst (2019)
Mike Jinks Tailbacks coach 2 Angelo State (1993) Bowling Green – Head coach (2018)
Keary Colbert Wide receivers coach 6 USC (2006) Alabama – Offensive analyst (2015)
John David Baker Inside wide receivers / Tight ends coach 2 Abilene Christian (2013) North Texas – Offensive quality control coach (2018)
Tim Drevno Offensive line coach / Running game coordinator / Pass protection coordinator 4 Cal State Fullerton (1992) Michigan – Offensive coordinator / Offensive line coach (2015)
Vic So'oto Defensive line coach 1 BYU (2011) Virginia – Defensive line coach (2019)
Donte Williams Cornerbacks coach / Defensive Pass game coordinator 1 Idaho State (2006) Oregon – Cornerbacks coach (2019)
Craig Naivar Safeties coach 1 Hardin-Simmons (1993) Texas – Co-Defensive coordinator / Safeties coach (2019)
Aaron Ausmus Head strength and conditioning coach 4 Tennessee (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 – Redshirt Senior (6'3, 205)
  • 13 Isaac Ward – Freshman (6'0, 175)
  • 19 Matt Fink – Redshirt Senior (6'3, 210)
  • 38 Brad Aoki – Redshirt Sophomore (5'9, 170)

Tailback

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

Wide Receiver

  •  1 Gary Bryant Jr. – Freshman (5'11, 170)
  •  4 Bru McCoyRedshirt 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 – Redshirt Sophomore (6'1, 205)
  • 21 Tyler VaughnsRedshirt Senior (6'2, 190)
  • 22 Jack Webster – Redshirt 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 – Redshirt Freshman (6'2, 210)
  • 86 Chase Locke – Redshirt Freshman (6'4, 200)

Tight End

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

Placekicker

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

Offensive Lineman

  • 51 Bernard Schirmer – OT – Redshirt Senior (6'6, 285)
  • 56 Andres Dewerk – OT – Freshman (6'7, 295)
  • 57 Justin Dedich – C-OG – Redshirt Sophomore (6'2, 300)
  • 61 Joe Bryson – OT – Junior (6'8, 295)
  • 62 Brett Neilon – C – Redshirt Junior (6'2, 305)
  • 63 Damian Lopez – OG-OT – Redshirt Junior (6'6, 315)
  • 64 AJ Mageo – OG-OT – Redshirt Sophomore (6'5, 310)
  • 65 Frank Martin II – OG – Redshirt Senior (6'4, 310)
  • 66 Gino Quinones – C-OG – Redshirt Freshman (6'3, 290)
  • 67 Mark Zuvich – C – Redshirt Sophomore (6'3, 250)
  • 68 Liam Douglass – OG-OT – Redshirt Sophomore (6'5, 315)
  • 69 Casey Collier – OT – Freshman (6'7, 290)
  • 70 Jalen McKenzie – OT – Redshirt Junior (6'5, 315)
  • 71 Liam Jimmons – OG-OT – Redshirt Senior (6'4, 315)
  • 72 Andrew Vorhees – OG – Redshirt 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 – Redshirt Junior (6'4, 315)
  • 77 Jason Rodriguez – OT – Redshirt 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 – Redshirt Freshman (6'3, 245)
  • 47 Stanley Ta'ufo'ou – Redshirt Freshman (6'3, 280)
  • 49 Tuli Tuipulotu – Freshman (6'3, 265)
  • 50 Nick Figueroa – Redshirt Junior (6'5, 260)
  • 77 Jamar Sekona – Freshman (6'2, 300)
  • 79 De'jon Benton – Redshirt Freshman (6'3, 300)
  • 90 Connor Murphy – Redshirt Senior (6'7, 270)
  • 91 Brandon Pili – Senior (6'4, 325)
  • 93 Marlon TuipulotuRedshirt Junior (6'3, 305)
  • 94 Kobe Pepe – Freshman (6'1, 300)
  • 95 Trevor Trout – Redshirt Sophomore (6'4, 310)
  • 96 Caleb Tremblay – Redshirt Senior (6'5, 270)
  • 97 Jacob Lichtenstein – Redshirt Junior (6'5, 265)

Outside Linebacker

  • 31 Hunter Echols – Redshirt Junior (6'5, 245)
  • 41 Juliano Falaniko – Redshirt Junior (6'4, 235)
  • 48 Peter Esparza – Redshirt Sophomore (6'1, 215)
  • 53 Bryce Matthews – Redshirt 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 – Redshirt Sophomore (6'2, 220)
  • 26 Kana'i Mauga – Junior (6'2, 245)
  • 34 Eli'jah Winston – Redshirt Sophomore (6'3, 240)
  • 36 Clyde Moore – Redshirt Freshman (6'0, 225)
  • 44 Tuasivi Nomura – Redshirt Freshman (6'1, 225)
  • 52 Spencer Gilbert – Redshirt Sophomore (6'0, 220)
  • 54 Tayler Katoa – Redshirt Sophomore (6'2, 230)
  • 56 Jordan Iosefa – Redshirt Senior (6'2, 235)
  • 57 Danny Lockhart II – Freshman (6'0, 220)
  • 58 Solomon Tuliaupupu – Redshirt Sophomore (6'3, 240)

Cornerback

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

Safety

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

Punter

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

Long Snappers

  • 39 Jac Casasante – Redshirt Sophomore (6'0, 215)
  • 53 Nathan Weneta – Redshirt Freshman (6'2, 215)
  • 59 Damon Johnson – Redshirt 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. 20
FoxW 28–27
November 1412:30 p.m.at ArizonaNo. 20
FoxW 34–30
November 217:30 p.m.at UtahNo. 20
  • Rice-Eccles Stadium
  • Salt Lake City, UT
ESPNW 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. 15
ABCW 43–38
December 185:00 p.m.OregonNo. 13
  • Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
  • Los Angeles, CA (Pac-12 Championship Game[7])
FoxL 24–31
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game
  • All times are in Pacific time

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

  • Date: November 14, 2020
  • Game time: 12:35 p.m. PST
  • Game weather: 72 °F (22 °C) Clear, Sunny
  • Game attendance: 0
  • Referee: Matt Richards
  • TV announcers (Fox): Gus Johnson, Joel Klatt, Jenny Taft and Dean Blandino

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

  • Date: December 6, 2020
  • Game time: 4:30 p.m. PST
  • Game attendance: 0
  • Referee: S. Strimling
  • TV announcers (FS1): Alex Faust and Petros Papadakis

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 p.m. 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 p.m. 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[]

Players drafted into the NFL[]

Round Pick Player Position NFL Club
1 14 Alijah Vera-Tucker OG New York Jets
4 106 Jay Tufele DT Jacksonville Jaguars
4 112 Amon-Ra St. Brown WR Detroit Lions
5 180 Talanoa Hufanga S San Francisco 49ers
6 189 Marlon Tuipulotu DT Philadelphia Eagles

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. ^ "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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